In what I consider to be one of the luckiest movements in the universe, Ilmo was assigned to be my intern manager at Facebook in the summer of 2018. He was brilliant, kind, silly, honest, substantive, and always full of surprises (when he realized I was homesick for Chicago, he insisted we needed qualitative research in a big midwestern city and sent me home to do just that for a week). Very quickly, I realized how special this person was, and I was in awe.

And our collaboration just worked — where he was creative and thought big-picture, I was structured and detail-oriented. We also shared a sense of (quite dry) humor. So when that internship ended, we never strayed too far. I visited him at Waymo the following summer, we chatted on Messenger; he tried recruiting me to his team, I tried recruiting him to mine. And then in the summer of 2022, the stars aligned again he became my manager.

Working with Ilmo the last 2+ years, I’ve become particularly accustomed to the little ways he made everyday life better. He schooled me in the wisdom of the Finnish military, upped my GIF game, provided guidance as I prepared for parenthood, and always reminded me what truly mattered in the chaos. He also believed in me deeply. It feels rare to have someone champion you so fiercely, and extra rare to have that champion be someone so special.

As I packed my bags at the end of that first summer, Ilmo made a pin to let me know: “I’m awesome.” He thought so and he wanted me to think so too. I’ve pulled that pin out in times when I needed the reminder and I’ll cherish it moving forward.

I’m a better person for having known you, my friend. Thank you.

Ashley Niler Croydon