A tribute to Bruce Clay 

My heart sank when I learned that Bruce Clay had passed away. I’d heard he was in the hospital, but all I could think about was the two long conversations we had last fall — one to catch up, the other for a podcast interview.

I first contacted Bruce almost 25 years ago, when I emailed him cold to ask whether I could republish some of his industry writings on ethics. He said yes. My cited article unintentionally ranked #2 on Google for “Bruce Clay” for years. I’d often joke about that with him later, and he seemed both amused and annoyed—presumably because I’d done it with his own content and blessing.

A few years later, I worked with Bruce and many other search industry pros on the board of the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization (SEMPO), a business nonprofit focused on promoting the then-new search industry. Beyond promoting best practices and the legitimate business case for search, we later worked on U.S. Internet policy in the early 2010s.

SEMPO had board members from around the globe, and it literally took some of us around the world. I got to know Bruce through that work, and we’d later run into each other while speaking at conferences, sometimes even landing on the same panels. We had a great time doing great work. The organization lasted about 15 years, and if I remember correctly, Bruce was a founding member around 2000 or 2001.

I have a specific memory of Bruce from when SEMPO board members were heading back to our hotel on the east side of Midtown Manhattan after dinner. A snowstorm had just begun and would leave several feet by the next day. The usual loud traffic noise was dampened by the weather and the absence of most vehicles. It was eerie, but almost joyously quiet. The city that never sleeps was effectively taking a nap under a blanket of snow.

Then something happened that I’d never seen before or since.

As snow silently dumped into the streets, a massive lightning strike hit just a few blocks away, over Bruce’s shoulder. I’m not sure he even saw it directly. It felt like an explosion, and we stood there for a few minutes trying to process the contrast: a shattering bolt hitting the street between massive skyscrapers amid a torrent of snowflakes. But not a drop of rain.

None of us had ever seen or heard of it, and we didn’t know what to call it. I believe Bruce called it “thunder snow,” and it stuck. Thus his naming streak continued.

Bruce was, and is, the real deal in search. His legacy isn’t just that he coined a term. He consistently backed it up by pushing the field forward, educating others, and engaging with the people he loved. Like many early pros in the field, he helped develop search design practices that remain foundational today. He was known as a top expert through his writings, interviews, books, and hundreds of industry events. For many who remember the beginning, and even follow him today, he is the GOAT.

Bruce took an intellectual view…