2019 Distributed Development | Sid Sijbrandij, Co Founder & CEO, Gitlab

TL;DR

GitLab is an all-remote company with over 600 employees in 50 countries, providing software for a faster DevOps lifecycle. They solve the integration problem by offering a single integrated application that takes users through the entire process.

Transcript

thank you very much I'm brandy CEO and co-founder at gate lab and in 2015 coastline led are around and since then we've grown from nine to over six hundred people now in more than 50 countries and we've been able to make software that is used by more by millions of users and where our customers contribute back to it and that software helps you to h... Read More

Key Insights

• ❓ GitLab has experienced significant growth since becoming an all-remote company in 2015.
• 🔂 The integration problem in software development is solved by providing a single integrated application for the entire DevOps lifecycle.
• 🛩️ Being an all-remote company offers benefits such as increased efficiency, equal opportunity, flexibility, and spreading wealth to smaller locations.
• ❓ Time zones, cultural differences, and pay disparity are challenges that GitLab addresses through various strategies.
• 🤙 Communication and trust are vital for an all-remote company, and GitLab emphasizes transparency, video calls, and in-person interactions.
• 😤 Small, iterative steps and transparency are crucial for remote teams to work effectively.
• 🪡 Google Docs and other collaboration tools are used for complex problem solving, replacing the need for physical whiteboards.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does GitLab address the problem of software becoming more complex and turning into a spaghetti at many companies?

GitLab solves the integration problem by providing a single integrated application that takes users through all stages of the DevOps lifecycle, eliminating the need for numerous tools and complicated integration processes.

Q: What are the benefits of being an all-remote company?

Being all-remote allows GitLab to have highly efficient team members, encourages community contributions, offers flexibility for employees, and spreads wealth to smaller towns and villages.

Q: How does GitLab handle challenges such as time zones, cultural differences, and pay disparity?

GitLab deals with time zones by having everyone work on East Coast time. They address cultural differences by encouraging direct communication and setting expectations based on location. Pay disparity is addressed by paying local rates based on the cost of living in each location.

Q: How does GitLab ensure effective communication and trust among team members?

GitLab promotes communication through video calls, coffee chats, and in-person meetings. They also emphasize transparency by recording meetings and maintaining a comprehensive handbook. Trust is built through open decision-making processes and encouraging in-person interactions and excursions.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• GitLab is an all-remote company that has grown from 9 to over 600 employees in more than 50 countries since 2015.

• They provide software that enables a faster DevOps lifecycle, from ideation to market release to monitoring and securing.

• The company solves the integration problem by offering a single application that streamlines the entire process.