Joe already scooped me on this one, but Safari hired four new executives this week including a CTO, VP of Sales, VP of International Business Development, and VP of Domestic Business Development. I knew Safari was looking to hire as they expand aggressively into new areas.

The potential for Safari is huge. While they are limited in a certain sense by their relationship with Pearson and O’Reilly, they are in a great position to realize many of the opportunities I’ve written about.

Before I started down the path of forming NetAware Media, I met with Tim O’Reilly and Sean Devine (CEO of Safari) at O’Reilly/Safari HQ to explore a possible working relationship. Since I had authored/co-authored eight books and edited seven others for O’Reilly along with attending the ‘04 and ‘05 Foo Camps, I was not an unfamiliar face. Ultimately, we couldn’t come up with an arrangement that was mutually beneficial so we went our separate ways (details left out intentionally).

Going on my own isn’t a bad move for me despite the fact that I’d have a lot more resources at my disposal if I worked with O’Reilly/Safari (including my own content to work with). After finishing up a graduate program at MIT, I have an entrepreneurial itch that this new company is helping to scratch. Also, I have some doubt as to whether the traditional publishers will be able to implement many of my ideas because their existing business models and publishing processes will get in the way. We’ll see if I can make this successful without any legacy constraints. I’ve been working diligently on a business plan and an initial website, which I plan to launch in the next couple of months. Stay tuned!