Updates to the Faithlife Team
Today is a significant day at Faithlife, and I want to share some news directly with you all and explain what’s happening and why.
We’ve made the difficult decision to downsize our workforce and part ways with a number of Faithlife employees. We’re very sad to see these colleagues and friends go, and we’ll be supporting them as they find their next employer.
Faithlife is not in financial trouble, and we are committed to serving and supporting you, our users - and are confident in our ability to do so for decades to come.
2020 and 2021 (especially the first half) were strong growth years for us, as we added more new users than in any comparable period. We now realize that much of that growth was fueled by what’s been referred to as the “COVID bump,” the growth in consumer eCommerce spending due to economic stimulus and extra time and occasion to study the Bible. We didn’t sufficiently appreciate that some of this growth was temporary and would slow after things started getting back to normal and the stimulus funds ended. Nor did we anticipate the current economic slowdown and the impact that it would have on spending.
Our cost structure has been growing faster than revenue for a few years now, and we’ve accepted this as a worthy tradeoff as we invest in the future of our business and the furtherance of our mission. Unfortunately the current economic climate has exposed the limits of this model, and made clear that we cannot continue investing at this rate. While we’re still growing, are financially stable and are very optimistic about our future, we’ve chosen to take action now to provide breathing room to weather changes in the global economy, and to give us the flexibility to invest more intentionally in future growth opportunities.
While this is incredibly painful, we believe it’s the right decision to ensure we’re around for decades to come as we steward our responsibility to “use technology to equip the Church to grow in the light of the Bible” and “increase biblical literacy and accessibility for every Christian around the world.”
We invite you to join us in praying for those who are no longer with us that God would be their strength and provide for them and their families.
Vik
Comments
Even Sean Boisen has been eliminated!
It will be interesting to watch the data architecture evolve over the next few years - it's an important but undervalued role in IT.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
Faithlife is a great company, I'm so thankful for my time there. As hard as it was for me to leave just a few months ago by my own choice, I can only imagine where the hearts of many of my former team members are at. Thanks for praying for them. Some of the former Faithlifer's have chosen to share their information as they are re-entering the job market. You'll find the link in this public post from Andrew.
Wow, this layoff seems really brutal! Even Sean Boisen has been eliminated!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1d3znRXx9AWQxpgnFcyP5V9UFoe5RI-hFl3wtcPqMFGY/edit#gid=0
The new CEO shows his true colors. Firing the entire Mobile Ed team, plus the Senior Information Architect.
Perhaps the CEO or Executive Chairman (Bob) can explain what's the strategy / strategic shift behind all this (e.g. exiting x market or product type; doubling down investment in y market or product line, etc)?
Mobile Ed courses were my on-ramp into Logos, as they have been for many people I know. It wasn’t the software itself or the books that drew me to it initially, and I would never have gotten into it for either of those features. If it wasn’t for wanting a seminary level education from top scholars, I never would have wound up learning to love and appreciate the Logos ecosystem. I really hope they aren’t doing away with producing future Mobil Ed courses, or replacing them with the crappy Zondervan courses that don’t even come with transcripts, which is a dealbreaker for many.
I hope this year is not the beginning of a 'gp-public' strategy.
While going public would be a well-deserved cash-in for the Pritchetts and other early investors, how frightening would it be for Logos to fall into to hands of a huge corporation run by 'woke-capitalists' and ESG / DEI graders? Before you laugh, consider that the 'convenient coincidences' of the past few years have been the collective fathers of what are sneeringly called 'conspiracy theories'.
macOS (Logos Pro - Beta) | Android 13 (Logos Stable)
Makes me think about when I read Jesus was on this earth.... ever wonder why He didn't run for some public office?
The world can do what it wants..... but I don't have to follow in it's footsteps...
xn = Christan man=man -- Acts 11:26 "....and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch".
Barney Fife is my hero! He only uses an abacus with 14 rows!
Faithlife is a great company, I'm so thankful for my time there. As hard as it was for me to leave just a few months ago by my own choice, I can only imagine where the hearts of many of my former team members are at. Thanks for praying for them. Some of the former Faithlifer's have chosen to share their information as they are re-entering the job market. You'll find the link in this public post from Andrew.
Thank you for sharing this... I really wish I didn't read it as it was very sad. I pray that all find some resolution to the situations they are now in.
Mark Ward?
Mark is one of the best things to happen to FL in years...if they dump him, their decision making is beyond suspect.
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It's really an oddity...if Apple or Google or Facebook dump employees, I don't know them, know of them, or really have any reason to care about them. FL is different. For whatever reason, odd or not, it hurts me to think of the folks who were laid off. I'm not sure the management (see Vik's posts) understands the affect this has on customers. (Or maybe they do and don't care, but I'd rather not go there.) Maybe I'm the only customer who feels this way, but I really, really doubt it.
So upsetting.
Eating a steady diet of government cheese, and living in a van down by the river.
'woke-capitalists' and ESG / DEI graders?
Modern Christianity’s gospel, eh?
What in the world do you mean?
One of my second- or third-tier goals in life is to have a clue what Denise is talking about. Much of the time I'm about 20-25% there, but in this case I'm flummoxed. My comment was about the stealth totalitarianism of woke corporations.
macOS (Logos Pro - Beta) | Android 13 (Logos Stable)
One of my second- or third-tier goals in life is to have a clue what Denise is talking about. Much of the time I'm about 20-25% there, but in this case I'm flummoxed.
[:)]
ASUS ProArt x570s Creator, AMD R9 5950x, HyperX 64gb 3600 RAM, ASUS Strix RTX 2080 ti
"The Unbelievable Work...believe it or not." Little children...Biblical prophecy is not Christianity's friend.
but in this case I'm flummoxed.
How sad. What hermeneutical methods have you applied to identify the unspoken assumptions behind her statement? Compare them to the unspoken assumptions behind your buzzwords.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
but in this case I'm flummoxed.How sad. What hermeneutical methods have you applied to identify the unspoken assumptions behind her statement? Compare them to the unspoken assumptions behind your buzzwords.
It isn't a matter of unspoken assumptions, it's a matter of a non sequitur. The meaning of the terms I used are easily discoverable by anyone who is interested. In addition to being 'buzzwords', they describe concepts that are, in fact, currently in use.
I think the 'eh?' question is an example of what I call the 'Joel Syndrome'. Joel (his real name) was a municipal finance director whom I reported to for a time. He is a smart guy and has a distinguished career in public finance at various levels in the metro area where we lived. But, he wasn't the best communicator in the county. When Joel would call me to his office to discuss a matter, it was clear he had already conducted a vigorous debate in his mind about the subject at hand. It was also clear that there was a tacit assumption that I was privy to the arguments and premises of the intra-Joel debate.
macOS (Logos Pro - Beta) | Android 13 (Logos Stable)
I think the 'eh?' question is an example of what I call the 'Joel Syndrome'. Joel (his real name) was a municipal finance director whom I reported to for a time. He is a smart guy and has a distinguished career in public finance at various levels in the metro area where we lived. But, he wasn't the best communicator in the county. When Joel would call me to his office to discuss a matter, it was clear he had already conducted a vigorous debate in his mind about the subject at hand. It was also clear that there was a tacit assumption that I was privy to the arguments and premises of the intra-Joel debate.
I suspect most of us have had at least one "Joel" in our lives. I certainly have.
Well, about every 6 years or so.
https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article53186915.html
Paywall.
Turn off your Ad Blocker. That fixed it for me.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jimerwin/ - a postmodern pastor in a digital world
it's a matter of a non sequitur.
Hmmm, it made perfect sense to me and can easily be captured in an argument map with impeccable logic -- hence not a non sequitur fallacy. Perhaps considering assumptions likely shared by DMB and myself but unlikely to be shared by you will point you in the right direction. But I'll not ruin DMB's fun by giving any more hints.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
it's a matter of a non sequitur.Hmmm, it made perfect sense to me and can easily be captured in an argument map with impeccable logic -- hence not a non sequitur fallacy. Perhaps considering assumptions likely shared by DMB and myself but unlikely to be shared by you will point you in the right direction. But I'll not ruin DMB's fun by giving any more hints.
Cathy (her real name) was the Chief Administrator of the Superior Court Circuit. She always had to have the last word, too.
macOS (Logos Pro - Beta) | Android 13 (Logos Stable)
Perhaps considering assumptions likely shared by DMB and myself but unlikely to be shared by you will point you in the right direction
Sorry Robert ... out of pocket battling traffic on the west coast.
But yes, MJ's deduction was correct. In our community, we used to have over 30 churches, and the discussion was the variences in their theology ... was there sufficient overlap to share the Supper, or so different that 30+ was needed in a small 10K largely New Age community.
But these days, about maybe 10 are left and the theologies irrelevant. The alphabet is the hot discussion ... which culture-war abbreviation are they against, don't care or support. Ergo the Modern Christian gospel.
But these days, about maybe 10 are left and the theologies irrelevant. The alphabet is the hot discussion ... which culture-war abbreviation are they against, don't care or support. Ergo the Modern Christian gospel.
You might be intrested in this book (and the associated podcast):
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Choose Truth Over Tribe | Become a Joyful Outsider!
Perhaps considering assumptions likely shared by DMB and myself but unlikely to be shared by you will point you in the right directionSorry Robert ... out of pocket battling traffic on the west coast.
But yes, MJ's deduction was correct. In our community, we used to have over 30 churches, and the discussion was the variences in their theology ... was there sufficient overlap to share the Supper, or so different that 30+ was needed in a small 10K largely New Age community.
But these days, about maybe 10 are left and the theologies irrelevant. The alphabet is the hot discussion ... which culture-war abbreviation are they against, don't care or support. Ergo the Modern Christian gospel.
Thank you! The context is as easy to see now as it was impossible to see earlier. It's worth noting that I did actually care what you were trying to say (just as with Joel).
The comment is still unrelated to my post, though. I wasn't referring to the Gospel, modern or not, just the trend of corporations acting as proxies for totalitarians, and a healthy loathing for the Logos product falling into such hands. The OP was about layoffs and many replies related to economics, etc.
In our small Reformed Baptist congregation we might, on rare occasions, mention politics in Sunday School, and then only peripherally. Sermons are preached on the next pericope in the Bible book we are studying, so political references are rare there, as well. That most of us are of similar minds politically is related to shared personal convictions on the sanctity of life, the Created Order, authorial intent, etc.
macOS (Logos Pro - Beta) | Android 13 (Logos Stable)
I also noticed that Bob has started a new firm.
Interesting! I had totally overlooked this post but saw it tonight and went to look at Bob Pritchett's LinkedIn page, and sure enough, he's founded a new company called AllDrafts. It appears to be this. "AllDrafts is an online editor designed specifically for contracts and other legal documents."
