20VC: Gitlab CEO Sid Sijbrandij on Why You Are Not Allowed to Present in Meetings at Gitlab, Why it is a Pipedream We Will Go Back to Offices and What is the Future of Work & CEO Coaches; What Makes The Best, When To Have Them and When To Change Them
Sid Sijbrandij, Co-founder and CEO of GitLab, shares insights on leading a successful remote-first company. He debunks the notion that everyone will return to the office, emphasizing key strategies for effective remote work. Sid also explores the evolution of his leadership style, the value of CEO coaching, and the importance of written communication in organizations. He discusses GitLab's unique meeting culture and highlights common pitfalls that companies face during the transition to remote work.
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GitLab's Founding
Sid Sijbrandij saw GitLab's potential as an open-source project with 300 contributors in its first year.
He co-founded GitLab, believing it deserved full-time development, leading to its current 1500+ employee count.
insights INSIGHT
Remote Work Origins
GitLab's remote work approach started organically with early hires in different countries.
Remote work scales better than co-located work for larger companies, claims Sid.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Informal Communication
Facilitate informal communication in remote teams through activities like coffee chats.
Normalize informal interactions by scheduling casual meetings without strict agendas.
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High Output Management is a seminal book by Andrew S. Grove that outlines his management and productivity concepts developed during his tenure at Intel. The book introduces the 'management by objectives' approach, also known as the objectives and key results (OKR) framework. It covers techniques for creating highly productive teams, methods of motivation, and the importance of measurable processes, performance reviews, and training. Grove emphasizes the role of managers in leading and motivating teams, and his book is praised for its practical advice and timeless relevance in various professions and industries.
Sid Sijbrandij is the Co-founder & CEO @ GitLab. GitLab’s single application helps organizations deliver software faster and more efficiently while strengthening their security and compliance. Prior to their IPO last year, Sid raised funding from some of the best including ICONIQ, GV, Tiger, Coatue and D1 to name a few. Under his leadership, the company has grown to over 1,500 employees and over 30 million registered users. If that was not enough, Sid is also an active angel and sits on the board of Meltano, a spinout of Gitlab that allows you to manage all the data tools in your stack.
In Today’s Episode with Sid Sijbrandij You Will Learn:
1.) The Founding of Gitlab:
How did Sid make his way into the world of tech and startups?
What was it about Gitlab as a project that excited Sid so much from Day 1?
How did Sid convince his co-founder to turn Gitlab from a project into a company?
2.) The Future of Work:
Why does Sid believe it is a fallacy that everyone will go back to the office?
What are the 1-2 most important things for companies to do when moving to a remote work environment? Where does Sid see many make mistakes?
What have Gitlab done to create a remote working environment so successfully? What have they tried that has not worked?
What stage of company building does remote work best for? When is it most challenging?
3.) Sid: The Leader
How has Sid changed and evolved as a leader over the Gitlab journey?
How does Sid look to get as much feedback as possible on his leadership?
How does Sid create an environment of safety where everyone feels they can provide feedback?
How does Sid work with his CEO coach? Should every CEO have one? What should one look for in them? How do you know when you need to change your CEO coach?
4.) Sid: The Board Member:
What have been Sid's biggest lessons on what makes successful board management?
In prep for the meeting, what materials does Sid provide? When does he send them? Does he present to the board? What mistakes do founders make in boards?
From being on the other side as a board member, what does Sid believe the best members do?
What would Sid most like to change about board meetings today?
Item’s Mentioned In Today’s Episode with Sid Sijbrandij
The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch 