We’re technologists, but the technology is the means to an end — and the end is making an impact in the world. Usually, that’s a business impact, but sometimes that impact is seen through the lens of a non-profit or an art project.

We have a strong aversion to technology for technology’s sake.

Every path at a crossroads leads somewhere interesting, but the right path to take is the one that leads us where we’re trying to go. Just because we’re moving doesn’t mean we’re getting closer.

We spend an inordinate amount of time ensuring we crisply understand where we’re trying to go. We want to make sure we’re moving in the right direction.

We prefer intentional and deliberate choices over reflex reactions. A considered decision that ends up being wrong is — to us — better than a random or rushed decision that happens to be right.

We can learn and improve from our mistakes; there’s not much we can learn from a dice roll.

As much as we like considered decisions, the ‘decision’ is as important as the ‘considered’. At some point we have to make a decision and move on.

We look at the data, make the best decision we can, pay close attention to the results, and reassess as necessary. We do not agonize over making the decision, or over the decisions we’ve made.

When evaluating the estimated impact of a decision, we prefer the long-term value over the short-term value. Not only do we think it’s generally wise, it’s also simpler — a lot fewer things add consistent long-term value.

At the end of the day, organizations are made up of unique, messy, beautiful, complicated, wonderful people. If we ask our people to compartmentalize their personalities and their lives, we short-change ourselves.

Bring your whole self to work, and we’ll figure out a way to make it work. Our business only succeeds if we can find a way to harmonize it with the lives of its people.

We are thoughtful, detail-oriented, passionate people. We like to work with other thoughtful, detail-oriented, passionate people. It doesn’t matter where you live, what you look like, what your background is, or what school you went to.

We’re committed to a remote-friendly distributed work environment. We want to work with the best people we can, wherever they happen to be.

We work to gain a deep understanding of the client’s business aim and context, in order to view the problem from the client’s perspective. We listen to and validate client concerns and then work to alleviate them.

We treat the client as we would want to be treated.

We identify the highest-risk parts of a project early on and create multiple mitigation plans for each of them. We then tackle those risks as early as possible.

We run towards risk, not away from it.

We take the time to fully understand what we are trying to do and why. All details of a project are carefully considered before moving forward. We test our level of thinking and detail by sharing with teammates for evaluation and feedback.

We regularly update clients and teammates, and speak up early if we notice anything that could become a problem. We clearly explain our reasons for decisions, and document anything that may require future reference.

We understand that a remote context requires a bit of extra communication effort to be clear and stay connected.

We do what we say we are going to do.

Once we have committed to a task, we drive it to completion or ensure that someone taking it over has everything they need to finish it. We do not wait to be told what to do; we are proactive as much as possible.

We understand that we do not own the work we do, and that it may evolve as others contribute. We aim to grow through learning and feedback from others.

We believe that multiple minds are better than one, and everyone has valuable ideas to share. As we share our knowledge with each other, we build a collective intelligence that benefits everyone.

We are hired for our expertise and are dedicated to what’s in the best interest of our clients and their goals. If we see a better approach than what a client has in mind, we will bring that to the table. 

Just as we don’t build technology for technology’s sake, we don’t do meaningless work to bill more hours or look busy. We do work that has a meaningful purpose.

This sometimes means finishing a project early, or reevaluating backlog tasks rather than simply chugging through them.

We take our work seriously, but our lives outside of it are just as important.

A 40-hour-plus work week may occur once in a while during a big push on a project, but if it’s a regular occurrence, there’s something that needs to be reconsidered and adjusted.

We are a team of seasoned ML practitioners. While we have processes in place to manage projects and support team members, we value autonomy.

Team members are expected to manage their time and tasks effectively, fulfill the commitments they choose to make, and ask for help when they need it.

When something has gone wrong, it’s an opportunity for us to learn and course-correct. We all do our best, and mistakes are inevitable.

We do not waste time blaming others; we get to the root of the issue and determine next steps from there.