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Today, We Say Goodbye to David, the Internet’s Biggest Music Nerd

Today, June 29th, is David’s last day in the GMG office. Those of us lucky enough to have met him and call him our friend say the things we like most about him. The Hummus and Pita Corporation, among those lucky enough to know David very well, did not respond in time to comment, but we will update this post if and when we hear back, because we are sure they have very many nice things to say about their most loyal customer. 

Yessenia Funes, Earther staff writer

David! You're one of the first people I see when I come into the office. You're almost always there early—and you're always looking fly AF. I'm gonna miss you, dude. I'll miss hearing your random snort-chuckles (or at least that's what I think they are). I'll miss your wide selection of hot sauce (although Tapatio all zayyyy). I'll especially miss our Chipotle trips. I think you might be the only other person who understands my love for Chipotle. I'll loathe whoever ends up taking your seat and send them death stares until they get the hint and leave it alone. (I'm just kidding... I think.) GMG won't be the same without you, dude. Neither will the union. But you a boss-ass journalist (even though Jay-Z probably hates you now), and I know you'll be aight. This place doesn't deserve you.

Emily Lipstein, rat wrangler, Gizmodo/Earther/io9 social  

David and I have been sitting basically across from each other at GMG since I was hired on full time from my internship and he started at the company. It took, however, two weeks (at least!) for us to actually do more than just nodding when we would see each other, which is dumb considering that we both knew who the other was. David has been put through the ringer while here at GMG, in the most docile way I can say it. I'm infinitely sad to see him (and his Ed Sheeran icon in union slack) leave. Most sad of all is that the Hummus and Pita Co. on 17th and 6th will no longer have its most reliable customer. Luckily for me, I'll be able to see David whenever, now that I live within "walking distance" of Bed-Stuy and since Black & White isn't limited to only employees of Gizmodo Media Group. I hope I get custody of our desk plants.

Ashley Reese, Jezebel staff writer

Before I even knew David IRL, he was this dude on Twitter who seemed really fucking cool and kinda intimidating and I just wanted him to follow me back. Now that I know him, I know that he’s not intimidating at all (lol) but he’s still really fucking cool. And on top of that, he’s sweet and funny and incredibly smart. I’m really going to miss seeing him around the office and snarking with him on Slack, but I’m excited to see what he does next.

And thanks, David, for warning me about how cold our damn office is. A real lifesaver. 

Clio Chang, formerly Splinter staff writer

David is a fucking great person.

Claire Shaffer, Jezebel intern 

I’ve only known David for a few months, but even in that short span of time, I’ve gained the authority to say that he is a huge nerd. While the rest of us continue to make dumb Soundcloud jokes on Twitter, he has been wading through a quagmire of streaming data, shady dealings, and related bullshit happening within the music and tech industries. This makes him both a giant dweeb and a fearless reporter, shining a light on inequities that not nearly enough people are writing about. He’s also a nerd because we once spent a good chunk of a bar conversation on Neon Genesis Evangelion, which is a topic that he definitely brought up, not me. I’ll miss you, David, and I wish you the best of luck as Editor-in-Chief of your new sports/pop culture website, The Runger.

Katie McDonough, Jezebel senior editor

The first time I met David was during the organizing drive at MTV News (he was working there, I was helping out), and I liked him right away because he dressed cool and wanted to build a union at his job. The second time I met David was months later at the GMG offices, when I turned around at my desk to find that he was sitting behind me, at his own desk, facing in the opposite direction. It was a weird time at the company (still is) and things felt fractured with new teams coming together, but David was quick to start planning ways to connect people. He also became more and more active in our union, bringing that same drive toward connection to the work we did there, and leaving us infinitely stronger for it. I hate that David is leaving GMG because I know that I will love everything he does somewhere else and feel jealous we aren't publishing it. I will miss working with him and organizing alongside him and admiring his cool clothes every day. I will miss his passion for spreadsheets and small obsessions that become incredible pieces. I will miss David.

Frida Garza, some bitch

Since David and I started working together at GMG, we have been through a lot: helping him log in to his Univision account, to which he knows neither the username nor the password but which also threatens to self-implode if one does not log into it every 45 days; aiding him in his search for more union pins (he has a lot, check his backpack); acquiring copious amounts of hot sauce and plants for our desks, for distinct but not unrelated reasons. David has been my coworker in various capacities over the last year and a half; he somehow wrote more blogs for me when I was his editor than any other freelance writer I worked with, despite the fact we never paid him. (We did pay him, it just took so long that I was deeply embarrassed and hoped he would choose to never pitch us again so that I could stop apologizing. But he always pitched us again.) David was also one of the smartest, pitching insane but brilliant blogs that I was also insane enough to say yes to, and the whole thing was generally a fun enterprise (again, expect when I was frantically emailing finance to track down where his money went). I wish I could take credit for his ideas, but they’re all his, and any editor who has the opportunity to hear one of these should count themselves as stupidly lucky.

David, you are a true weirdo, which is why we are friends: Whether it’s your Supreme obsession, the way you know shit about the music industry absolutely no one else does or understands (including me sometimes), the fact your Slack avatar is clip-art of a turtle (I refuse to believe it’s the official turtle emoji), the way you hate most things (like eggs... what’s up with that?), the way you say EKSGETIT more than anyone I know (except Crystal Xia, and both of you drive me crazy with that), the list goes on. You are also a great reporter, an amazing friend, and will be so friggin’ successful, I know it. I’m so happy for you to write the great American non-fiction book on how the real Russian interference is in popular sports channels on YouTube. Catch you at MoMa PS1.