Ashley Johnson
Senior Technical Product Manager | Educational Technology, Technology Education
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Despite this swirl of layoffs, I’m excited to share that I’ve resigned from Microsoft to take the next step in my career and life! Working here was a childhood dream, and I’m grateful to have been part of its history.It's been a wild ride. I must admit there were a few "what the fuck did I get myself into"s over the past few years. As Sheryl Sandberg said in Lean In: “If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat - just get on!” Despite the rollercoaster and many dumpster fires, overall, I got to build a system I love, travel to incredible countries, and work with cool technology. Most importantly, I met people I like who inspired me with their balance of professional success and personal fulfillment (and cool side projects).My 20s and 30s were a blur of school, kids, and work. Personal events since 2020, including a health scare, caught up, and now I’m at a crossroads. After a leave of absence to heal and muse on what’s next, I returned to MSFT for an amazing opportunity. Now, I’m thinking a lot about Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture, “Are you spending your time on the right things? Because time is all you have.”One day I hope to write down the many career reflections and funny stories, but for now, I want to thank a few people from this chapter (and sorry if I missed you directly – there are so many!):• Andrew Johnson: They say one of the best things you can do for your career is to find the right partner. I scored the jackpot! Someone who thinks women should be smart, opinionated, and ambitious. Someone who does his share in the home (if not more). Thank you so much for supporting me in my career and being such a great role model for our girls!• Tara Dudley: I learned so much from you at Amazon that set me up for career success! Although I thought you'd never leave, I'm so thankful you thought of me when you came to Microsoft. Maybe in the next chapter, we'll team up again!• Erin Rifkin: Thank you for offering me a ride in the rocket ship and for your support along the way! After many attempts to work together, I'm thankful it finally worked out, and hope you feel like you made the right choice in bringing me along!• Barry Langer: My work husband/office mate who kept me laughing and sane through all the fire, and helped make a cool party office for the 1 month(?) we finally got the big office before COVID hit.• The many people who gave me moral support and laughs along the way – I hope I was able to return the love! Brian Steggeman, Adam Patridge, Amy Lanfear, Scott Burmester, Adrian Stevens, Kimberly Murphy, Allison Waldmann, Andrea Perez, Nivi Narva, Luke Nyswonger, Derek Peterson, Ryan Currie, Mark Smith, Kiran Chandratrey, Kaberi Bell, Daniel Stafford, Collin Schedler, Helen Miller, Tyson Nevil, Cory Fowler, Eugene Juric, Sarah Luck, Brian Turner, Hui XIE, Sarah Schlossman, Donna Taylor, Kezia Frayjo, Daneisha Brazzle, Thomas Petchel, Michael Sullivan, Collin Schedler, Bob Tabor, Mark, Mike Kinsman, Jason Groce.
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Jeff Grote
2d
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Congratulations, and all the best to you, Ashley. It was a pleasure and a privilege to work with you.
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Bob Tabor
Senior Program Manager at Microsoft
17h
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Wishing you all the best, Ashley. It was great being in the trenches with you during those early days of Learn. Oh, and thanks for hiring me (or at least not passing on me during the interview). :D
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Tara Dudley
Director, PM - Strategy & Planning | Azure Experiences & Ecosystems
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Congratulations on a huge decision and milestone, Ashley! I feel very lucky to have worked so closely with you at both Amazon and Microsoft (data centers AND Microsoft Learn). You are a builder and world class expert, undaunted by complexity and massive scale. Thanks for always modeling how to balance Passion and Chill. ♥️
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Donna Taylor
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Ashley - it was such an honor and pleasure to meet you, work with you and learn from you. I will miss you terribly.
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Kiran Chandratrey
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Ashley, I will forever be grateful for the opportunity you gave me to join the MS Learn team back in 2018 and all the support over the last several years!! I’m going to miss you so much, but am also excited to see what you do next! All the very best!! ☺️👏
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Jason Groce
Senior Content Manager at Microsoft
2d
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Congratulations Ashley on taking this step! Thank you sincerely for all you've done for us, and for so many great projects and conversations working together.
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Jim Bennett
World's most energetic dev rel. Head of dev advocacy at Pieces for Developers. I ❤️ Star Wars Lego & polar bears.Once read about Forbes 30 under 30. Seen a TEDx speaker on YouTube. Most active voice on my profile.
2d
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Congratulations! Excited to hear what the next step is for you, and glad to have got you into the clippy suit!
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