Why Unity?

A lot of people, both co-workers and not, have asked me why I “chose” Unity for my post-Microsoft career. Although I documented (sort of) why I broke up with Microsoft, and talked in a few other places about my role, I guess I haven’t publicly shared why I’m at Unity (vs any other tech company).

I had musings about leaving Microsoft for quite a while. In fact, I composed a version of my breakup blog post in my head as far back as 2010 when I almost took a role at another large tech company. It may be worth sharing that I almost accepted roles at several other companies over the years, and halfway pursued several others as well.

So, why Unity and why not any of those other companies?

The short answer is that I’m picky, and that Unity is my unicorn.

I wanted a role that was both challenging and where I could leverage my experience. I wanted to work in services (or, at the very least, in an Agile environment). I didn’t want to move, and I didn’t want to travel too much. I wanted to work on a product with avid and vocal customers.

Then along came Unity – a second time, actually, as I first talked with my current manager about Unity over a year ago. The role at the time, wasn’t quite right for my strict requirements, but when we restarted our conversation a few months ago, Unity felt a lot more like a good fit. I met with a few people (all people I now work with almost every day). I liked them, and they liked me. After a few short conversations with HR to get the financial side in order, and after a few longer conversations with my family about the  move, I accepted the offer.

As soon as I made the decision, I knew it was the right one. I’ve had zero regrets, and every day I feel better about the move. So much to do, but so excited to do it.

That’s why.