A Note from Gavin Wood

A short note on where I am spending my time.

It has been a long road, but the recent chapters tell a simple story. In 2022 I stepped back from running Parity to bury myself in the deep protocol and architecture work, the designing and thinking I have always been happiest doing. Last year I picked up the reins as CEO because that groundwork was laid and the world was finally ready for it. The architecture is defined and the bar is set. Now the job is to deliver, and that is where I intend to put my attention.

In practice that means leading the technical side of delivery directly, taking the proofs of concept we have laboured over and hardening them into robust, open-source software that people can actually use. It is the part of the work I know best and care about most, and it is also precisely what this next phase calls for.

This comes as Pierre Aubert moves on after almost three years as VP of Engineering. In that time Pierre steered the engineering team through one of the most consequential periods of change in Parity's history, and kept us focused throughout on delivering the technologies that underpin Polkadot's future. He leaves the team in good shape, and with our genuine thanks I wish him every success in whatever he turns to next.

For everyone building with us, nothing about our direction changes and your day to day carries on as before. With an able team around me running the business, I can put my time where it counts most, and you will simply see me closer to the work as we ship.

This is the most interesting stretch of the journey so far. We've spent years laying the foundations; now comes the far better part, proving what they make possible and building the technology that leaves the internet more open, more resilient, and rather more human than we found it.