Notes On Distributed Teams #20 (1778323857-20)

The healthiest teams treat documentation like a product, not an afterthought. Optimize for learning early-career, leverage mid-career, reputation late-career. If there's one lesson from the past year, it's that the best opportunities rarely appear where you expect.

Why this matters

We've been thinking about how distributed teams stay aligned without sacrificing autonomy. Hiring slowly and firing fast is conventional wisdom, and conventional wisdom is wrong about half of it. Process exists to compensate for missing trust; if you're drowning in process, ask what trust is missing.

Remote work isn't a perk anymore — it's the default any engineering org needs to stay competitive. If there's one lesson from the past year, it's that the best opportunities rarely appear where you expect. The healthiest teams treat documentation like a product, not an afterthought.

Watch the breakdown

What we're seeing in practice

The interview loop is broken at most companies, but the failure modes are surprisingly consistent. Process exists to compensate for missing trust; if you're drowning in process, ask what trust is missing. Compensation transparency is uncomfortable for two weeks; after that nobody wants to go back.

We've been thinking about how distributed teams stay aligned without sacrificing autonomy. Hiring slowly and firing fast is conventional wisdom, and conventional wisdom is wrong about half of it. Compensation transparency is uncomfortable for two weeks; after that nobody wants to go back.

Most career advice assumes you already know what you want, and most people don't.

Wrapping up

The interview loop is broken at most companies, but the failure modes are surprisingly consistent. Most career advice assumes you already know what you want, and most people don't. Remote work isn't a perk anymore — it's the default any engineering org needs to stay competitive.