Thanks for creating Blender 
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i think it was more an admiration for your 10 years ago this person made a post message which popped up.
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I find the talk quite touching ! Blender is still in good hands and I’m sure Ton is going to stay around anyway. Sound like a wise move though to step back and let a new generation take over !
Well, BF is getting bigger too, it’s been a while that Ton delegates some parts to other people. It’s logical that in it’s time he was the face of blender since it’s his creation. Now I think it’s fine that there is more people involved all of which with their own areas of expertise. However Francesco is basically Ton’s successor and I think it’s good too !
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Hey there, Blenderheads! What’s cooking? 
It’s been one hell of a ride, hasn’t it? Giving people what they want for free while doing what you love — isn’t that what we call “success” these days? You know, I’ve once heard someone say that the most important thing in life is to “find your own thing and calm down” — and it seems like Ton has achieved that more than anyone else out here, inspiring millions of people around the world.
Me, myself — I always thought that 3D just wasn’t my thing and that I should stay away from it as possible. Turns out, I was completely f*cking wrong; what’s hilarious about all of this is that I can’t even remember how I came across Blender and under which circumstances — probably was looking for something like “free 3D software for modeling” and stuff. Now, thanks to you and your team, I’ve got myself a new hobby; and for once, I can do something not just for the money — but also for myself.
I’ve been working in Blender for more than 4 years, but even now I can’t really call myself a proper 3D artist — simply because I’m still learning. And, you know, I love being that same student I used to be back in the day in real life. It gives me a nostalgic feeling — something that was lost many moons ago.
Thank you for all you’ve done! Much love 
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Some news feed on my phone had 2 80 Level articles side by side at some point: “Blender Reports Operating at a Loss in 2024” and " Blender CEO Is Stepping Down After Over 30 Years"… which could be quite a bit misleading to someone who doesn’t know much about Blender… while in reality Blender is doing incredibly well…
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Ton’s shoes are so big he had to find 4 people to fill them. 
And I’m unsure it’s enough, time will tell.
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…to the new CEO Crew: Ignore the pressure and relax.
I think they are well-prepared, well known, and they will move this baby forward ! 
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Finally had time to see the Keynote, it was touching.
I wanted to add to my “thank you Ton”, my best wishes for Fiona, Dalai, Sergey, Francesco and the entire Blender development team.
I am confident in Blender’s future, with them and the community It will be great.
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Wow Ton, what a grand journey.
I wish you all the best and thank you very very much for this for the gemstone called Blender!
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I wish him the best! Good luck in your endeavors Ton!
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I’d say it’s a natural thing. He has been the CEO of Blender for so long, it’s fair if he wants to take it easy and retire from the position. So it’s not a bad thing, it’s understandable. On the other hand, he’ll be missed of course as the head of this amazing project, but the ones coming after him are incredibly capable and I’m sure for Blender, this just means it will continue with the quality it has over the years.
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He hinted that things will change in the anouncement.
I wonder what effect that would have. He has always been very strongly opinionated.
I have a feeling that the scucessors. Not as much. But I don’t know them.
I have mixed feelings. I think some of the new decisions might be right. But I also see danger in listening too much to outside opinions. And I see that happening more lately already. Some good some, not so good.
So that’s good and bad.
But it will also give some people reason to blame Ton stepping down as the “reason Blender went to sh*t!”.
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I think by now this should not be a real shock to us; we all knew for years that Ton was aging and that he was already winding down his involvement with the Foundation. This is not some sudden announcement, but a sign that the preparation for the inevitable is complete. 30/40 years of working before it is time for a more laid-back chapter in life (as long as you can afford it) is fairly normal.
Now regarding apprehension about the new leadership, this is fairly normal, and it does not have to be a bad thing, especially since Ton made sure that those chosen are longtime Blender supporters. Dalai Felinto for instance has been active in the community since the early days of Blender as FOSS.
I do not see any risk of the BF being dismantled on behalf of Autodesk and Maxon or anything (since Blender becoming commercial software for starters would be all but impractical due to the GPL license and due to the likelihood of protests from contributors), though do remember the safety valve that is forking if for some unlikely reason the pessimistic theories actually come to pass.
Yes, Ton has done a lot, and despite various missteps, has ultimately placed Blender in a very strong position in 3D and in the process created a blueprint for other FOSS projects (since the BF in the process has done a lot in refining the development model and learned much about what works and what does not). Here is hoping the new leadership can bring 30 more years of development (providing that computer software as we have always known it has not become obsolete by then).
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Just viewed that YT video posted by thetony20.
…
Fashion Critique of the four intros … “The Blender Management Team”
The Organizer … Two Tone Blah Droop
The Designer … Man Bun with Tee Way Too Tight
The Developer … Loose Casual Fit Sunday, Why Am I here
The Entrepreneur … Ton Look Alike Clone, jeans and slim collar shirt and glasses too!! And who Ton hugged transitioned.
…
Upside … The Entrepreneur and The Developer get along real well … smooooth transition complete … but not all the much.
I have read this script before.
I am confused. What does this post mean?
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Four diverse people who are undoubtedly talented in their own disciplines! I just hope that they don’t make decision via committee.
One of Ton’s more memorable comments was when speaking about community … he wanted to bring Hollywood to Blender, not, Blender to Hollywood.
Such a notable difference.
So, in other words … bring artists to Blender, not, Blender to artists!