HOW A HOBBY BECAME A BUSINESS

You never know where life might take you. I started writing Techdirt as a fun hobby while I was in business school in 1997. I was based on the East Coast and was interested in the intersection of technology and business. The purpose was to force me to stay aware of what was happening and (hopefully) use the fact that I wrote a “newsletter” (there were no “blogs” at the time) to help me score a job.

What I never expected is that it would become my full-time job … and much more. 

Initially, things went according to plan. The e-mail newsletter turned into a website and helped me get a job at a startup. But then I kept working on it, and it became a “blog” without my even realizing such a thing existed. Startup life soured, and suddenly I realized I had a decently popular website, and something perhaps worth focusing on. That was in 2000—10 years ago—and since then, Techdirt hasn’t just turned into a full-time job, but a whole company employing a bunch of others, offering a variety of services beyond just the blog. 

I started Techdirt hoping to use it to buff up my résumé. I never realized that it would become the centerpiece of my resume … as well as the centerpiece for a bunch of other people’s résumés.