A Short Missive on Culture

I wrote this short note on culture a while back for the MarkLogic website, but since it wasn’t  terribly “poppy copy,” the marketing and recruiting folks buried it behind this, relegating me here.  I’m OK with that because I think their copy sells better, but I do believe that my note better describes MarkLogic culture.

So to try and get the “legit” culture memo a bit more visibility, I thought I’d post it here.

MarkLogic culture can be derived from one statement — create a place where smart people want to work. To do that, we want:

• More smart people. This, more than any other thing, keeps the workplace stimulating and fun.

• Diversity of opinion. We want people who speak their minds, and believe in balancing debate with action.

• First-among-equals management. We view hierarchy as a necessary evil. Reason should be the primary basis for corporate decision-making.

• Pragmatism. We want practical people who can solve problems.

• Transparency. We value straightforward people and provide an unparalleled degree of corporate transparency in return.

Part of our culture is what we’re not. Unlike some Silicon Valley companies, MarkLogic culture places a high value on professionalism.

• We are not a “bring your dog to work” kind of company. There’s no foosball, ping-pong, or masseuses. We enjoy coming to work because we enjoy the work itself and the people with whom we do it.

• We are not a “we do everything together” kind of company. While we do enjoy spending time together, we believe that work life and personal life are two different things, and we want you to be able to have both.

I hope you like it.