Hank steps back from running DFTBA and Complexly after cancer treatment; new CEO LJ Joukovski, Julie acting CEO (2023)
story · status: told 4×, last update 2026 · last event: retold (2026-02-04)
Told alongside: Pissing Out Cancer: Hank's stand-up comedy show about having cancer (2023) · Hank's Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis and chemotherapy (2023) · John's stint as reluctant temporary CEO of DFTBA.com during Hank's cancer (2023)
About: DFTBA Records, Complexly, Laura Joukovski
| date | event | what | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-08-29 | update | They were months into finding a leader when Hank got sick, and found her: LJ Joukovski, a brilliant, experienced leader passionate about DFTBA's mission. | Breaking News: CEO Demoted 00:03:24 |
| 2023-10-06 | told | Hank says he is not going back to his jobs as they were before he got sick; for over ten years he has been CEO of two companies, for a while of three. | I Quit 00:00:29 |
| 2023-12-01 | retold | Hank developed a secret goal while sitting on the domain and shared it with LJ while interviewing her for DFTBA CEO; she said yes. | It's OK if you think less of me after this! 00:04:14 |
| 2024-08-07 | update | Hank says he cannot figure out a job description for himself at Complexly right now. | Dear Hank and John Livestream! 00:23:05 |
| 2024-11-03 | update | Hank had stepped down as CEO of DFTBA and Complexly; DFTBA was already hiring his replacement, and he decided not to return to his leadership role at Complexly. | Hank's very messy post-cancer year of mistakes, meaning… 00:02:04 |
| 2024-11-03 | retold | Hank stepped down as CEO for a reason: he prioritizes screwing around online, a new book or a stand-up special, and lacks the self-control not to. | Hank's very messy post-cancer year of mistakes, meaning… 00:14:29 |
| 2026-02-04 | retold | Hank says he has not been CEO for over two years; the organization of dozens of people is bigger than the brothers, who already do not oversee most decisions. | We Just Sold Our Company for $0 00:03:24 |
What is said about it
4 statements, by date (the events above are the turns of the thread; these are the details).
- 2023-10-06 · I Quit — announcement: Hank says the person they hired, LJ Joukovski, is amazing; she has had a crash course in Pizza John and has embraced the weird. — 00:02:29
- 2023-10-06 · I Quit — Hank says LJ could make much more money elsewhere: DFTBA is not built to grow fast, maximize profit and sell, so they needed someone more interested in the interesting and weird. — 00:02:58
- 2023-10-06 · I Quit — Hank says his fear at root was that the new leader would decide differently than he would, but that is how it will work, and good, since LJ knows much more than he does. — 00:04:24
- 2023-10-06 · I Quit — Hank says LJ comforted him early on by saying she didn't want the job if he would check out, since part of the appeal was working with him. — 00:04:24