Jasper Wang Quit His Corporate Career To Do … This

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you probably already know the general contours of Defector's origin story. I'm one of a handful of co-owners who joined the company after it was founded, so my knowledge of the specifics was fuzzy and basically limited to what people shared on Twitter and in this announcement blog. What I do know from experience is that none of this would have been possible without Jasper Wang. Readers will know him from his annual financial report blogs, but it cannot be overstated how much this company owes to his steady hand, his pragmatism, and his extremely smart brain. I knew that Jasper had a successful career in corporate consulting, and that when Deadspin imploded, he reached out to a few newly unemployed writers to buy them a beer and see if there was anything he could do to help. I knew that awkward first date led to more conversations and, a year later, the launch of this experiment that somehow has continued to exist for six years. Despite having worked with Jasper for five years, I had never talked to him about how he made the decision to walk away from a high-paying salary and take the risk of a new business with a bunch of bloggers. Once I decided that this season's theme would be focusing on can't-turn-back moments, I knew Jasper had to be a guest.

Read it at Defector ↗

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