Next things...

caseyjohnellis

11 Feb 2026 — 2 min read

The Bugcrowd "ISMSs" c. 2017

Getting ahead of the grapevine a little: Last Saturday Jan 31 was my last day "inside the tent" at Bugcrowd.

I've been slowly stepping back from the company since my heart surgery in '24, and it was the right time to go both-feet out. I'm still a founding shareholder, massive cheerleader, and "friend of the business", and I'm excited to see where things go next – but it's time to give the current team the room to execute, and give myself room to get the gears properly turning on my next thing.

On a personal level, yes: It's bit of an odd feeling, but its one that’s full of fondness, lessons, and gratitude – Especially when I think through the absolutely incredible team I've had the privilege to work with over the past 13 years: Over 1,200 employees, thousands of customers and community partners, and more than half a million in the crowd with countless more impacted by our mission.

Greetz

Hugest of shout-outs to the #minnacrew and the #frontstcrew. Y'all know who you are. Thank you for being a part of creating this category, and normalizing hacker feedback, and executing in rare air. I'm looking forward to catching up soon at BSidesSF/RSAC or around the traps 🫶🫶🫶

…and a massive thank you to Dave Gerry for taking the reigns back in 2023, and for your partnership – especially during my “blip year” ❤️🩹

The flag wall, one for each nationality represented in the team 🧡

What's next?

While I've operationally moved on, I've by no means moved on from the mission (a quick scan of my current extra-curricula's probably tells that story... disclose.io, Tall Poppy Group, Black Hat Review Board, Risky.biz, etc).

Between the arrival of commoditized AI, the explosion of technology, and <GESTURES VAGUELY AT EVERYTHING>, I believe that the importance of the hacker mindset and "opposite thinking" as the bastion between attacker creativity and the security and safety of those we love and protect is only continuing to accelerate.

In the short-term: a little pause to touch grass and take stock of the lessons I’ve learned about growth, community, the market, and leadership from the Bugcrowd journey… then I'll be going again.

Stay tuned 🤓🤓🤓