(Archived) Interview with Phil Libin, CEO in NYT

[heather 604]

Among other things, he explains why we don't offer phone support

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/08/business/phil-libin-of-evernote-on-its-unusual-corporate-culture.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

[spg SCOTT 736]

Very interesting, thanks for posting

I like that everyone is encouraged to actually communicate in person, and that everyone is encouraged to understand what the other departments do. That seems like quite a forward thinking idea, especially in a time where communication is less and less in person.

It’s got a laser pointer, so you can shoot lasers, which is just good design. You shouldn’t build a robot without a laser.

Agreed. Lasers are essential, though I am a physics student, so maybe I am a little biased.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

Heather, thanks for sharing this interview. It provides a lot of insight into your corporate culture, which is quite unique I believe.

[jefito 5,589]

Cool article. Evernoted. Phil, you can have my phone (my personal belief is that phones are tyrannical devices, particularly at work). I should also note that both the Chrome clipper and Clearly nailed the article selection...

[bsachais 3]

I've been using EN for around 10 days and find it incredibly useful. It is a very impressive program. Then today, while reading The Times, I saw and read the interview with Phil Libin. Now I'm equally impressed with what appears to be a very enlightened corporate philosophy.

[jefito 5,589]

The problem that I have with discarding email and those convoluted email discussions is that -- as opposed to face-to-face communications -- the results can be captured and turned into useful documents (requirements, documentation, etc.). With conversations (and those are encouraged here where I work, too, though not mandated), each interaction is a potential piece of the puzzle, but also a personal possibility of misremembering exactly what was said or agreed upon.

The other thing about required face-to-face communication is one of convenience. If uninterrupted time to work on things is still important when you're a developer (I'm slanting towards what I do; could apply to anyone), then how do you carve out that time if the policy is to have someone come talk to you when they need to, no matter what you're doing (there's no office door for you to close)? One benefit of email is that I can respond to it when it's convenient for me; if someone really really needs me, then they can come and interrupt me.

[peterfmartin 221]

Jeff, maybe you should do all your communication in front of a 70-inch TV that records both what you say and how you say it, capturing more than email ever can. If you're in a small room, use a robot. This represents my face right now:

[heather 604]

Well, one other policy/perk we have that Phil didn't mention is "everyone gets a nice set of headphones." So, whenever you're in HQ (and though not everyone in the company is at HQ, there are often rotations in) on the open floor, and you're working away, to keep it from becoming too distracting from all the "communication" going on around you, you can just slip on your headphones and put on some music, a podcast, whatever works. Desks are also set up in pods, without the "wall" of a cubicle, so you're generally with other members on your team, and you can wave at them to remove their headphones if you need something.

We also, being global, do a lot of Skype/IM conversations (and often an IM chat can be turned into a Skype face-to-face if someone's not getting their point across - there's that whole tone-thing) - the key though is we want the conversations to happen in real-time, so we can nip stuff in the bud right away and get back working as efficiently as possible.

[jefito 5,589]

We went from having offices to open plan pods of 3 cubicles a couple of years ago (in that quaint Maine way, we refer to them as "three-holers", meaning of course, a cluster of outhouses) . For me, decidedly a mixed policy. I tried the headphone thing, but just don't feel comfortable with them on all the time, plus, just seeing motion out of the corner of my eye can be distracting. I do understand the intent, but some days it works, and some days it's hellish. Real-time is great, except when it ain't.

I guess the question in my mind remains -- how is one-one conversation captured so that it can be persisted in useful ways? Sometimes, a quick word is great: "yeah, got it", bang, and it's coded, no need to make a big deal, but sometimes that quick word has deeper implications -- does one person say, "OK, I'll take this over to Pat, they need to know this", or "Yeah, I need to add this the requirements doc, I'll let you know when that's done so you can make sure I captured everything we talked about" or "we need a ticket for that, I'll go ahead and make one". Hard for me to guess, because the article gave just a little peephole (small robot-size?) into the corporate culture.

[heather 604]

Have you heard about this thing called Evernote? I hear they've got this cool integration with Livescribe, and that they've got this neat speech-to-text thing for their audio notes...

[peterfmartin 221]

Sorry for my ignorance: How do I enable/access speech-to-text conversion?

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

Have you heard about this thing called Evernote? I hear they've got this cool integration with Livescribe, and that they've got this neat speech-to-text thing for their audio notes...

So, does Evernote use the Evernote app to manage requirements and bugs, or do you use other software for that purpose?

[jefito 5,589]

Never really looked into LiveScribe seriously, though I did glance at them in a Best Buy around Christmas time. Reminded me of the fat crayons I had when I was in kindergarten. Do I need to be "that guy" who goes around telling people to speak into my pen? Is it going to recognize my ***** handwriting? Is it going to be just another thing that I have left somewhere other that where I am, like the reading glasses I now need?

Seriously, my use of Evernote is pretty primitive by comparison with some of the other users, which is fine (since Evernote works well for what I do), except that I'm feeling pretty old right about now...

[heather 604]

Sorry for my ignorance: How do I enable/access speech-to-text conversion?

It's an Android-only feature at this time. If you've got an Android, make sure you're on the latest version and create a new audio note and you'll have the option.

So, does Evernote use the Evernote app to manage requirements and bugs, or do you use other software for that purpose?

We use Evernote for keeping project notes, but like a lot of corporations we use dedicated tracking software for Project/Bug management. And, of course, there's the ubiquitous Google Docs.

Do I need to be "that guy" who goes around telling people to speak into my pen? Is it going to recognize my ***** handwriting? Is it going to be just another thing that I have left somewhere other that where I am, like the reading glasses I now need?

It's pretty good at picking up conversations at relatively close range without you needing to have people direct toward it. And Evernote recognizes your handwriting, it doesn't As for leaving it somewhere - if you keep it in the binder, it's not hard to keep track of.