How We Work

How We Work

Last Updated: January 09, 2026

Connection is at the heart of what we’re building. We want to make it easier for people to find each other, to help each other, and to feel like they belong.

Our way of working should mirror that same spirit: collaborative, supportive, and open. If the product is about connection, our process should feel like connection too.

Here are some guiding principles that shape how we work:

Bias toward action. Principles driven, not bureaucratic: Enough structure to function and stay aligned, but not so much that it slows us down. Heavy processes kill startup speed.

User-centered: Feedback loops and experiments are our compass for what to build and how to improve.

Transparent: Ideas and insights flow openly, and no single person or group is the bottleneck.

Support functions as enablers: Dev, Product, UX, Marketing, Operations, Customer Success exist to help us succeed, not to create red tape.

Rhythm: We keep a regular cadence of short weekly check-ins and async updates in Discord, so everyone knows what’s happening without heavy meetings.

Lightweight tracking: We make progress visible with clear boards or channels, enough to orient ourselves, not another tool that becomes a burden.

Collaborative online working sessions: Alongside updates, we host occasional online collaborative sessions to work live together on operational challenges, not just talk about them. This isn’t about product feature decisions, it’s about supporting the functions that keep everything moving.

Product Engineer role: Instead of a traditional setup where Product Management and UX are separate, vibe coding supports a Product Engineer role. This blends coding with product and user empathy. Product thinking and UX become distributed functions shared across Product Engineers, Marketing, Customer Success, and the community, rather than concentrated in a single person.

The goal is for all to be closer to the user, avoids silos.

Make space or new people, but new people let things move.

Space for Mistakes: Allow room for failure and learning, avoid over-optimization that prevents experimentation.

Communication

• Cross-Team Communication: All verticals (dev, design, marketing) should keep each other informed
  • All meetings are in the Open (Join, listen, but don't interrupt flow) - See (How we run Meetings)
  • Regular design thinking workshops, wireframe walkthroughs across teams

What are specific things that are different from a traditional company:

New people joining:

volume of voice is earned with participation

If you're new, no matter how much experience you bring, before pushign ideas for how we work and tols we use, seek clarity on HOW we do things right now, if it's not clear, help define, but if there are tools, before pushing for familiarity understand why we use them. sometimes sticking with things makes sense. sometimes now. if noone owns the page on our handbook for what you're proposing it, make a draft. Action wins.

Conflicts and Decisions:

• "Yes, And" Approach: Build on ideas instead of immediately contradicting them.
• Ruthlessly criticise the Ideas, not the person. Be thankful for the criticism you receive, your competiors and unsatisfied users will just chose not to use your product!
• Disagree and Commit
• When 2 people disagree, ask each other : on a scale from 1 to 10 how important is this matter to you?
• Most decisions can be reversed, so don't spend time on matters of principle opf opinions, use the Experimentation Framework to test them.
• Every decision has a single owner, who is ultimately respinsible for the consequences of that decision.

Tracking Ideas, Experiments, and Decisions:

We keep track of our experimetns and Decisions to prevent circular discussions. See How we track Ideas/Decisions )

What have you worked on? (Stuff Done)

Every day that we work, we use the #Stuff-Done channel to answer “What have you worked on?”. You answer these asynchronously, whenever you want, with the style and level of detail you prefer, and everyone in the company can read everyone else’s answers. You can start the day sharing your plan/goals, but focus on sharing what you achieved. The oly mesure thart matters is progress, not intention.

It's not about showing off, it's about everyone having a feel for who is workign on what. Don't boast or take cretit beyond what's real, but do claim your accomplisments so we can celebrate them!

Decisions Have Owners

We have a flat structure, people grow into roles our of necessity, but all critical decisions have clear owners, and it is only just one person. We document decision taken and who took responsibility for the decision in Plane/Experiments.

Apple coined the term “Directly Responsible Individual” (DRI) to refer to the one person with whom the buck stops on any given project. The idea is that every project is assigned a Drectly Responsible Individual who is ultimately held accountable for the success (or failure) of that project.

The Directly Responsible Individual will likely not be the only person working on the project, but it’s “up to that person to get it done or find the resources needed.”

The role of the DRI is to listen to all feedback and then take the responsibility for the decision alone. Read more on DRI here

• Roles are temporary People step in with “I can help,” not “That’s not my job.” Roles emerge and dissolve as needed.

Anyone can Help

Fulfillment comes when people tap into their creative spark, and sometimes the best product idea comes not from the designer, but the accountant, if they’re given space to contribute.

Learnign to make space for anyone to contribute without feelign threatened is important.

The best case as a Directly Responsible Individual is that someone better than you helps you accomplish it faster and better. Make space for those who can help, recognise their contribution without feeling threatened, But take responsibility for decision.

Leadership is earned. Anyone who takes helps steer the ship in critical moments can rise by helpong realise our mission in a way that empowers all who can help. The best leaders are the ones who don't care or being a leader but need to out of necessity. Competence and Empathy matter in equal part.

People are supported in finding their purpose.

Making space for personal growth is part of the culture.

What if work wasn’t something to escape from, but became part of the life someone loves, because they can see clearly how it’s moving them toward their dreams?

How is helping Meetball helping you realise your Ikigai? We have coaches in the team who's focus is helping people find they Why and help is align your Why with our Mission. That's how we all walk toward a shared goal, aware of how it helps our individual aspirations.

work in progress, I'll add from other notes: Open Meetings etc..