Laid Off, Cozmo No More

I have very mixed feelings about this post.  One one hand, I am going to share with everyone some things that I have not been comfortable sharing before.  I am happy and excited about that.  On the other hand, one of the greatest tools we have seen to manage diabetes is no longer being developed or worked on.  And I don’t have a job anymore.

Many of you have already seen that Smiths Medical is no longer selling the Cozmo insulin pump and is exiting the diabetes business.  My first reaction to this announcement is sadness.  Cozmo is just too good to “go away”, and my heart hurts that people will not be able to use it and benefit from all that it offers.

My second reaction to this announcement is a mix of panic and excitement. I have worked for Smiths Medical and the Cozmo pump for a little over four years, and have been laid off effective immediately.  This announcement was a complete surprise to everybody that worked in the diabetes division.  Nobody knew this was going to happen until the early hours of this morning.  The panic is from trying to figure out how to pay the rent and feed the family.  The excitement is from knowing that there is something better just around the corner.

My employment with Cozmo is something that some of you knew about, but many did not.  It was not something I talked about on my blog. Early in my blogging I made a decision to keep my personal writing and my work life very separate for a few reasons:

1) First and foremost I didn’t want anyone to feel that my writing was biased or flavored by my employer.  I feel that I have stayed very true to that, and have stayed far away from any pump brand specific topics and company related subjects.  What you have always gotten was the real me, not the corporate colored me.
2) I have enjoyed two positions inside the company.  End user software support and inside sales.  Both positions were relatively low level “worker bee” positions that didn’t carry much weight.  I did not want to lead anyone to believe that I might be able to help with issues they had been dealing with, when I could not.
3) Finally, I did not want to jeopardize my employment by saying something on my personal blog that my employer did not agree with (a lot of people have been fired for what they say on their blogs).

There are so many great people that lost jobs today, and it is a shame because I have never, ever, worked with people who cared more about helping those of us with diabetes.  The people I have met and worked with have changed my life in many positive ways, and for that I am very grateful.

While it is never fun to get laid off, I am excited for whatever opportunity presents itself next.  I know that I will not be happy unless I am working with something related to diabetes.  That is what I am meant to do – to help people.

Thank you all for the incredible support and love you have shared with me today.  Please keep me in your thoughts if you hear of opportunities that may fit me.