So, how’s that retirement thing going, anyway?

For the last couple of months, Prashanth Chandrasekar has been settling into his new role as the CEO of Stack Overflow, a platform that has become a staple in the tech community. As Chandrasekar adjusts to his new responsibilities, the former CEO, Jeff Atwood, shares his experiences and thoughts on this new chapter in his life. Atwood, who stepped down as CEO, is now focusing on a sabbatical rather than retirement, as he navigates this transitional phase.

Atwood admits that he's still involved in some customer calls and has a weekly meeting with Chandrasekar, but he has managed to free up a significant amount of time. He expresses delight in watching Chandrasekar reorganize the company, aiming to improve its operations. Atwood finds satisfaction in the possibility that Chandrasekar's success could prove his previous leadership was subpar, as the new CEO demonstrates a more effective approach.

Despite living in Manhattan's "Naturally Occurring Retirement Community" (NORC), Atwood refers to this time as a sabbatical rather than retirement. He acknowledges that he's extremely busy and decides to update his readers on his current activities to deflect questions about his post-CEO life.

Atwood introduces Cooper, his two-year-old son, whom he playfully suggests as a potential mascot for any web app in need of a charming face. In addition to his newfound role as a father, Atwood remains chairman of three companies. While Stack Overflow is well-known, Atwood briefly skips ahead to the other companies he oversees.

Fog Creek Software, now rebranded as Glitch, is described as "the friendly community for building the web." Under the leadership of CEO Anil Dash, Glitch has grown to host millions of apps and has secured substantial funding to accelerate its growth. Atwood believes that in every era, there must be a simplified programming environment for the majority of developers who don't require advanced features like git branches or complex deployment processes. Glitch caters to these developers, offering a straightforward way to write and run code.

The third company, HASH, is still relatively under the radar but has recently updated its website with more information. HASH is developing an open-source platform for conducting simulations, providing a powerful tool for modeling complex problems where individual agents' interactions are crucial.

As Atwood reflects on this new phase in his life, he balances his responsibilities as a chairman, a father, and a sabbatical-taking ex-CEO. His experiences with Stack Overflow's transition to a new leadership, coupled with his involvement in other ventures like Glitch and HASH, highlight the dynamic nature of his current professional journey.