In a remote-first world, it can be difficult to find human connection. That’s why the executive team at Mimic had an idea: bring the team together once a quarter. These quarterly gatherings are designed to bridge the distance between distributed team members and foster the kind of organic collaboration that usually only happens in person.
Every quarter, Team Mimic gathers at the company office, for three full days of deep collaboration. These sessions provide a dedicated space to work through any and all challenges the team faces, from refining the roadmap to finalizing critical release and validation processes. By stepping away from daily remote tasks, the team can focus on complex problem-solving and strategic alignment.
The on-sites are not just about work; they are about building community. The schedule often includes team-wide activities, such as Thanksgiving-style dinners or evening social events that allow for informal conversations and deeper personal connections. While the sessions are productive, the most valuable part for many is the opportunity to meet and bond with coworkers they usually only see through a screen.
At Mimic, we respect autonomy and hold everyone accountable to get their work done on time. But we measure success based on what we ship and not time spent in a chair. We trust our colleagues to put in the time and effort needed to build strong, effective products. And it’s that trust we build behind the screen that makes it so special when we’re able to be together outside the digital world.
Our culture fosters the following values:
The "Known Good" Mindset
We apply our product philosophy to our culture. Our engineers don’t just "fix bugs"; we define and enforce the Known Good state of our organization.
- Immutable Standards: We prioritize deterministic outcomes over "clever" workarounds.
- Security by Design: Every feature begins with a threat model. We don't bolt security on at the end; we build it into the foundation.
Radical Transparency & Documentation
If we don’t write it down, it doesn't exist.
- Context over Control: We document the what and the why behind what we build so that anyone can understand the context of a choice made six months ago.
- Open Concept: We solicit feedback early. We value input from the team to ensure our collective intelligence is reflected in our systems.
Direct Communication
We are a high-trust, low-ego team.
- Candor over Comfort: We provide direct, kind, and actionable feedback in meetings.
- Asynchronous First: We protect "Deep Work" time, but encourage collaboration through Slack and Jira online and face-to-face during our time together offline.
Ownership Mentality
We don't say "that's not my job."
- See a Hole, Fill a Hole: If we see a process that’s broken or a customer need that’s unmet, we each have the permission (and the responsibility) to flag it or fix it.
- Outcome over Hours: We care about the impact each one of us makes, not the time we spend in our chairs.
At Mimic, we value people as much as we value product and production. Our team is the core of our organization. That’s why we invest so much in them. Our time together is sacred to us and something we look forward to every quarter.
