Good Morning from Taipei,
I am so glad you’re here.
It’s been a month since I announced my departure from Bloomberg after 18 years. I put up a link to Substack simply as a means to keep in touch and update you on my next move. I didn’t actually have plans to start a Substack. What followed was quite beyond my expectations — the ridiculous number of signups, including so many people pledging a financial subscription — was definitely not on the cards. And I haven’t even published anything here, yet.
Thankyou for your support. With so much content and so many distractions, that you took the time to add your name to this list is meaningful to me. You may just be curious to keep tabs, or eager to hear what I have to say next — likely somewhere in between. I’m especially grateful for those who reached out directly to check in, and ask about the future.
With some initial discussions prior to my departure, I kind of had a plan. But I am rewriting it.
The one common thread amongst all the correspondence has been whether I’ll remain focused on telling the story of Asia’s technology scene: from both a news & information perspective, as well as with a critical and analytical eye on developments in this part of the world.
Throughout my career, I’ve always felt that the most-important feature of journalism is the audience. That sounds obvious, but there’s a lot of stakeholders to muddy the waters: companies & executives, editors, advertisers, political leaders, and egos (mine included).
So with that in mind, I am appealing to the concept of One Thousand True Fans. As my foundation audience, you’re as important as any one in this process. You know my work, my style, my approach. So, to me, you’re who matters most. And whatever happens in future, I want you to be able to look back and say that you were there at the very start.
So, I have a very simple request. Vote in this poll.1 Yup, that’s it. Be honest, I won’t feel offended if you’re blunt (though there’s one option that probably will make me sad).
Thanks for reading, for your time, and your thoughts.
Stay well
Tim
This is a Musk Poll: I’ll take your feedback, but may just do what I want anyway.
Where you post is far less relevant than having the ability to read your writing to get your insights, be it within independent media, mainstream media, or somewhere else.
Would being “going alone” and head to independent media not be a joint option?