Matter Labs is an extraordinary team building extraordinary technology for an extraordinary mission. We are the best in the world at what we’re doing. It’s not bragging, but a mere observation of the survivor selection: like all scalable businesses, software has a winner-takes-all dynamic. If we stop being the best in the world, the company will eventually become irrelevant and die.
*“Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive”
– Andy Grove, CEO of Intel.*
One key idea that helped us to get where we are is the anti-mediocrity mindset: if your response to a person, idea, or a result is not a “hell yes”, it automatically means “no” – nothing in-between.
Here is how we apply it in our decision making.
Being the best in the world requires an exceptionally high density of talent.
To hire top talent, we look for 2 things: smart and gets things done.
Signs of smart: creativity, curiosity, clarity of thought. Signs of doers: high energy, passion, cool things they’re proud of.
If you don’t feel like “hell yes” for a candidate on both dimensions — it automatically means a “no hire”.
After the probation period and at bi-annual performance reviews, managers conduct a “keeper test”: If, knowing what you know now, you would not hire this person with a “hell yes” again — you can’t retain them. You must give straight feedback to the employee and either let them go right away, or work together to eliminate blockers and help them get back to “hell yes” within 60 days.
Top talent has endless opportunities. The best people usually want to work on where they can maximize their impact on the world.
Matching this, our philosophy is:
Everything we decide to work on, we must be able to create a “hell yes” outcome for our customers (both external and internal). If we can’t make it a “hell yes”, we must either improve, scrap it and pivot, or outsource.
A “hell yes” product is the one users love. It's better to have 100 customers that love you, than a million customers that just sort of like you. If you have 100 people that absolutely love your product, they'll tell 100 people, and then they'll tell 100 people, or even 10 people. Soon enough, your product will turn into a movement. Almost all movements in history have grown this way. You start with deeply passionate followers and they grow it. They're customer advocates.
It isn’t enough to build something that is functional. Good enough isn’t good enough. Users should feel delight and surprise. Packaging matters. Aesthetics matter. Easter eggs matter. Take the time to add polishing touches. Users should feel as though it was built by someone who really really cares.