README

Hey there! I’m super excited to work with you. I want to give you some context about how I like to work, think, and communicate:

I want to ship, and I want you to ship, too.

Just ship things!

Sitting in meetings talking about shipping or writing docs about shipping is way less effective than actually shipping something or building a prototype. A prototype is worth a thousand meetings.

You don’t have to ask me for permission to ship a thing, and you probably don’t need to ask your boss for permission, either BTW. Just do it (responsibly) and report back what you learned. I’ll do the same!

I want to work with you because you’re a human.

Let’s be humans together. I want to build an intentional remote culture.

Don’t be afraid to joke around or make light of things. I want you take your work seriously but not yourself seriously.

Share at least a sliver of yourself with me and your coworkers from time to time. I’m an open book and will share personal things, and I realize not everybody wants to share their personal lives.

But I want to feel like I’m working with humans with hobbies, interests, joys, a family, and more — instead of an internet avatar who pushes commits from time to time.

I am an optimist.

I’m optimistic about society and technology, and we’ll work together super well if you are, too.

You don’t have to be in love with everything or be a fanboy about XYZ thing. But I think the world is so much brighter if you see the positive and abundance in everything rather than every negative aspect of a situation.

I value direct and open communication.

I hate feeling like I’m left out of an important discussion, or that people are excluding me from a meeting for fear of hurting my feelings or because I’m not important enough.

Humans will naturally fill in the blank and make up stories when they lack crucial information. Usually the story they make up is way worse than reality. Dammit if I’m not a great storyteller, so I like to avoid that situation as much as possible!

Unless something is of the utmost critical secrecy, I love to chat in public channels where others can benefit from the conversation. Especially if it has to do with something technical and not personal. I’ll push things to public Slack channels more often than not.

I feed off of positive vibes.

I feed off of positive energy and talented, hardworking coworkers.

I get so excited when I see something a coworker has shipped and think, “Wow, they are just so good.” I will happily wake up at 4am and have a 1:1 with you in Tokyo if I enjoy chatting so much and get good energy from our conversations.

I also feed off of positive feedback. I like to — and yes, I need to — be told that I’m doing a good job from time to time, as long as it’s genuine.

I’m a human. Sue me.

My “Work” Framework

Last revised: May 2024

Here are the questions I ask myself when evaluating whether a company, team, or project is a good fit for me. These might look similar to the things above, because they are!

  • Are the people I’m working with high performers who motivate me and push me to become better?
  • Does my work contribute to the bottom line of the company, directly or indirectly?
  • Does my skillset overlap with the company’s priorities and risks? Will I be able to expand my skillset and experiment with new technologies and ideas?
  • Is there strong direction and a clear way to build alignment for the work I’m doing?
  • Do the optimists greatly outnumber the cynics at the company? Will I be rubbing elbows with people who are excited to be there or with people who are mad about everything?
  • Do coworkers take their work — but not themselves — seriously? Do people say “hello” in the morning, share glimpses into their personal lives, and say “goodbye” at the end of the day? 
  • Does the culture have an element of play or fun? What processes are in place to ensure this doesn’t get extinguished during rough stretches?
  • Do other people at the company have families? Do they take time off? Do they refrain from working outside of their normal work hours?
  • Is there a culture of transparency and openness? How accessible are senior leadership?

Thanks to Jesse and his README for the inspiration!

Believe