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RubyConf AU 2014: http://www.rubyconf.org.au

Too many startups do this thing where they build their reputation with all these great technical blog posts and fascinating public talks, and then they become a Real Company and suddenly decide they're too cool to be open and transparent. Maybe the lawyers get to them, or maybe all the cool ninja rockstars become managers.
In any case, I think that's stupid. I don't want GitHub to be one of those companies. I think the scaling problems we face — both technical and human — as we near five million users and 250 employees are super interesting to talk about and learn from.
A lot of my talks like How GitHub Uses GitHub to Build GitHub and posts like How GitHub Works are nifty, but they represent a snapshot of the company when we were 30-75 employees. We're 217 today, and things inevitably changed to grow the company to that scale.
This talk is a retrospective: it takes a closer look at specific things that we've said over the last few years, and then details the adjustments that were made as we've grown.

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In his talk at RubyConf AU 2014, Zach Holman discusses the evolution of GitHub as the company transitions from a startup to a larger organization. He highlights the importance of maintaining transparency and communication throughout this growth, emphasizing that many startups lose their openness once they scale. Holman shares insights on several core themes regarding company culture and operational practices as GitHub grows from 30-75 employees to over 240. Key points include:

- **Startup Culture vs. Established Company**: Holman critiques the trend of successful startups becoming less transparent as they grow and urges GitHub to maintain its openness.

- **Dunbar's Number**: This concept is presented to illustrate the limitations of interpersonal relationships within a growing organization and the need to shift towards structured communication.

- **Operational Changes**: Holman outlines how GitHub's deployment processes and communication strategies have evolved, focusing on asynchronous communication and remote work due to a high percentage of remote employees.

- **Remote Work Adaptations**: GitHub's 60% remote workforce necessitates unique communication methods that do not rely heavily on synchronous interactions.

- **Buddy System and Induction**: An emphasis on onboarding and longer-term buddy relationships is discussed to help acclimate new hires to the company culture and processes, contrasting previous methods.

- **Feedback and Team Dynamics**: Holman highlights the importance of regular feedback and maintaining a supportive environment, especially to combat imposter syndrome among remote workers.

- **Team-focused Shipping**: The strategy for rolling out new features has shifted from individual staff shipping to team-focused shipping to improve focus and collaboration.

- **Technology and Product Focus**: The talk concludes with a focus on using tried-and-true technologies, resisting the temptation to adopt trendy solutions for the sake of modernity and emphasizing that product design should be prioritized over technology choices.

Overall, Holman's insights serve as a reflection on the changes GitHub underwent amidst rapid growth, and he underlines the significance of retaining core values and communication methods as the company scales.

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