The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source

Creating GitLab’s remote playbook (Interview)

Jun 9, 2020

Darren Murph, Head of Remote at GitLab, shares his insights from leading the world's largest all-remote company with over 1,200 employees in 67 countries. He discusses the evolution of work, emphasizing work-life harmony and the need for flexibility in productivity. Darren also dives into GitLab’s innovative remote playbook, outlining its principles of transparency and collaboration. He reflects on the transformative power of remote work and offers strategies for fostering strong, empathetic work cultures in a fully remote environment.

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ANECDOTE

Early Remote Work

Darren Murph's remote work journey began at Engadget, where he filed stories from cabs and airplanes.
This experience highlighted the freedom and flexibility of remote work, allowing him to travel and explore.

INSIGHT

Work-Life Harmony

Work-life balance is an elusive utopia; aim for work-life harmony instead.
Remote work allows for a fluid integration of work and personal life, maximizing life's experiences beyond weekends.

ANECDOTE

World Record

Darren Murph earned a Guinness World Record for publishing an article every two hours for four years straight.
He attributes this achievement partly to remote work, which eliminated commute time and increased productivity.

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We’re talking about all things all-remote with Darren Murph, Head of Remote at GitLab. Darren is tasked with putting intentional thought and action into place to lead the largest all-remote company in the world. Yes, GitLab is 100% all-remote, as in, no offices…and they employee more than 1,200 people across 67 countries. They’ve been iterating and documenting how to work remotely for years. We cover Darren’s personal story on remote work while he served as managing editor at Engadget, his thoughts on how “work” is evolving and ways to reframe and rethink about when you work, this idea of work life harmony, and the backstory and details of the playbook GitLab released free of charge to the world.

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Featuring:

Darren Murph – X
Adam Stacoviak – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X
Jerod Santo – GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X

Show Notes:

GitLab’s Remote Playbook
GitLab Values - “No ego” is among the values detailed on this page
GitLab’s team handbook
Our long-term vision for remote work
Family and friends first, work second
Encouraging a culture of written communication

Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!