#4 - Chad was cost cut out of the equation. He probably pulled a decent salary and you could find any number of good coaches to help with training plans for $100-150 hour. How much do you need such a person now that everything has been sorted out and is run by the software. 10 hours per month? Exercise phys hasn’t changed in decades.
#5 - Some kind of internal disagreement that led to Nate firing him.
I can only speculate that Chad has seemed more distant since he moved out of state. Moving out of the corporate office and becoming a remote worker can be damaging to one’s career at a company. Out of sight, out of mind. You can get a lot of “what’s so and so doing for us?”.
Of course, it’s only speculation. I wish @chad well and hope he is leaving with a piece of TR equity.
It’s easy to tell at the company I work when somebody has been fired or left voluntarily. If voluntarily we get a “wish them well” email. If not, it’s a “so and so no longer works here”
I think #2 with the lengths they’ve gone to erase him from online articles.
I wish nothing but the best for all parties involved. I’m not commenting anymore about this. Not my business, I’ll still watch podcasts and use TR.
Not aware until just reading this thread. Feels like a step change for the company, I don’t think they have a similar personality onboard to keep them balanced.
But, the only certainty in life is change. So I hope this isn’t a negative one. Thanks for everything over the years @chad.
I just don’t see TR handling possibility 1) that way.
Another explanation could be that there was some massive internal dispute that resulted in a falling out, but Chad seemed to be very cool with the direction of TR. I think I remember hearing that Nate had 100% ownership and Chad had none. Chad could have gone into a business that is competitive with TR. That could make mad.
Which mistake do you think Nate is more likely to make?
a) Forget to thank Chad or acknowledge him for his contributions
b) Overshare when something bad went down
One step too far I think, yes, we’re all replaceable, but that doesn’t require diminishing his contribution, especially the part of it that centered on his qualities as person and podcaster, which, in my view, were unique and excellent.
How do we know they are best friends? All we saw a few years ago was a bro-mance betweeen coworkers on the podcast. It’s not real life. It’s like a reality tv show where the company is paying for these guys to fly all over and do cool races, events, or get fitted for TT bikes.
My understanding Chad was basically a co founder and had (has?) an ownership stake
Chad ran the indoor training studio Nate was riding at when Nate got the idea for coming up with some software so you could train at home with virtual power. This was before PMs were affordable and smart trainers didn’t really exist so virtual power was a big deal And at the time there were really no power based workouts for normal cyclists so the combination of virtual power and power target workouts was a big deal and what propelled TR on the path to where it is today. Nate wrote the code and Chad wrote the workouts.
Notably not mentioned in the TR thread (but maybe the other links) is Reid Weber who is/was a co-founder. I don’t know if I have seen a complied history that touches on the main players and their entry/exits.
Reid Weber left too — and he went straight into the arms of Sufferfest. He was the co-founder with Nate, IIRK.
If there wasn’t a non-complete agreement and NDA in place, then shame on TR.
Chad will be fine. TR will be fine. I (personally) think its creepy of TR to post the details of any personnel situation on social media. But that’s just me being old, I guess.
Nate, Chad, and Jonathan to me are the three pillars that are the foundation of what TrainerRoad became. They all played different roles but I would argue it was the combination of the three of them that led to so much of the success. Of course there were other strong additions, but those three were the start of it all.
Very disappointing to hear that Chad isn’t part of the TR Team anymore. Clearly some years back his life changed and he made the decision to more to another state with his fiancee and embark on a new chapter of his life. Cycling became secondary but listeners welcomed him back to the podcast with open arms after an extended hiatus. This time it sounds like his departure from TR is permanent.
I wish Chad only the best and I hope he is in a good place right now. I learnt a lot from him along the way.
Chad and the podcast changed my life a bit. I sometimes miss the original lineup: Chad’s authority, Nate’s humour and unfiltered creativity and Jonathon’s presenting skills - plus the dynamic and banter between them was a winning combination.
But times change. The pandemic moved them out of the studio; Chad moved away; he basically stopped riding a bike; he was moving more and more into a ‘grumpy old man’ vibe; and despite some good appearances (once or twice a month), his heart didn’t really seem to be in it anymore.
I’m no businessman (cutthroat or otherwise), but I had been wondering of late exactly what Chad’s job was these days. At the founding of the company he would have been absolutely central; later very important; in 2023…? Don’t know
My guess is that more distance had grown between him and Nate than we appreciate, which may have accelerated the fallout, whatever the main cause was.
This is a wrench. My best wishes to both Chad and Nate.
