axiom-how-we-approach-work

How We Approach Work

Three pillars define our culture: Autonomy, Intentionality, and Rationality.

Autonomy

We are a low-process culture. People and agents closest to the work make decisions.

Drive your work forward. Pull in help as needed. Ask forgiveness, not permission.

We provide context around problems and give freedom to solve them. Process (checks and approvals) is avoided, especially for creative work.

Tradeoffs we accept:

• Some chaos (worth it for speed and diversity)
• Decision-makers may leave others feeling uninvolved
• Mistakes happen (our bets are asymmetric: high upside, low downside)

References:

• No Rules Rules - Reed Hastings
• Ask Forgiveness, Not Permission - AngelList
• One-Person Startups - AngelList

Intentionality

We approach work with thought and care. Every substantive output has documentation: the problem, options considered, and why we chose this approach.

Documentation-first ensures better outcomes. Investing time upfront enables us to move fast long-term.

Peer review accelerates growth. Explaining your reasoning, and learning from others who do the same, is how we develop.

Rationality

We decide with humility and reasoning. When uncertain or in disagreement, we use logic and data.

Behave as scientists: be open to being wrong, update when evidence demands it. This is the Scout Mindset.

The result: disagreements resolve through shared data. Ideas are evaluated on their merits, not their source.

Reference:

• The Scout Mindset - Julia Galef