I agree. The whole paragraph, in fact, is the best description of that thing I've ever read.
There are more than a few things in here which, if true, turn common ideas about management on their head (or rather just shoot them in the head). What's exciting is that they reflect how work actually gets done. Shouldn't that be our organizing principle?
I think what makes startups so effective is that they naturally work this way at first. But then, typically, bad ideas about how one is supposed to "manage" and "scale" kick in and stifle the thing. This document is interesting as a conscious strategy for not being stifled. Valve's success lends it credibility, and the fact that Valve is not a startup makes it more interesting, not less, because it's so unusual.
There are more than a few things in here which, if true, turn common ideas about management on their head (or rather just shoot them in the head). What's exciting is that they reflect how work actually gets done. Shouldn't that be our organizing principle?
I think what makes startups so effective is that they naturally work this way at first. But then, typically, bad ideas about how one is supposed to "manage" and "scale" kick in and stifle the thing. This document is interesting as a conscious strategy for not being stifled. Valve's success lends it credibility, and the fact that Valve is not a startup makes it more interesting, not less, because it's so unusual.