Okay, so you may have heard by now that JT Eberhard is leaving Freethought Blogs for greener — as in money — pastures. He’s joining the gang at Patheos. He also quit his job at the Secular Student Alliance, and those are not coincidental events. To say we’re going to miss JT may be the understatement of the decade.
Over the last year, JT has become a good friend. With all the shit-talking we did about that poker tournament in Denver, including me crowing over winning our bet, the best thing about it was getting to hang out with him again and have some fun. He’s just a good guy and we’re all going to miss him.
So before any rumors get started, this has nothing to do with Deep Rifts. He isn’t being thrown out. He isn’t even leaving because he wants to. But it’s something he had to do for a lot of reasons that have nothing to do with his relationship with all of us, which will remain very close. We all love JT very much, and while we’re sad to see him go, he leaves with nothing but good wishes from everyone here. And we’re gonna keep a place at the table for him just in case the prodigal son returns someday.
19 comments
Skip to comment form ↓
Pieter B, FCD
August 24, 2012 at 2:01 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Cue the idiots in 3… 2… 1…
F
August 24, 2012 at 2:04 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Disinformation! Spin! Propaganda! Ocean-forming rifts!
-Was I fast enough? Did I get in at the end of the countdown?
baal
August 24, 2012 at 2:10 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I’ll miss having him here but as JT is on my bookmark list, it’s not all that hard to update it. That said, I’m glad he’s reviewed his life and made changes so that it works better for him. We should all do that every 5 years or so. I do it in years ending in 7 or 2 on the day 6 months from my birthday. Ymmv.
Gregory in Seattle
August 24, 2012 at 2:13 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I’ve gotten from his blog that he’s been dealing with some challenges in recent months. He will be missed here, but I’m still looking forward to reading WWJTD at its new site.
Ed Brayton
August 24, 2012 at 2:18 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Yeah, I do hope everyone follows him at the new place. I certainly will.
Alverant
August 24, 2012 at 2:21 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
If his successor is half as good, we’ll be fortunate. Thanks JT.
Reginald Selkirk
August 24, 2012 at 3:03 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
So this is a “legitimate” leaving and not a “forcible” leaving.
TGAP Dad
August 24, 2012 at 3:04 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Noooooooooooooo! (cue dramatic minor chord on pipe organ)
jaranath
August 24, 2012 at 3:11 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Money being part of his need to make this move, I note that JT has also toyed with asking for “subscription”-style donations to support him as he shifts toward full-time writing, blogging and…activating? Activisiming…? Um. Anyway, I’m all for chipping in and I hope he not only puts up a tip jar, but that he very quickly finds himself needing a bigger tip jar.
Jasper of Maine (I feel safe and welcome at FTB)
August 24, 2012 at 3:16 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
It’s too bad. We was pretty good at rallying support for SSA.
stevebowen
August 24, 2012 at 3:42 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Where someone blogs isn’t such a big deal, anyway being a stablemate of Hemant Mehta is no small thing. I suspect the SSA will miss him more.
ashleybell
August 24, 2012 at 3:45 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I loves me some Hemant, but Patheos could use a little A+ fire in the belly if you know what I mean… They just got ‘em some…
Celeste
August 24, 2012 at 4:51 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Part of me wants to yell out the dramatic “Nooooooooooo” with TGAP Dad, but the other part of me is just thinking “Time to update the RSS feed”. JT is awesome. I’d follow him anywhere.
dean
August 24, 2012 at 5:02 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Prodigal son? He’s a wasteful spender? (Sorry – Vicodin is kicking in)
Lou Doench
August 24, 2012 at 6:38 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
There are some good Blogs at Patheos. Even a couple of the believers are really cool, like Fred Clark at Slacktivist. JT will be a nice addition to their stable.
Pierce R. Butler
August 25, 2012 at 12:09 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Quick – sign up JT’s Dad!!!
Martin Wagner
August 26, 2012 at 3:03 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Hang on. JT was getting paid to blog here? I didn’t know that was part of the deal.
Marcus Ranum
August 27, 2012 at 6:55 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Hang on. JT was getting paid to blog here? I didn’t know that was part of the deal.
Bloggers make huge amounts of money. That’s what Mitt Romney is trying to hide on his taxes; he was blogging for FTB under the name “Comrade Physioproffe” for a while and made so much he had to stick it in his offshore IRA and now it’s coming back to haunt him.
OK, joking aside – Crommunist has posted a bit about what blogging pays him (he donates it all to charity) It’s not very much. JT’s left because he’s trying to make a living doing it, and it sounds like he’s going to be eating a lot of ramen noodles…
Marcus Ranum
August 27, 2012 at 6:56 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
The suggestion to get JT’s dad to take over is a really good one. WWJTDD?