Thoughtbot

Culture & Mission

View employee handbook

Mission

Create better software.

Core values

Principle Zero: We regularly eliminate and simplify policies. Our most important policy is "use your best judgement". We call this Principle Zero. Minimize Hierarchy: We strive for few job titles, few departments, and few hierarchies. We prefer composition of roles necessary for projects and company objectives over inheritance of bosses and direct reports. We are at thoughtbot primarily for our design and development skill, and want to apply it, rather than creating company overhead. Transparency: We avoid having private conversations about each other or clients. Instead, we talk in person, and use tools such as Slack, Basecamp, and GitHub to communicate openly within a project, within thoughtbot, and publicly. Honesty: While we should be cognizant of people's feelings, and seek to work with each other constructively, we cannot let those concerns get in the way of our happiness and the success of our work. We'd rather be too honest than too polite. Trust: Our standards are very high, and bringing on a new team member requires a "yes" from everyone who participated in the interview process. Therefore, we expect the best from each other, give each other the benefit of the doubt, and encourage each other to take initiative to improve ourselves and the company. Continuous Improvement: We recognize that we can always be better. Therefore, we have strong opinions, loosely held, and take initiative to improve ourselves, the company, and our community.