Why did "GitLab" remotely work all over the world why was the scale expanded to 160 people in 2 years of establishment?

GitHub, which manages source code on a Git basis, is difficult to use in companies because source code is published. Therefore, you can use Git in your own server environment "GitLab"Is expanding its use in companies. While GitLab is growing fast, although it adopts a different work style that all employees work in disjointed remote environments, it is expanding in scale and attracting attention.

Sid and Cyberlandi, the fast-growing GitLab CEO, supported GitLabY CombinatorIn response to the interview, I am talking about how to work at GitLab, corporate culture and unique tools.

Gitlab's Secret to Managing 160 Employees in 160 Locations - YouTube


When asked about "what GitLab is doing, what is important," CEO Sid, Cyberandi said, "GitLab is an open source software development tool that allows people to collaborate in software development, It's a tool that makes the process easier, faster and more efficient ". Efficient tool is GitLab, an important tool, but from the subsequent story it turns out that it is a major reason to be efficient in remote work.

◆ The beginning of GitLab


GitLab said that Ditry Zapo Rosetz, co-founder and chief technology officer at GitLab, started developing around 2011 as a convenient tool for developing software. Mr. Sid, who knew that the mechanism of GitLab is excellent, joined Dimitry and introduced GitLab with Hacker News and others, but due to the character of open source software, it makes a business (earn money) I felt it was difficult.

So, although it was a GitLab team who participated in the program of Y combinator, there were nine employees at the time of graduation from Y combinator. However, it seems that employees are increasing by 160 people now after two years have passed since then. Amazingly all 160 people are working on remote work. "So far, there is no one working together in the same place," Sid said. When asked about the headquarters in San Francisco, "I am alone" is answered.

The office in San Francisco headquarters is like a catchy environment where the cats pass through.


◆ Remote work


Sid, who was asked if he had thought about an ordinary unthinkable work style from the beginning when more than 100 employees worked in a complete remote environment, said, "Organization is mediocre but product is special" It seems that he was aiming for the aim, and he did not assume an innovative way of working.

The reason for becoming remote was that Dimitry CTO was in Ukraine and CEO Sido was in the Netherlands when he was inaugurated. Sid said that Sid CEO worked at home, sometimes easily collaborating using software. The nine people who graduated from the Y combinatoro seemed to have a very natural form of working in a shattered manner like "sales jobs", "I did not say that I would concentrate in the office. Despite being concerned about "results", I did not mind "where to work", says CEO Sido. It seems that most of the 160 employees are working at home.

◆ Handbook


160 people work differently around the world GitLab has a tool like Wiki that all employees called "Handbook" can view and edit. As handled by Sid CEO, the handbook to be shared by everyone, "We have written down all of the processes we got," adopting the operation of adding any trivial matter, now it has more than 500 pages It is said that it is.

Sid, who was asked about the reasons to record everything in the handbook, said, "I had written it down because it was not easy to explain, I adopt a very smart person who does not need to explain the same thing twice Although there are people who are to be adopted at the same time, there is a thing that I have to repeat the explanation by all means, so I write it down. "


The handbook not only avoids duplication of explanation, but also has the role of sharing experience with everyone so that someone else's repeated experiences will not be repeated. Everyone working at GitLab is obliged to edit the handbook for "next person", "Everyone working at GitLab is responsible. It is my responsibility to ensure that everyone has a mission It's a mission, "Sid said.

And, looking back on the handbook later, there are many things to learn from others' comments, etc. It seems that Sid CEO is an important tool to learn leadership.

◆ One-day labor style


In GitLab where 160 people are scattered around 37 countries, all meetings are held in video conference. According to Sid CEO, in order to avoid getting too complicated, we are trying to keep the size as small as possible, and it is often that video conferences are held at around 10 people. Of course he sometimes chats one to one.

When asked, "Is there anything like Russia calling at 23 o'clock?" Sid said that it is not so much to make an emergency call late at night by securing time to overlap with others There is no answer. Also, he seems to be using tools such as Google Docs to avoid restraint at the same time, he said that it is "normal way of working" to finish work at around 17 o'clock to the last.

◆ Struggling


In response to the question "What is the most difficult thing with the business style that everyone works remotely?" Sid CEO is immediately answering "fundraising". Many investors were worried about working out remotely due to the growing scale of organizations and harmful effects. Syd said, it is a completely new way of working and it seems that he had trouble collecting funds from investors, but fortunately it succeeded in obtaining investors who thought "Watch over whether it will work or not" It is.

Aptitude


Sid CEO who was asked whether he feels lonely by working at remote stations says that they do not feel lonely because of handbooks and video conferences. However, regarding "the qualities necessary to work remotely", I mention "to keep motivation". Working in a situation where there is not a person who monitors himself is not only that there is not a person to pay attention to but also that it is very difficult because it is necessary to ask questions of their own faults and to reflect on themselves.

When asked if we are screening with employee recruitment as an element of whether we can maintain high motivation alone, "Sid CEO responds," As a result, highly directional people will remain. "