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Culture Matters

Yesterday morning, my software engineering team and I learned that we would be moving into subleased office space on the fourth floor. In the afternoon, with little fanfare and only one cardboard box among us, we moved all our stuff down two floors. In full disclosure, I did offer to buy some at Staples across the street, but nobody really felt it necessary. I think our move exemplifies the kind of culture I want to build as we grow the engineering team: unfussy, collaborative, empowered, pragmatic.

The job market for software engineers in NYC is booming, so it is surprising to many candidates how much we care about team culture. We've declined to make an offer based on culture more here than anywhere else that I've conducted engineering interviews for.

There's certainly a "no assholes" rule around here, but our considerations go deeper than that. Ultimately, we want to hire people aligned with our company's values:
  • Entrepreneurial thinking and action
  • Doing things the right way
  • Teams providing great customer service
  • Decisions driven by data
There are times I wonder why we care so much about this culture stuff, when we have so much work to get done and so few people doing it now. But then we have a day where the team pulls together, like yesterday, and I'm reminded that it's so good to work with a team that has a great culture.

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Comments

  1. deanAugust 12, 2026 at 5:50 AM

    The article gives an interesting look at how a software engineering team can build a strong workplace culture through simple, practical actions. The story of moving offices with almost no equipment reflects the author's preference for an unfussy, collaborative, empowered, and pragmatic environment. It also shows that team culture can be an important consideration when hiring software engineers.

    The emphasis on entrepreneurial thinking, doing things the right way, and taking responsibility for customer service highlights the importance of combining technical ability with professional attitudes. Developing strong programming foundations can support engineers in contributing effectively to collaborative teams, making a Python Programming Course a relevant learning direction.

    ReplyDelete
  2. deanAugust 12, 2026 at 5:51 AM

    The article also stresses that decisions should be driven by data rather than assumptions. This mindset can influence how engineering teams approach development, testing, problem-solving, and product decisions. Building practical programming skills while learning to work systematically can be supported through Python Programming Training.

    ReplyDelete
  3. deanAugust 12, 2026 at 5:51 AM

    For students and aspiring engineers, the combination of technical skills, teamwork, customer focus, pragmatic decision-making, and entrepreneurial thinking provides a useful model for approaching software development projects. These qualities are especially valuable when students move from learning concepts to implementing substantial applications through a Major Project for CSE Final Year.

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