There's a lot I kept from my time at Yahoo – and one of my favorite things is my friendship with Erik.
For the longest time, we had a similar role, only we were doing it for different regions – me in Asia and Erik in EMEA. I first met him in Sunnyvale to work on a project that was so complicated and cumbersome. It didn't matter, we had a good time during that trip.
If you've worked in a tech company, you'll know that reorgs are not a question of if, but of when. We ended up reporting to a senior director who realized he didn't have the bandwidth to manage all of us, so after a few weeks, we were moved to another senior member of his team.
That lasted a few months. In one of my conversations with that manager, he asked me if I would be comfortable reporting to Erik after he left. Best case scenario.
Working with Erik was no drama, no BS. He was straightforward, and he remained a great friend, offering guidance, and as a manager, his question was always about the blockers he could remove for me.
He was given the responsibility to break the news to me that I'd lost my job at Yahoo. I remember two things from that conversation. First, he told me not to worry about handing over the work I was doing – just do what I needed to do (on paperwork and logistics). Second, to text him on WhatsApp if I ever needed anything. I knew then we'd be friends for life.
Erik knew Marc as well, and when he passed, Erik was one of the first people who reached out. When we hosted a Zoom call to celebrate Marc, Erik sent me a message to say he was there, only to listen, since he was on a train on the way somewhere. That made all the difference. Sometimes, in the middle of all that chaos, you just need to be reassured there's someone who is listening.
I saw him last in November 2025 and it was a delight to think about all those Yahoo years – the products we built, migrated and sunsetted; the people we adore for their kindness and professionalism (and the ones we'd rather not name); and funnily, the people whose names we could no longer remember (thanks to LinkedIn and some digging, we found them).
Erik showed me you can be a great leader and a great friend long after the work hours are done. And if I ever need advice on a great beer, he'll always be just one text away.