Episode 29: Dylan Field, Figma Co-founder, Talks Design, Digital Economy, and Remote Culture with Host Connie Yang
The latest episode of the Distributed podcast pairs Dylan Field, Figma’s CEO and Co-founder, and guest host Connie Yang, Head of Payments Design at Stripe. Join a discussion on design, instilling remote culture, and the digital economy, including Field's perspective on the role of design in technology. “We’ve gone from a physical economy to a digital economy. I don’t think these are new trends or new things that happen but now, all of a sudden it happened all at once, and accelerated massively,” he says.
19 November 2021, 1:01 am
48 minutes 16 seconds
Episode 28: Erica Pandey of Axios on Returning to Work
Whether making their start as a solo blogger on their own beat, or growing up in a thriving newsroom, journalists must forge their own unique work life as they write the first draft of history, as Matt says in the latest Distributed podcast episode with Erica Pandey, business journalist and writer of the What’s Next newsletter at Axios. This fast-paced conversation covers a lot of ground, from Erica’s own journalism career, to how she works with her Axios colleagues across bureaus. She balances Axios’ Smart Brevity style with authoritative reporting on complex topics, seeking multiples perspectives, from data to experts to people on the ground. Says Erica, “One of my greatest joys is being able to talk to people.”
The lively conversation centers on how we’re all returning to work after so much change and adaptation, including the rise of hybrid workplaces.
22 July 2021, 7:10 am
1 hour 25 minutes
Distributed by Default: Matt Mullenweg on The Knowledge Project
Matt Mullenweg joins Shane Parrish on The Knowledge Project podcast to talk about companies that are distributed from the beginning, and some of the benefits that means for its people. "Part of our model of distributed work also provides a fair amount of autonomy in how people get their work done," Matt said. "I like that it creates a lot more objectivity and focus around what the actual work is."
10 June 2021, 7:38 pm
1 hour 18 minutes
Episode 27: Leading with Values: Sid Sijbrandij joins Matt Mullenweg to talk about GitLab, Transparency and Growing a Distributed Company
Matt welcomes Sid Sijbrandij, Co-Founder and CEO of GitLab, another pioneering company with Open Source origins and a long-running commitment to a completely distributed workforce. Sid and Matt settle into a conversation about how GitLab’s six values are reinforced in 20 ways at the fully-remote company. GitLab, now with more than 1,300 employees, updated its values over 300 times in the last calendar year. “They have to be reinforced,” says Sid, “and be alive in that way.”
The values, how they are experienced, and most other details and data about GitLab's processes are publicly shared in a 10,000 page Handbook. "Transparency is sunlight," says Sid.
21 May 2021, 5:16 am
1 hour 23 minutes
Hiring For Distributed Companies & Angel Investing: This Week in Startups with Jason Calacanis
"Why would the best employees in the world choose so little autonomy in the third of their day or more that they spend working?" Matt Mullenweg asks Jason Calacanis in a recent appearance on the long-running This Week In Startups.
11 May 2021, 1:54 am
48 minutes 18 seconds
Getting Legal Work Done in a Distributed Environment: Paul Sieminski with Chad Main on Technically Legal
Automattic’s General Counsel, Paul Sieminski, recently joined the Technically Legal podcast to talk about how legal work can thrive in a fully distributed company. “It’s aimed at a legal audience, and I love to remind my fellow layers how much value we can add to a distributed organization,” said Paul of his appearance on the podcast.
23 April 2021, 12:38 am
40 minutes 19 seconds
Growing as a Leader: Matt Mullenweg on the Starting Greatness Podcast with Mike Maples Jr.
Matt shares several such pivotal moments in an episode full of stories and insight from the growth of Automattic, and of his own journey and leadership evolution, with Mike Maples Jr., host of the Starting Greatness podcast.
20 April 2021, 9:37 pm
1 hour 15 minutes
Episode 26: Jack Dorsey and Matt Mullenweg on Remote Collaboration, Finding Serendipity, and the Art of Deliberate Work
Join us for the latest episode of Distributed, as Matt Mullenweg interviews Jack Dorsey, co-founder and CEO of Twitter and Square. They discuss how both companies have embraced remote collaboration, the underrated value of deliberate work, and how questioning preconceived models from the get-go can change everything.
16 December 2020, 9:50 pm
42 minutes 53 seconds
Episode 25: Davit Baghdasaryan on the Science of Sound in a Distributed Work World
As audio and video conferencing surge worldwide, Matt talks through the science of sound with Davit Baghdasaryan, the CEO of Krisp, a fast-growing company offering AI-powered noise cancellation technology for removing background noise on any conferencing platform. Krisp’s technology, including its proprietary deep neural network krispNet DNN, processes audio securely on the user’s computer.
15 October 2020, 4:05 pm
37 minutes 50 seconds
Episode 23: Lara Hogan on the Secret to Being a Successful Manager
Are companies setting up their managers for success? What are BICEPS? How do you assemble your colleagues like a management Voltron?
Lara Hogan is the founder of Wherewithall, a firm that specializes in management and leadership training. She’s the author of Resilient Management, a must-read for anyone who is a manager, wants to become one, or generally just wants to learn how to be a better teammate.
24 July 2020, 6:21 pm
49 minutes 52 seconds
Episode 22: Raj Choudhury Sees a Future Where You Don’t Have to Move Your Family for a Job
"We have introduced so many frictions to people’s lives by forcing them to move." Prithwiraj (Raj) Choudhury, the Lumry Family Associate Professor at Harvard Business School, studies the future of work -- specifically the changing geography of work. What happens to cities, to immigration policies, and to issues around gender equity when more companies let people work from anywhere?