Today, I officially started as the full-time VP of Product and Engineering for change.org. You may want to ask me, “What?! You took a job?” I’ll admit, it wasn’t what I was expecting. As these things go, though, often a series of connections leads to a synergy that simply feels too good to disregard. In this particular case, I was introduced to Ben (the CEO) through my friend Tamara, and was immediately taken by his vision, his passion, and (to be frank) what he had already accomplished.

Ben is a true leader — the type of guy that when you meet with him you just can’t help catching a bout of his contagious passion. His vision, to be the platform where people use the organizational power of the internet to create positive change in the world, is nothing short of daunting. Yet he faces it not only with confidence, but with relentless enthusiasm. He’s surrounded himself with nothing but “A-players”, each of whom has played a crucial role in creating one of the most impressive businesses I’ve ever seen. Ben’s vision, it would seem, is truly within reach.

So what was it that finally hooked me? After all, there are many places where I might have found a job (although, to be honest, I wasn’t looking). After Founding and leading Zivity, I was almost certain I’d start something else once my travels completed. One thing stuck with me, though, from my first meeting with Ben. He said something to me along the lines of, “I look around San Francisco and the Valley and I see some of the most brilliant people in the world. And what are they doing? They’re selling icons. I believe our generation has something better to offer the world than FarmVille.”

I couldn’t agree more. The torch has been passed. It is our generation’s turn to take responsibility for the planet and its people and do our best to make it better. I, for one, believe that entrepreneurialism is the most effective form of creating the change we want in the world, and change.org sits exactly in the place where I want to be. It’s a Bay Area tech company with a simple mission: make the world better.

Oh, and remember … with great power comes great responsibility. Use your powers for something good. Come join us. We’re hiring. Bad-ass Ruby / Rails engineers wanted. Contact me: jeffrey [-at-] change [-dot-] org.