What I Miss About Working at Stripe

Hello, Every readers!

When writer and researcher Brie Wolfson thinks back on her time working at Stripe, the thing that stands out to her is that people really cared about the work. Cared enough to do multiple passes on a piece of copy that wasn't working, or pull long nights sprinting toward a launch. Cared so much that they knew pieces of company documentation by heart, and that nobody wanted to be the first person to leave the office, even on Friday.

It's the kind of culture that Silicon Valley was once known for—a culture that, Brie argues, seems to have fallen by the wayside. There are reasons for that, of course—the current state of the world is making it challenging to give 110% to anything, let alone work. But Brie can't help feeling that something vital is being lost: a way of working that is, yes, extremely challenging—but also deeply meaningful for everyone involved.

Enjoyed this piece? Pair it with Sam Gerstenzang's Operating Well: What I Learned at Stripe for another perspective.

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In my first five years out of college, I worked at five different companies. The allure of Silicon Valley pulled me in, but after a handful of pretty meh jobs, I was starting to wonder what all the fuss was about.