7 Reasons Working At BuzzFeed Is Unforgettable
After more than 7 years, Monday is my last day at BuzzFeed. I've never had the same address for 7 years, so you could say BuzzFeed is the most stable home I've ever had.
Since joining the company in 2015, I've been fortunate to experience "life stages" from newly married to first-time homeowner.
I've also experienced a full spectrum of emotions, from the highs of bucket list-worthy adventures with my wife and creating a side hustle to the lows of losing three grandparents and a beloved friend.
Through it all, BuzzFeed hasn't just accepted me. It has actively supported me.
So before I move on, here are 7 reasons why I'll never forget working here. (I recall learning as a new hire that 7 is the best-performing number in a title for a BuzzFeed list. That's why I titled my first post "7 Reasons Why The Warriors Will Win The NBA Championship" in 2015...perhaps I should've reprised that title for my final post as an employee in 2022. Someone can probably check me on 7 as the best performer in post titles these days, since that insight comes from 7 years ago, but what are they going to do...fire me?)
1. The Snacks
Plenty of companies claim to offer fun snacks but nobody else offered Tasty leftovers you could hear before you could see, thanks to the stampede a post in the #tastyleftovers Slack would routinely cause.
2. The Holiday Parties
While I prefer +1s over glamorous venues, who could forget employee-only nights at L.A. landmarks like The Magic Castle, The Houdini Estate and Harry Potter World?
3. The Flexibility
As touched on above, I've started and grown a side hustle while working full-time at BuzzFeed. It hasn't been easy, but from midday podcasting breaks to midnight media appearances, it wouldn't have been possible without the company's flexibility.
4. The Gchat vs. Slack Debate
This might still be a touchy subject. When I joined BuzzFeed, it was all Gchat. Then came Slack, and then came a stretch when it took seemingly all my bandwidth just to keep up with messages between the two.
Something had to give. I chose Slack and have been "Away" on Gchat ever since. Apologies to the coworkers who sent all the Gchats I haven't read or responded to in years. If it was important, I trust that you knew where to find me.
5. The Way It Makes People Think You're Cooler Than You Really Are
The only song I knew from the iTunes Charts (is that still what it's called?) when I gave my two weeks' notice was "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins because I was almost alive to see the original "Top Gun" in theaters.
Thankfully, this enables me to fully appreciate BuzzFeed conference room names like Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt. But I'm equally thankful that working for BuzzFeed nudged people like my younger sister to consider me cooler than I really am when it comes to the pulse of pop culture today.
6. The Crazy Assignments
Yes, this list is meant to reflect positively on my time with BuzzFeed. But no, it wasn't a cakewalk. Nor should it have been.
In any job, there are times when it feels like you're asked to move mountains without the tools to do so. I accept that it'll happen in my next job, too. That said, I wouldn't mind if some parts of the job were a little less unforgettable.
7. The People
At the end of the day, crazy assignments (and parties, and snacks) come and go but relationships have staying power.
From the best manager I've ever had and a work spouse without whom I can't imagine BuzzFeed, to my first direct reports and colleagues-turned-friends on teams I never knew I'd work with, this company is full of people who have positively affected me in ways that far exceed the scope of any job description.
So as eager as I am for my next chapter, it doesn't extinguish the pain of parting ways with people who feel like family. As Michael Scott put it:
