In thirteen years at GitHub I was part of 25 reorgs—almost one every six months. Reorgs are a constant in tech, not a crisis. Here's how to navigate them.

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A 13-year GitHub veteran who survived 25 reorgs shares a practical framework for navigating organizational restructuring. Key insights: reorgs are predictable baseline conditions in tech (roughly every 6 months), not crises. The author advises investing in portable relationships, documented work, and async communication as reorg insurance. Tactical advice includes letting dust settle before reacting, re-onboarding deliberately with a new manager, and using reorgs as opportunities to reset narratives, renegotiate scope, and shed legacy work. The core thesis is that reputation, relationships, and documented work outlast any org chart.

Reorgs happen

Treat reorgs as a constant, not an exception #

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<p>Tactical advice includes letting dust settle before reacting</p>
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<p>This is the top piece of advice, in my opinion. Most people get uneasy about reorganizations because it’s often unclear what will happen. As a result, many of the changes initially feel negative, even though some of them may actually turn out to be beneficial. That’s a normal reaction, but resisting the urge to panic and instead taking time to observe the situation usually puts you in a better position to cope with the changes and, in some cases, gain a bit of influence over how things ultimately develop.</p>
