By the time you read this, I’ll be retired. If Prince Charles can finally be crowned King of England, someone else can take over Lightwave.
Certainly, much has changed in the industry since I hopped aboard in early 1997. And, of course, I’ve changed as well. As a literature major in college, I stepped into the editor-in-chief position knowing that light went in one end of the fiber and was supposed to come out at the other, and that’s about it. Now people ask me questions about dual-polarization quadrature phase-shift keying like they expect me to know the answers. Meanwhile, having sought a career in writing because I don’t speak well, these days all I do is flap my gums in webinars, videos, the occasional podcast, and live and online conferences.
Of course, a whole lot of thanks are due as I make my departure. I’ll start with my near legion of bosses (the person to whom I report changed 14 times during my tenure here) who put up with me, particularly early on when I was a real cocky SOB. My colleagues and reports, originally at PennWell and now at Endeavor Business Media, all deserve my gratitude for similar reasons. And, of course, I’m grateful to the hundreds of people I’ve interviewed over the years whose expertise has helped me develop a passable understanding of optical communications.
But, of course, I owe the most thanks to you and others who have read my stories, attended my webinars, watched my videos, etc. I hope I helped you learn something. I’ll miss you.
Pull Quote:
By the time you read this, I’ll be retired.
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.