It is clear that as a result of contributions from many members of the community at large, and the hard work of directors of Edgeryders LBg (current and past), that Edgeryders has been growing faster than expected. This is bringing to light many tensions and discomfort, some of which can be attributed to growing pains. Others come down to failings of a number of individuals, myself included, due to egos and misaligned expectations as well as cultural differences. I think it is important to acknowledge this and for everyone who cares about Edgeryders to exercise both restraint and kindness in how we deal with one another in the coming months.
None of this would matter if it were not for the many remarkable achievements that are cause for celebration. The biggest of which is that we are all still here- the number of members and projects that use the common infrastructures we have all built together is growing. This is cause for celebration. It also gives rise to a growing number of demands to accommodate with very limited resources. There are many unanswered questions as to how we can sustainably accommodate the growing number members and projects using the shared infrastructures in a way that is aligned with our values, sustainable and fair.
A key condition for meeting the new challenges is establishing a process that ensures any and all demands of the shared infrastructures are backed by credible commitment of resources by those who are using them. Another one is ensuring there is a clear, and structured process for interaction between the members of the community in a shared online platform, as well as between the community at large and the directors of the company that has been sustaining Edgeryders and providing resources and both to support community members with opportunities and for building, developing and maintaining the Edgeryders online ecosystem.
This is not something that will happen overnight nor can it if we really want to do this well, while learning from our mistakes and taking enough time to fully explore and understand different options for moving forward together. Rather this is a process to pursue over next 1.5 years starting from January 2016 in order to allow for sufficient time to honor existing personal and professional commitments as well as to facilitate participation of the whole community.
It is against this backdrop that the executive directors of Edgeryders LBG make a majority decision to welcome Patrick Andrews into the board to help with this transition. We are very pleased that he has chosen to accept the invitation and look forward learning with and from one another as we embark on a new journey together.
@Caroline_Paulick-Thiel has very kindly stepped forward to facilitate this process, and we are exploring how we can support her in practical terms. Once we have established a clear timeline we will reach out to all the members with the invitation to participate. We look forward to learning from and with everyone who wishes to contribute to what looks like an interesting and turbulent next phase of the Edgeryders story.
With love,
Nadia, Alberto, Matthias, Noemi and Patrick