A Boss-Less Corporate Culture

September 10, 2012 in Daily Bulletin

Gamers know Valve as the maker of ground-breaking titles such as Half-Life 2, as well as distribution channel that lets you buy games online. Behind the success of the company is a unique corporate culture writes Nick Wingfield:

  • Valve considers itself to be a ‘boss-less’ company. New employees are told that nobody reports to anybody else.
  • Instead most employees’ desks are on wheels and they are encouraged to find a project that they’re interested in, and then push their desk over to that group.
  • Many of its employees have eccentric qualities. One likes to spray-paint graffiti in his free time; another is leading an initiative to use Valve’s games to teach students physics.
  • The company is privately held and its CEO refuses to entertain the idea of bringing in external investors. Experts suggest that Valve is worth $2.5 billion.

Read more about some of the projects the company is working on, and the challenges it faces over here.

Source: The New York Times