One of the lessons I have learned from my various mentors is that life is nothing but a long journey. It has its own twists and turns. It has ups and downs. And in this journey we have travelers. Some of these travelers are ones who bring us joy and great memories. In my life’s journey, Liz Gannes has been one of those special fellow travelers. She joined GigaOM when I left my job at Business 2.0.

Just over four years ago, I was sitting outside the now infamous Starbucks, waiting for Liz to show up for what was going to be an interview. She was at that time a reporter at Red Herring. Katie Fehrenbacher introduced us. She made a deep impression and joined the team. And soon thereafter, off we went!

Over the years, she has become a dear friend, a constant presence in both my personal and professional life, and has matured into a talented reporter. Liz is now leaving GigaOM and will pursue her journalism career at AllThingsD.

While her departure is tinged with sadness, one has to be extremely proud of her professional achievements. When I started the company, it was important to me that we created an environment that nurtured young and talented writers. The idea was that when you work with exceptional people, they do exceptional things. Her joining Kara and Walt is a testimonial for our way of thinking.

Au Revoir Liz. I hope you do us all proud.