Thanks, Ev

As he hands over the keys, Mr. Williams’ decade-old brainchild remains the gold standard for online publishing.

I first received word from my New York Times app: Ev Williams, Medium founder and CEO, stepping down after just shy of a decade at the helm. That’s no small deal — when the Gray Lady decides it’s fit to print, you know it’s news. For those of us who’ve been here a while, it allows us an opportunity to pause and reflect. And, for me anyway, an opportunity to appreciate.

Wittingly or unwittingly, Ev’s corner of the internet launched or accelerated the careers of thousands of aspiring writers, journalists, authors, marketers, comedians, entrepreneurs, and digital-native content creators. The festival bill of prominent personalities on this platform who’ve made good elsewhere is as long as it is eclectic.

The best of us got mainstream media bylines, seven-figure series A funds, speaking gigs, Netflix specials, and book deals. Even the merely adequate among us netted good jobs, new friends, and the occasional SXSW panel appearance. All of us got better — better informed, better connected, better at our crafts. All thanks to this place. Myself included.

I won’t mince words: I’d have a hard time calculating Medium’s impact on my life. As I’ve spent the past eight-plus…