Hey guys!
I’ve got some sad news for the Club Penguin community: Billybob (Club Penguin founder) announced he is leaving Disney, and will be replaced by Chris Heatherly, who has been working for Disney for over 10 years. When Lane announced his leave, he wrote a letter to the employees at Disney. Below you can read the letter:
To my friends at Disney:
Five years ago our little company joined Disney and I had no idea then what an amazing adventure it would turn out to be. Since that time, I have had the privilege of working alongside and learning from so many of you and the joy of creating great products together. I appreciate the opportunity and the faith this company placed in me and the ways it has allowed me to grow both as a leader and as a person. I am also grateful for the countless memories this company has created for me and my family. Our team has grown Club Penguin from a simple idea to being the largest global virtual world for kids for seven straight years while maintaining a significant profit margin. I am incredibly proud to have been a part of Club Penguin, and I know that it will continue to grow and thrive.
Like many entrepreneurs though, there comes a time when the desire to create something new outweighs the comfort of what’s known and for me that time has come.
Over the past year, I’ve invested in a new educational startup called FreshGrade that focuses on creating mobile cloud-based assessment software for teachers and students and it has reached a place where more of my time is needed. We started Club Penguin in order to enhance our children’s online experience and now I hope to do the same with their educational experience.
Thank you for the role you’ve played in my journey and I truly hope that even though my business card may change, my friendship with so many of you will not.
With gratitude,
Lane
He also announced that he will be joining a company called FreshGrade, which is an online educational assessment tool that teachers can use to figure out how students learn.
Club Penguin co-founder Lane Merrifield has been a part of Club Penguin for nearly 7 years, and one thing’s for sure: he will be greatly missed by all of us in the Club Penguin community.
If I could talk to Lane now I would thank him for all the time and effort he has invested in successfully improving Club Penguin, and hope to hear of future achievements in FreshGrade.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
that is so sad
im so sad
let's be positive
i bet chris (who is gonna be replacing lane) is a great guy!