Some insiders mentioned this to me in recent weeks and it seemed so incredible, I could not believe it at first. But his LinkedIn page apparently confirms it:
Torley, beloved evangelist and community support staffer for both Second Life and Sansar (among his many other roles over the years), is no longer with Linden Lab as of last month. I've reached out to Torley for more details, and will update this post if I get a reply. So as of now, it's not clear to me whether Torley was part of the Linden Lab layoffs in February as the company walked away from Sansar, or if he left on his own accord, or if there was another reason for his departure.
Kona Gurion, who also left Linden Lab last month (and definitely part of the layoffs), was a member of Linden Lab's QA team for Second Life for 16 years. At the time I described Kona as the company's last link to Second Life's glory days, but that turns out not to be true: Torley was with Linden Lab for 15 years, and is just as crucial a link to lose, if not moreso, far as the SL community is concerned.
Like Kona, Torley was recruited from within the Second Life user community during its earliest years, and was among the first people I profiled when I was still an embedded journalist for Linden Lab, first back in 2005 here, writing: "He was a slim young dude in flowing neon clothes who hauled his keyboard around everywhere, and though a relative newcomer, quickly charmed Second Life's citizenry with his quirky, mad creative charm."
And as Second Life approached peak glory days, Torley was well ensconced on Linden's staff, making totally charming tutorial videos like this in 2007:
In 2017 or so, Torley transitioned to the Sansar team, creating tutorials like this:
I'm still stunned that Torley is gone from Linden Lab, an endlessly talented and charming personality whose watermelon-flavored avatar colors were instantly known and loved by practically the entire Second Life community -- a figure that many (including me), once described as "the heart of Second Life".
One of Torley's avatars, in 2005 when he was a civilian SLer -- read about his fascinating relationship with another SLer here
With Torley gone from Linden Lab, Second Life (and indeed the company itself) loses a brilliant shard of that heart. My only hope is Torley finds a new role at a new company that recognizes how special he is.
I am really sad that Torley is gone. As we don't know for sure he was amongst the lay offs I really hope he found a new job elsewhere and left on his own accord.
Posted by: Dawny Daviau | Wednesday, March 04, 2020 at 01:52 PM
I love the guy but Why would you out his personal LinkedIn page?
Posted by: Ginger | Wednesday, March 04, 2020 at 01:57 PM
I thought Linden lab were drafting in heavy hitters, not letting them go :(
Posted by: Annie Brightstar | Wednesday, March 04, 2020 at 02:33 PM
Between losing Kona and Torley, I just don't know which one breaks my heart the most. Torley is the one, through his tutorials and videos, who inspired me to start photography in SL. I'm floored that he will no longer be apart of LL.
Posted by: Gaea Oakleaf | Wednesday, March 04, 2020 at 02:51 PM
Torley, jenn, bjorn, sansar jason, peter from pr... all left the sinking ship now. And we are left with ebbe and prick linden. God help us.
Posted by: Tankgirl | Wednesday, March 04, 2020 at 02:56 PM
Torley was the inside scapegoat for the board to blame for sansars failure while Ebbe has constantly blamed older staff for his poor management.
Of course he would not admit it, who would? after all he is now an older unenmployed male in the tech sector of San Fransisco. also it was wise of Ebbe to layoff anyone who the board might have decided replace him with.
Heavy Hitters? is really just a HeavyHand making sure he keeps his comfy position in that ivory tower by dropping the hammer on the last lindens who really cared!.
(Btw were has Clara been? missing her thoughts about these things)
Posted by: Ezra 2.0 | Wednesday, March 04, 2020 at 03:47 PM
As being a misunderstood child in high school when I first started SL and my autism being diagnosed at a time when people had no clue what autism was Torley helped me with his tutorial videos getting to know SL and also learning about support groups in SL and that I wasn't alone in the autism spectrum and that there were people like me with a passion for art and creativity and obsessions like dragons 😊 sad to hear he's gone like a portion of the soul of SL died with him. 😥
Posted by: Aquadragon01 | Wednesday, March 04, 2020 at 03:50 PM
"E.Linden" or M.Linden, it's had to see a difference anymore!
I do wish Torley the best! maybe the resident Torley account will still log in time to time to say hello like Rosedale does.
Posted by: Ezra 2.0 | Wednesday, March 04, 2020 at 03:57 PM
All things pass I guess. Happy to have met him a time or two. Still a little stunned, although 15 years with a single org, most I ever managed was 6.
Well, at least the account is still active (and another is still around) hopefully will pay a visit. Plus still catching up on the music output.
And ser au, if Torley is still in to this 3d world stuff maybe your sponsor could also do some 'reaching out'.
Posted by: sirhc desantis | Wednesday, March 04, 2020 at 05:01 PM
When a company dismisses or allows someone to leave without a substantial offer to stay those that have been with a company the longest, there are usually only two business decisions. One is the person too much in favor of making the company and products better? Or two was the person resistant to making the company and products better? If the person was too assertive for making either better, they could have conflicted with management that sees little reason to make the company or products better. And if they were openly resistant to making either better, there is low to no chance they would have been among the oldest employees.
Posted by: Simple Lemon | Wednesday, March 04, 2020 at 10:09 PM
I had to go back and find the original youtube video that in 2007 caused me to sign up for a second life account and download their viewer for the first time. It was a bit of digging but, I found it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZyBNBW2yjI
Nothing special, just Torley in his early days doing what he do, having fun with a camera and a wooden cube. Really, nothing special. But it made me see it. And I'd have never signed up if I hadn't. I wouldn't be where I am now, with who I am now, in the part of the world I am now working in the job I am now, if not for those I met in Second Life.
Thank you, Torley.
Best of luck with whatever's next.
Posted by: Adeon Writer | Wednesday, March 04, 2020 at 10:28 PM
Sad news for the community.
I'm going to miss Torley.
Posted by: Daniel Voyager | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 04:19 AM
Lets's face it folks, Torley's LindenLab is gone. The company changed much since they hired him. Torley just might not fit in there anymore. LL tries hard to keep the positive image of those days afloat, but they just are not what they used to be in the past.
IMHO the vision of LL Torley was hired for and the current vision of the Board of Directors hardly match anymore.
Posted by: Fionalein | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 04:26 AM
Everyone always said Torley would be the last one to turn the lights off at LL.
In a way, that’s still true, in spirit.
Posted by: Anonymous | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 06:13 AM
Looks like Linden Lab's time is coming to a close. They keep incompetent people on the staff for funzies and warm feelings - and fire/layoff/scare away those who were actual benefits to them.
I don't blame some employees from seeking other jobs at this point: Of course you would.. If you are on the Sansar payroll, would you stick around after a recent round of layoffs - seeing your peers get gone, and not start looking for other opportunities yourself?
Also, how exciting can it be to work on an old project like SL, trying to take the old horse out for a run and injecting serum into its old veins trying to give its youth back.. good luck with that.Whether it is Sansar or SL 2 or whatever future project LL decides to do it is inevitable - keep up with the times and advancements in technology, or fall behind.
Torley moving on is a good thing for him as he probably maxed out what he could do at LL - I wish him all the luck and success in the future. He is too talented to be held back at LL
Posted by: Petrov Adamantite | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 07:06 AM
Gotta love how many people here think they know what they're talking about and/or love commenting on something sad as an excuse to tear people down. Torley leaving is sad but it happens. He was with LL a long time and did a lot of good. For that i'm grateful. Why can't people just focus on being thankful instead?
Posted by: Zidaya Zenovka | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 08:01 AM
Linden Lab just deleted a thread about Torley on the Official Forums, no one was being rude or saying anything wrong or against the rules..everyone just said they will miss him, wishing him the best of luck! No joke not one bad comment! in 4 pages..
A linden said the conversation was against rules being inappropriate & locked thread then 5 minutes they deleted it!
Sad how linden lab is now trying to suppress the info Torley is gone, sad a company is hiding something they would fear residents knowing, something like an employee nolonger works for them!
Linden Lab is doomed by trying to now suppress the very community that keeps the lights on!
Posted by: Large Marge | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 08:25 AM
I thought Torley was a great guy. When I was new I went to his island and saw his amazing scripting work. About two months ago and in-world resident that has since been banned told me he was going. I did not believe it then. This is very sad news indeed.
Posted by: TD Gunnerq | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 09:00 AM
@Large Marge - do you remember who locked and nuked? I was just looking for it as well.
Way to try to sweep something under the carpet eh :(
Posted by: sirhc desantis | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 09:30 AM
I reported the thread on the forums because it violated the community participation guidelines of not sharing RL information. The thread included a link to this blog, and this blog includes a link to Torley's LinkedIn.
The fact that Torley did not approach Hamlet should speak volumes as to whether or not he wants the details of his actual real life employment situation splashed all over the internet. Future potential employers will Google him, and they will find this. It could affect his ability to find future employment.
This is a private matter and posting it here for all and sundry to see is grossly disrespectful to Torley.
Posted by: Beth Macbain | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 12:14 PM
This is such sad news. Some of my fondest early SL memories involved watching Torley's tutorials and slowly learning the complexities of the viewer and user-generated content. If not for SL and Torley, I wouldn’t be a programmer today. No platform has ever duplicated the boundless sense of freedom evoked by SL in those early years, the sheer capacity for creative expression and sexual exploration.
Posted by: Ehrman Digfoot | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 01:01 PM
Um ... Linked In is a public site indexed by Google independent of anything posted here or elsewhere. Torley wrote everything on that page himself and published it. On purpose.
Try it yourself, type "Torley linkedin" into Google.
Posted by: 0xc0ffea | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 01:26 PM
And that has fuck-all to do with the LL community participation guidelines. They set the rules, not me. I reported a violation.
In the midst of all this hand-wringing and adoration of Torley, no one stopped to consider the potential ramifications to Torley and his future prospects by having the conditions of his departure from his job vomited up into this filthy toilet of a blog. No hiring manager wants to hire someone with internet baggage when there are another 50 candidates with equally impressive resumes and internet baggage.
The adoration rings false and just seems like another chicken-little-esque cover story under the guise of "caring" to woefully predict the most imminent demise of Linden Lab.
Posted by: Beth Macbain | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 01:49 PM
And what an interesting linkything it is too - my repect went even further up (and still not a clue to their real identity).
Still, best not to risk the wrath of the Queen of the offish forums eh 0xc0ffea =^^=
Posted by: sirhc desantis | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 03:36 PM
"filthy toilet of a blog" says the only person dropping the f-bomb in a self-righteous rant.
Posted by: Fed Up | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 03:53 PM
Should have known your audience better, Beth. You ruined moment to for so many people to express their gratitude to Torley. Thanks a bunch, really. Your attention to follow the rules of the forum is so appreciated, really. EYEROLL.
Learn to read the room.
Posted by: Adeon Writer | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 04:12 PM
Wow, Beth. Way to go. LinkedIn is a public thing. Anyone could have googled it. Way to deprive people of getting to say goodbye in a way that Torley could have seen it.
Posted by: River | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 04:27 PM
👍🏻
Posted by: Beth Macbain | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 06:34 PM
I really just can't believe that he's gone. I'm in shock. There are no originals left in LL, why?
Beth your comment was disgusting. Everyone leaves jobs for whatever reason and i am sure his future employers are already aware of this. The Second Life community loves Torley and that speaks volumes about what he did for our community for so many years.
Dang i never thought i'd see the day that Torley would no longer be with LL... so sad. I wish Torley the best of luck in all that he does.
Posted by: Zoey | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 06:54 PM
Let's remember everything Torley did at LL over the years. Yeah, right now... people are hurt... and pissed off.
Regardless of what happened, there was no need to report a thread that probably honored him and wished him well in his future endeavors. To the person that reported the thread, and I know her name is here, you just pissed off every person in SL with what you did. All the original poster of that thread had to do was not link anything, but you just had to report it like a good little tattletale, didn't you? Congratulations!! Congratulations for unleashing hell upon yourself.
You know, there's a special circle in hell for those who betray others, and you're probably going there.
Posted by: Alicia | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 08:40 PM
I think we can probably ease off on Beth a bit. I don't agree with, or really even understand, her justification for reporting the Torley thread on the official SL forums, but the removal of the thread wasn't, ultimately, her responsibility, it was that of the mods. And it's not really very surprising: corporations doubtless get very uncomfortable about chit chat regarding personnel moves appearing on their own public-facing platforms. It almost certainly would have been removed anyway, with or without Beth.
On the more important issue, I share with everyone here the sadness and dismay about Torley's departure. LL has been pretty clever about recruiting enthusiastic and capable residents into service, and in that regard, Torley was the best of the best. He didn't just care about the platform: he cared about what could be done with it, and, most importantly, he cared about the community of people who are its lifeblood. SL will survive (and he's not been very involved in it for a few years anyway), but it and we are all a little diminished by his loss. I hope that he thrives wherever he ends up; he's earned it.
Posted by: Scylla Rhiadra | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 08:51 PM
I don't think that people should be too hard on Beth.
It's not like she tried to step into two Torley good-bye threads and make it all about her.
Posted by: Narcy Cyst | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 09:31 PM
I'm sooo sad. Obviously, my guess, getting rid of higher salaried ppl to bring in cheap labor. Why not fire Eb?
Sooo sorry Tori is gone. He seemed to me an omnipotent being bringing good will to the Grid.
Wish him well and hope he responds.
Posted by: BeeBee | Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 11:29 PM
@Scylla, the mods could simply have edited the starting thread and removed the links, and people would still be able to say good bye to Torley.
This is, yet another act of kindness, that gets ruined. This is why no one can have nice things, or even perform acts of kindness.
Posted by: Alicia | Friday, March 06, 2020 at 04:20 AM
Patch. Linden.will take. Over
Posted by: Nancy Favrotti | Friday, March 06, 2020 at 10:03 AM
Adeon, the rules are the rules it's really that simple. community participation guidelines are posted for a reason. If you don't like them then by all means refrain from posting on linden servers.
Posted by: Beth Macbain | Saturday, March 07, 2020 at 05:39 AM
BeeBee, Ebbe has done an outstanding job with Secondlife in all regards. If other projects did not work out then that would be the lindens business, they are merely a private company allowed to do as they please.
Posted by: Beth Macbain | Saturday, March 07, 2020 at 05:49 AM
Ain't Crony Capitalism wonderful! The "people" directly responsible for destroying SL face no consequences for being complete f$ck-ups - The LL Board of Directors.
Meanwhile, the folks who kept SL limping along for over a decade are let go. The folks doing real work are facing the consequences of BAD decisions by the uppity-ups. And the uppity-ups/the f$ck-ups/the MORONS. Still sitting on the LL Board of Directors. And still making NUMBNUTTED decisions.
Better enjoy SL while you can... Cause I'm starting to hear the Carol Burnett Show Theme cranking up in the background - "I'm so glad we had this time together, Just to have a laugh, or sing a song. Seems we just got started and before you know it Comes the time we have to say, 'So long.'" - Joe Hamilton
Lights are beginning to flicker out all over the Grid. Just a matter of time now... ;)
Posted by: Cathartes Aura | Saturday, March 07, 2020 at 05:51 AM
Thanks beth for letting know what a good pet you are
its clear on the forum all the special treatment lindens give you that your number one.
the new lindens are SJW narcissists they don't give a damn that they are helping destroy SL by just keeping it on life support to milk it dry
Funny how not only is linden lab bleeding SL alive but have rigged it for themselves and families..Having a hard time in fashion? it's due to a linden family members having competing accounts getting inside info!
I know i was on a locked down region, only me, nothing ever left out rezzed! my products and advertisement was copied to the letter 'T' by only someone who had access to linden servers! my mistake was uploading then waiting a month to release..that gave them a month to come up with a competing project! $1500 dollars monthly income stolen! they copied my scripts from content i loaded into the marketplace unlisted, two weeks before even launching my product i got script logins for my content on my server (software used to catch people making illegal copies of no copy-items) the items were rezzed on linden employee access only regions!
you don't have to believe me beth ask Abel Dreamscape why linden lab banned him! ask him what he caught them doing to his money & content!
Server Side Restrictions are for residents not employees so so much for the rules beth so sleep good tonight knowing your nothing but a pawn!
Posted by: Large Marge | Saturday, March 07, 2020 at 07:16 AM
Sorry they threw you out into the rain 😥Goodbye Torley
Posted by: Anne | Saturday, March 07, 2020 at 07:38 AM
Large Marge - putting aside the fact that people who use the acronym 'SJW' as an insult have opinions that can be disregarded entirely, how do you figure the C-suite of LL fits that description? Use your words, not tired catchphrases.
Posted by: Blaise Glendevon | Saturday, March 07, 2020 at 09:38 PM
@ Blaise Glendevon
I only need one word to prove my point 'Sansar' from the early fugly starter avatars to the later non-binary versions, let not forget removing last names in sansar because individuality goes against the ideology.
See to the new lindens Secondlife represents old evil white strait males,traditional liberal thinking, even family values. while they seen Sansar as a way to not only gain control of the users experience but to replace ugly SL with a world mirroring the social issues they want to push today in San Fransisco.
Torley was an older man representing traditional liberal American thinking not to be confused with democratic commie party thinking. Torley had to go one way or the other, likely was replaced with a gay female minority for diversity while she might not not have the skills he did, it does not matter, what matters to them is equal outcome.
Torley left his job over a change in corporate ideology & Sansar that torley was involved with lost because Sansar was not about a brave new world created by its residents but the egos of some twenty year old kids who's teachers in school told them how special they were.
GetWokeGoBroke is Sansar with 50 million down the toilet by creating a virtual world to push social agendas when it should have been give the residents everything they wanted and created something that could attract 100's of millions of users by being so forward thinking in bleeding edge features people would not believe until they tried it how great it was.
What Social agendas? they basically strangled the community to death in sansar with sjw agendas. I am one of many who witnessed it.
Here is my friend who was there with me.
"Sansar was a Leftist SJW staff driven platform where the community manager galileo and other staff ruled Sansar with an iron fist.
Noone could breathe or say anything, because they were always watching and banning anyone who declared a countering opinion.
staff playing inworld stealing users from the community and in direct competition, while befriending certain individuals and using their LL powers to participate in drama and slandering others on the platform
staff taking over community meetings, campfires, putting portals down in their customers worlds and stealing them - all conflict of interest stuff.
Meanwhile Ebbe did nothing and stood on the sidelines
Ebbe may be appear to be nice but sansar failed because he couldnt keep his unprofessional staff in check
Posted by: NoGalileoDontHugMe | Friday, February 28, 2020 at 05:55 AM
....
Posted by: Large Marge | Sunday, March 08, 2020 at 12:21 AM
.... and in typical SL fashion, why have just one person make it weird when you can have two.
Posted by: 0xc0ffea | Sunday, March 08, 2020 at 10:28 AM
Not for nothing, but the last two posts that say they're from "Beth Macbain" (the ones addressed to Beebee and Adeon) aren't. I own my words and those aren't mine.
Pretty cool that I have an impersonator, though.
Posted by: Beth Macbain | Sunday, March 08, 2020 at 11:13 AM
Thanks for letting us know Beth!
We believe You!
We believe in You!
You're the Best!
Rules are Rules!
No Worries!
Sleep Well!
Everyone Waves!
Watch the door on the way out!
Bye Beth!
Posted by: Amanda | Sunday, March 08, 2020 at 06:00 PM
This is even happening to me in the Parallel Universe where two opposite worlds meet on that thin line of "All About Me".
I just wanted to let everyone know.
Posted by: Bain Macbeth | Monday, March 09, 2020 at 06:30 AM
I hate the Becky of SL ruining the comments on this blog! Thank god they can’t report NWN and have it removed.
Posted by: Stop it Becky | Monday, March 09, 2020 at 12:37 PM
Oh, you deleted a post from "not Amanda" posted immediately after she mocks Beth for posting about someone posting as her,but still leave up the posts she said are not by her?
why don't you just have a proper verification system where people could register to post comments in the first place instead just deleting a satirical comment, Wagman? No one can prove who they say they are the way you have things set up.
I could use a VPN and post from the US, Europe or anywhere and put any name and email I like.
Posted by: Amandabeth Macbainface | Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 06:50 AM
Or here's an even better idea!
Why not use the comments here to talk about Torley and his many amazing contributions to SL, rather than as a venue for endlessly trolling someone who really doesn't deserve it, and who, believe it or not, doesn't actually have the power of life and death over threads on the forum?
If the complaint is that Beth's AR removed the opportunity to make our thanks to Torley public, it would seem rather counter-productive to waste this opportunity to do so by being obnoxious instead.
The repetitive and boring attacks on Beth here are the exact opposite of everything Torley himself actually stood for during his tenure at LL.
Posted by: Scylla Rhiadra | Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 07:16 AM
You completely missed the point! Others were trolling Beth and a post I made highlighting how easy it is for anyone to post under a false name was deleted but others posts that used a false name, according to presumably, the real Beth, haven't been.
I've met Torley in Secondlife a few times, he was genuinely lovely every single time, always nice on the forums and will be greatly missed.
Posted by: Amandabeth madeupname | Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 08:14 AM
Kavya, Torley, Kake... Who's the next? :=)
(ask yourself!)&(ask Patch!)
Posted by: Kake Broek (yes the real SL 1) | Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 09:39 AM
Well, Torley is now the Production Manager of Sansar at Wookey Productions. So that was the reason he left Linden Lab - because the Lab let go of Sansar.
All good.
Posted by: Burstup | Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 06:08 AM