# No Meetings, No Deadlines, No Full-Time Employees
URL:: https://sahillavingia.com/work?s=09
Author:: sahillavingia.com
## Highlights
> If we include full-time employees, it’s none. Not even me. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rbgsj0ef8cnf932p271c5))
> We have no meetings, and no deadlines either. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rbhpvxscert3ypcww70ym))
> Today, working at Gumroad resembles working on an open source project like Rails. Except it’s neither open source, nor unpaid. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rc4yc5bamd6qzt5z4q2tk))
> Instead of having meetings, people “talk” to each other via GitHub, Notion, and (occasionally) Slack, expecting responses within 24 hours. Because there are no standups or “syncs” and some projects can involve expensive feedback loops to collaborate, working this way requires clear and thoughtful communication. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rc829d0ym9s66vkcmjhsw))
> Everyone writes well, and writes *a lot*. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rce3g4v0qkkwhbwe5r84m))
> There are no deadlines either. We ship incrementally, and launch things whenever the stuff in development is better than what’s currently in production. The occasional exception does exist, such as a tax deadline, but as a rule, I try not to tell anyone what to do or how fast to do it. When someone new joins the company, they do what everyone else does: go into our Notion queue, pick a task, and get to work, asking for clarification when needed. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rcndgdngncz2chsq8q6dm))
> Instead of setting quarterly goals or using OKRs, we move towards a single north star: maximizing how much money creators earn. It’s simple and measurable, allowing anyone in the company to do the math on how much a feature or bug-fix might be worth. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rcyec1rxn3fvjh3prfndr))
> People can work on what’s fun or rely on their intuition, because as long as we remain profitable and keep shipping, we tend to get to the important stuff eventually. Our [public roadmap](https://www.notion.so/gumroad/Roadmap-ce2ad07c483046e7941227ad7810730d) helps Gumroad's creators hold us accountable. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rd5650tf116e7erxdbres))
> Gumroad engineer Helen Hood, who shipped Memberships, says, “it’s one of the biggest product launches of my career, and we shipped it without a single meeting or video call. I've worked at your typical startup, with an open floor plan, lots of whiteboards, standups and sprint planning, beers after work. I’ve also worked on a remote team with little communication and engineers largely siloed on their own projects. The way we work at Gumroad is ideal for me. It lets me maximize my productive hours, and clock out when I've hit my limit.” ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rdp0dd76tt3etnm1tt2tr))
> “There's not a lot of room for growth. We're staying profitable, and not planning to double the team every year. While there will likely be a few leadership roles, there aren't plenty of them and they aren't built into the career path of working at Gumroad.” ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rehxjmjhvn330ajngfwb6))
> Minimum viable culture ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rf7xpwrdvamt8a3wt3tc0))
> There are no retreats planned, and no social channels in Slack. There are limited opportunities for growth. And we can’t compete with the comp packages that big tech companies can provide. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rfcd41f1tpd6stj358a92))
> Working on Gumroad isn't a majority of anyone's identity. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rfmzagrdhv8ew2gh8ce5t))
> From 2011 to 2016, building Gumroad was my singular focus in life. But today, it is just a part of my life, like a hobby might be. For example, I paint for fun, and every once in a while, I sell a painting. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rfxs1a5htwc3hh2rkazew))
> In practice, we pay everyone hourly based on their role. The range varies from $50 (customer support) to $250 (Head of Product) an hour. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rgvk525zebyp54zyjq9vb))
> > 🌍🌎🌏 Excited to announce we've deprecated all location-based pay! Gumroad will now pay you the same salary, no matter if you live in San Francisco, Bangalore, Lagos, or anywhere else.
> >
> > — Sahil (@shl) [December 2, 2020](https://twitter.com/shl/status/1334201934702493697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rgxr57g12gp044b43a6kv))
> We also have an “anti-overtime” rate: past twenty hours a week, people can continue to work at an hourly rate of 50 percent. This allows us to have a high hourly rate for the highest leverage work and also allows people to work more per week if they wish. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rhqwmft547tvgg9x4ganx))
> There is another downside to this system: people have to track their hours. Some people solve this by billing 20 hours a week, even though they may work a bit more or a bit less. Others track it diligently, in 15-minute increments, and send a detailed invoice every week. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rj2w6fq8wzkavf63wrwav))
> This is what *working in the creator economy* should feel like. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rj9hb2kj97sph4b4ztt65))
---
Title: No Meetings, No Deadlines, No Full-Time Employees
Author: sahillavingia.com
Tags: readwise, articles
date: 2024-01-30
---
# No Meetings, No Deadlines, No Full-Time Employees
URL:: https://sahillavingia.com/work?s=09
Author:: sahillavingia.com
## AI-Generated Summary
Instead of having meetings, people “talk” to each other via GitHub, Notion, and (occasionally) Slack, expecting responses within 24 hours.
## Highlights
> If we include full-time employees, it’s none. Not even me. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rbgsj0ef8cnf932p271c5))
> We have no meetings, and no deadlines either. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rbhpvxscert3ypcww70ym))
> Today, working at Gumroad resembles working on an open source project like Rails. Except it’s neither open source, nor unpaid. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rc4yc5bamd6qzt5z4q2tk))
> Instead of having meetings, people “talk” to each other via GitHub, Notion, and (occasionally) Slack, expecting responses within 24 hours. Because there are no standups or “syncs” and some projects can involve expensive feedback loops to collaborate, working this way requires clear and thoughtful communication. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rc829d0ym9s66vkcmjhsw))
> Everyone writes well, and writes *a lot*. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rce3g4v0qkkwhbwe5r84m))
> There are no deadlines either. We ship incrementally, and launch things whenever the stuff in development is better than what’s currently in production. The occasional exception does exist, such as a tax deadline, but as a rule, I try not to tell anyone what to do or how fast to do it. When someone new joins the company, they do what everyone else does: go into our Notion queue, pick a task, and get to work, asking for clarification when needed. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rcndgdngncz2chsq8q6dm))
> Instead of setting quarterly goals or using OKRs, we move towards a single north star: maximizing how much money creators earn. It’s simple and measurable, allowing anyone in the company to do the math on how much a feature or bug-fix might be worth. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rcyec1rxn3fvjh3prfndr))
> People can work on what’s fun or rely on their intuition, because as long as we remain profitable and keep shipping, we tend to get to the important stuff eventually. Our [public roadmap](https://www.notion.so/gumroad/Roadmap-ce2ad07c483046e7941227ad7810730d) helps Gumroad's creators hold us accountable. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rd5650tf116e7erxdbres))
> Gumroad engineer Helen Hood, who shipped Memberships, says, “it’s one of the biggest product launches of my career, and we shipped it without a single meeting or video call. I've worked at your typical startup, with an open floor plan, lots of whiteboards, standups and sprint planning, beers after work. I’ve also worked on a remote team with little communication and engineers largely siloed on their own projects. The way we work at Gumroad is ideal for me. It lets me maximize my productive hours, and clock out when I've hit my limit.” ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rdp0dd76tt3etnm1tt2tr))
> “There's not a lot of room for growth. We're staying profitable, and not planning to double the team every year. While there will likely be a few leadership roles, there aren't plenty of them and they aren't built into the career path of working at Gumroad.” ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rehxjmjhvn330ajngfwb6))
> Minimum viable culture ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rf7xpwrdvamt8a3wt3tc0))
> There are no retreats planned, and no social channels in Slack. There are limited opportunities for growth. And we can’t compete with the comp packages that big tech companies can provide. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rfcd41f1tpd6stj358a92))
> Working on Gumroad isn't a majority of anyone's identity. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rfmzagrdhv8ew2gh8ce5t))
> From 2011 to 2016, building Gumroad was my singular focus in life. But today, it is just a part of my life, like a hobby might be. For example, I paint for fun, and every once in a while, I sell a painting. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rfxs1a5htwc3hh2rkazew))
> In practice, we pay everyone hourly based on their role. The range varies from $50 (customer support) to $250 (Head of Product) an hour. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rgvk525zebyp54zyjq9vb))
> > 🌍🌎🌏 Excited to announce we've deprecated all location-based pay! Gumroad will now pay you the same salary, no matter if you live in San Francisco, Bangalore, Lagos, or anywhere else.
> >
> > — Sahil (@shl) [December 2, 2020](https://twitter.com/shl/status/1334201934702493697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rgxr57g12gp044b43a6kv))
> We also have an “anti-overtime” rate: past twenty hours a week, people can continue to work at an hourly rate of 50 percent. This allows us to have a high hourly rate for the highest leverage work and also allows people to work more per week if they wish. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rhqwmft547tvgg9x4ganx))
> There is another downside to this system: people have to track their hours. Some people solve this by billing 20 hours a week, even though they may work a bit more or a bit less. Others track it diligently, in 15-minute increments, and send a detailed invoice every week. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rj2w6fq8wzkavf63wrwav))
> This is what *working in the creator economy* should feel like. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fe9rj9hb2kj97sph4b4ztt65))