I wasn’t expecting this announcement when I woke up this morning. Patch Linden, Senior VP of Product Operations and a familiar name in Second Life for nearly 20 years, is no longer with the company. Reading the brief blog post, it’s hard not to feel like this was a sudden and forced departure. No farewell, no send off, just an abrupt end. Even his name is already gone in world.
I wouldn’t say I was a fan of Patch or not a fan, but I do recognize his impact. He gave us Bellisseria, which is probably the only thing that has kept me engaged over the past seven years. More than that, he actually seemed enthusiastic about Second Life. He showed up, dressed for the occasion, and felt like someone who genuinely understood how to use the platform. Not every Linden or executive can say that.
Whether you liked him or didn’t, Patch was a big presence. It feels appropriate to take a moment to say goodbye and acknowledge his contributions to Second Life.
Looking ahead, I just hope whoever steps into this role listens to residents. Second Life is not exactly bringing in waves of new users, so keeping the current community engaged should be the priority. I want to keep enjoying my Lifetime Premium Plus membership, but I can’t help wondering how much the platform is changing and whether it will still feel like home.
SL23B is going to feel different this year without one of its most recognizable voices.
This is such a shock. Residents were wanting to talk about it in Bellisseria chat but we were shut down by one of the mods. I’m wearing my Belli tag which says “We (heart) Patch Linden.”
That’s unfortunate they shut it down. Second Life is not a typical company, when employees depart people want to talk about it and should be able to, because it’s a WORLD.
Fortunately, the thread I started “Farewell and Gratitude to Patch Linden” is still up, although I expected it to be removed. So write a comment there if you can.
For someone who has given his entire adult life to the company for 20+ years, and who was a resident before that, the post about his departure should have been more robust, listing his accomplishments, notably Bellisseria. Apparently he was even the creator of the “Magellan Linden” character which I, beloved caretaker of Magellan in his dotage at the Moth Temple, did not realize.
I think we are owed more of an explanation. It comes 2 years (?) after the scandal in which he AND his RL husband who is Squeaky Mole were involved — at this hour Squeaky is still in the People List but Patch is not.
They couldn’t wait until he finished Jail & Bail? Odd. That suggests something really sudden, no? Although clearly there were issues building since the drama of some time ago from which basically Patch was exonerated, although his previously very public profile was considerably reduced.
The last time I directly spoke to him inworld was last year, when he appeared as the person behind “Supply Linden” whom I had queried about his oversupply on the Linden Exchange. Patch then claimed to me that “Supply Linden” (an old account for the LindEx) was “no longer active” (and PS, he, too, was removed from the People List).
Needs more investigation. I hope they gave him a golden handshake.
You can do a lot of really great things for a company and for the community, and still, at the end of the day, be a liability.