In the latest of the 'Meet the Immutables' series, we chat to Eddie Benson, Strategy and Enablement Manager at Immutable. We speak on how important his role is to the evolution of our GTM teams and how he has found the transition moving from a career in Web2 to Web3.
Hi Eddie,
We are curious, what exactly is a Strategy and Enablement Manager?
As part of the 'Go To Market' team at Immutable, the role of a strategy and enablement manager spans multiple groups in the organisation. The strategy part of the role refers to ensuring that GTM activities at Immutable consistently operate under the strategic umbrella of our unified GTM strategy.
Fairly straightforward in theory, but as GTM comprises business development, partner success, marketing, ecosystems, community, developer growth, operations and ventures – it quickly gets tricky having everyone on the same page. Thankfully that's why we also do enablement, which involves working closely with different GTM teams (for me, specifically partner success and ecosystems) to help them understand how to use strategic insights and initiatives in their day-to-day roles.
With Web3 changing week-in and week-out, so do our strategies.. and therefore, so does our enablement. Never a dull week right?
Why is enablement critical to Web3 and Immutable?
Strategy without enablement falls short. Everyone needs to be on the same page to facilitate actual progress. And in a Web3 organisation like Immutable, we'd argue it's even more critical than a typical tech product environment.
Not only is our product, services and partner portfolio rapidly expanding week-on-week, but the public perception of Web3, crypto and NFTs constantly influences how we're looked at from the outside.
With so many changes all the time, our teams don't have the bandwidth to stay on top of it all. I and so many others at Immutable strive for a learning culture, and having this be a core part of my role (enablement) reiterates the importance of constant knowledge sharing in Web3.
How have you found the transition from a career in Web2 to Web3?
It's easy to think about the difference between Web2 and Web3 as a discrete step from one to the other. For me (and I think many others), it's much more blurry. Previously coming from a world of creative technology (working at production studios and advertising agencies), in 2020 and 2021, crypto and NFTs became very hard to ignore.
For a while, the term 'Web3' was alien, and the crowds associated with crypto and NFTs completely turned me off even looking into it. But bit by bit I started watching YouTube videos (Whiteboard Crypto) and listening to some podcasts (Bankless). I started making my way down the rabbit hole, eventually leading me to create a Web3 podcast with a friend of mine ('Token Mates' on Spotify).
Funnily enough, starting this podcast was terrifying as I felt I had no idea what I was doing and talking about (honestly, not much has changed since). But having spent more time in Web3, you learn it's like that every step of the way, and you learn to embrace the unknown over time.
A final note here is that most day-to-day work in a Web3 company is the same as a Web2 company. There are small divergences in subject matter expertise, but the barebones of organisation, strategy and processes are very similar.
Do you have advice for those considering a move into Web3?
If you're someone who likes to work it out as they go, Web3 is an excellent space to play in. In previous jobs, I could Google almost every task I had and find pages of blog posts outlining step-by-step how to do it. Not the case in Web3.
And as much as I love this, it's probably best to reflect that this isn't for everyone. I'm lucky enough to work with some of the smartest folks in Web3 at Immutable and learning from them every day is motivating. That being said, the pace of evolving knowledge and changing operational processes is rapid.
Thanks Eddie, lastly, what do you love to do in your spare time?
As someone who tends to be hyper-efficient at all hours of the day, I try to actively avoid being productive in my spare time. Some of my favourite unwinding methods include following the F1, attempting yoga and basking in the sun.
Join Eddie at Immutable - https://www.immutable.com/careers
