After stepping down as CEO of Stack Overflow, Joel Spolsky has entered what he calls a sabbatical—not retirement. He remains deeply involved in the tech world, serving as chairman of three companies: Stack Overflow, Glitch (formerly Fog Creek Software), and HASH. In this Q&A, Joel shares how he’s spending his time, the lessons he’s learned from his successor, and the fascinating world of agent-based modeling that HASH is building. Let’s dive into his post-CEO life.
1. How is Joel Spolsky adjusting to life after stepping down as CEO of Stack Overflow?
Joel describes his transition as a sabbatical rather than full retirement. He’s freed up significant time after handing the CEO reins to Prashanth Chandrasekar. While still joining customer calls and weekly meetings with Prashanth, Joel spends most of his time exploring new ventures. He admits that watching Prashanth reorganize the company has been eye-opening—he’s discovering how much he didn’t know about running medium-sized firms. The best outcome, he says, is for Prashanth to prove that he was a “bad CEO” by doing a much better job. This humble perspective allows Joel to enjoy his newfound freedom while contributing as chairman.
2. What is Joel’s role at Glitch (formerly Fog Creek Software)?
Joel serves as chairman of Glitch, the renamed Fog Creek Software. Under CEO Anil Dash, Glitch has grown to millions of apps and raised significant funding. Glitch positions itself as “the friendly community for building the web.” Joel believes that every era needs a simplified programming environment for developers who don’t require complex features like git branches or multi-step deployments—they just want to write code and see it run. Glitch targets this quiet majority, making web development accessible and collaborative. Joel remains closely involved in strategic direction but leaves day-to-day operations to Anil.
3. What is HASH, and what problem does it solve?
HASH is an open-source platform for running simulations, still somewhat under the radar. Joel describes it as a tool for modeling complex problems where you understand individual agent behaviors but can’t predict the collective outcome. For example, a city planner wanting to justify a new bus line could simulate each commuter’s decision-making—whether switching to the bus saves time and money—and then test thousands of routes to see which reduces traffic. This approach works when no simple formula exists. HASH aims to democratize agent-based modeling, making it accessible for urban planning, epidemiology, economics, and more. Joel sees huge potential in letting people “try millions of possibilities” computationally.
4. How does agent-based modeling work, and why is it useful?
Agent-based modeling simulates the behavior of individual “agents” (e.g., people, cars, animals) according to defined rules, then observes emergent patterns. Joel uses a traffic example: instead of assuming one bus removes 50 cars, you model each commuter deciding whether to take the bus based on time and cost savings. The simulation runs many scenarios, revealing which bus lines actually reduce congestion. This method is computationally intensive but essential when problems lack closed-form solutions. It’s used in fields from ecology to economics. HASH builds an open-source platform to make such simulations accessible, allowing planners, researchers, and enthusiasts to explore “what if” questions without needing a supercomputer or advanced math.
5. What does Joel think about his successor, Prashanth Chandrasekar?
Joel is genuinely impressed by Prashanth’s performance. He admits that stepping back has revealed how much he didn’t know about running a medium-sized company. Watching Prashanth “rearrange everything—for the better” is satisfying because Joel’s ultimate goal is for the company to thrive beyond his tenure. He finds it fulfilling to realize that the best outcome is for Prashanth to prove he was a less effective CEO. This self-awareness and support for new leadership reflect Joel’s commitment to Stack Overflow’s long-term success. He remains chairman but gives Prashanth full operational control, celebrating the fresh perspective and improvements.
6. Is Joel retired or on a sabbatical? What does he do with his time?
Joel insists he’s on a sabbatical, not retired. Despite living in Manhattan’s “Naturally Occurring Retirement Community” (NORC)—a joking reference to many retired neighbors—he’s extremely busy. His days include chairman duties for three companies, occasional customer calls, and exploring new ventures like HASH. He also enjoys personal projects, such as his beloved dog Cooper (who could be your web app’s mascot). By calling it a sabbatical, he emphasizes that this is a temporary phase of exploration, not an end to his career. He’s deliberately avoiding the “million questions” about his plans by sharing this update publicly.
7. What is the significance of the “Naturally Occurring Retirement Community” comment?
Joel lives in a neighborhood with many retired people, which he playfully calls a “NORC” (Naturally Occurring Retirement Community). This quip highlights the contrast between his busy sabbatical and the stereotypical retirement lifestyle. While others might be slowing down, Joel is accelerating into new ventures. The comment also serves as a lighthearted way to address assumptions about his age or career stage. It underscores that he’s not winding down but rather shifting focus. The phrase has become a running joke in his updates, reminding readers that “retirement” isn’t the right label for his current chapter.