Merci, Bocoup

My coworkers and I bought our company today. You can read about why we did that in the post I wrote for Bocoup’s blog if you like. I’ve set aside a URL on this domain to reflect on an aspect that might be less relevant to the industry but is no less important to me.

Bocoup has been paying my bills since 2011, heady days when I apparently enjoyed referring to it as a “web development house”. The original roster was strong, and in those early years, I regularly told my friends and family, “I’ll stay as long as the people don’t leave.” Of course, everyone goes away in the end, but each new hire invariably drew me back in.

Without those people, Bocoup wouldn’t be worth owning today. They deserve better recognition than I can give them collectively in a crummy blog post, but I still feel obliged to try saying something beyond tired platitude. So, at the risk of bringing “big eulogy energy,” here’s my shot.

Bocoup hired some of the most thorough professionals I’ve ever met. I still occasionally think about the lengths they went to explore, test, harden, and promote their work. My coworkers also honestly cared about the ethical value of their work–a truly precious consideration in a profession dominated by enormous salaries and even bigger egos. Many of these characters cherished absurdity even more than I do. They absorbed the madness of the tech industry, and rather than folding under the psychic weight, they projected it back into that freakish subculture. Some did this through their writing. They would weave puns, pop culture, and personal experience together with enough alacrity¹ to make you forget that, for the most part, they were being paid to put curly braces in the right places. Plenty of Bocoupers knew better than to go anywhere near curly braces, though. Those folks eloquently advocated for both consultant and client, filled organizational needs before the rest of us could even articulate problems, expanded our benefits at every opportunity, and safeguarded their team’s emotional well-being with a paradoxical blend of professionalism and love.

Maybe most importantly, everyone I’ve worked with has had the sincerity and emotional fortitude to bring their authentic selves to their work. Because of them, I painted with oils, played outlandish indie games, discovered obscure chiptune singles, exchanged high-fives EVERY SINGLE DAY, tested the limits of my spice tolerance, found the best falafel in town, scored some of my most prized vinyl, learned to take care of my hands, attended unforgettable concerts (and also Sugar Ray), saw a new side of the aquarium, chose my favorite Japanese wrestler, tasted goiabada, received an “editor” credit for a goshdarn book, biked along the Willamette, admired original art ranging from ofrendas and graffiti to sculpture and hardcore punk, read hyper-challenging sci-fi, befriended a garbage-loving dog, and so much more.

All this is to say Bocoup has always been a uniquely inspiring place to earn one’s livelihood. For all the folks who made it that way: thank you. Know that the current roster is as outstanding as it’s ever been, and we’re going to do our best to continue your legacy.