Like coming home
At the end of my first week with LaunchDarkly, not one but two teammates separately remarked that it felt like I had been with LaunchDarkly for a year now. In a way, that was true since I had been a customer and internal champion for at least that long. But I had only just arrived last Monday to find a shiny new laptop and desk with my very own LaunchDarkly t-shirt. On the previous Friday, I received notes from Edith and John about how excited they were for me to start. I had never felt so welcomed on my first day at a new job as I did here!
The team is still small enough that I met the entire company in a couple minutes and felt like I clicked with everyone instantly. I can tell everyone is seasoned and fully engaged in the company, wearing at least two hats at all times — yet we also find plenty of occasions to laugh. I know I'll need to step up my comedy game to keep pace. Like a family, we have lunch together every day and share what's going on in our lives, but unlike a family, there's no drama and dysfunction.
Our space at Heavybit is great — lots of natural light, a cozy feel on even a cool winter morning, and plenty of warm woodwork. The quirky yet stylish decor makes me feel at home, even though I come here to work. I also love that there's a communal feel to the space, a community among startups.
ABC: Always Be Coding
My first week included a tremendous amount of pairing to get my development environment up and running, but by the end of the week, I also managed to fix a few bugs, review some code, and deploy to production. They even let me get my feet wet with a few support tickets! I love how fiercely agile the team and all our processes are. We're using new tools and services I've never even heard of before. If it might possibly help us, we try it. I'm looking forward to shipping new features in LaunchDarkly and exploring how these third-party services can help us move even faster.
Right time, right place
I joined LaunchDarkly as employee #12, the fourth new hire in about a month. For me it's an exciting time to be here, having an opportunity to help shape our values and culture and witness the realization of our future home. This rocket ship is about to lift off, and I'm psyched to be aboard for the ride.
