What's the Company Culture Like at GitLab?

I work with genuine people that all work hard, want to succeed and have those around them succeed as well. In a fully remote organization, I believe that the people who thrive at GitLab need to also be success-driven, self-accountable and collaborative by nature.

Collaboration is one of GitLab’s core values, and product managers have the opportunity to work cross-functionally with teams across the entire company. For me, this has always been one of the best parts of the role. My product management teammates and I have a strong influence on defining the goals for each milestone, the overall customer experience, and helping orchestrate the internal teams to deliver.

One of our values centers on iteration, which contributes to our belief that not everything is going to be perfect — and that’s OK. We have the ability to fail forward, and we can shed the feeling of needing to be perfect. We all have the opportunity to contribute, even if we don’t get it right or make a mistake. In that process, you learn.

The company truly lives its values, and you can feel that in every interaction. The transparency, collaboration and ‘everyone can contribute’ mindset creates an environment where you can thrive, both personally and professionally.

What are some of the growth opportunities available to you and your colleagues? 

GitLab has provided me with a wealth of growth opportunities. During my time at GitLab, my path to promotion has been consistently encouraged, celebrated and supported. I joined as an intermediate support engineer and have since been promoted to senior support engineer and then staff support engineer. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to explore an interim support engineer manager role. 

Team members collaborate on promotions because we believe in seeing each other succeed. I enjoyed the opportunity to deliver a talk that helps to highlight the excellence and expertise of the GitLab Support team across the industry. Hackathons and opportunities to contribute meaningfully at GitLab abound.
 

How does a focus on growth boost morale? 

My growth is tied to the company’s growth. I can help to influence GitLab’s success, and that makes me feel excited and empowered. I am making a difference! 

Opportunities for growth mean that I can find the right way for me to contribute to the team. Focusing on growth means that team members can grow within GitLab and influence the organization from many different perspectives. The increase in retention that follows contributes to positive morale and helps to spread ideas across the company and promotes strong bonds between team members.

From an employee perspective, what advice would you give to employers interested in bolstering their growth opportunities? Recognize that team members are unique: get to know their individual strengths and give them opportunities that let them grow into better engineers and leaders. One of the most rewarding things about my four years at GitLab is how I have been able to tackle big problems that are the right size of challenge for me. A challenge that’s the right size should feel a little bit scary. 

I appreciate how much leadership believes in me and that’s led to me doing some of the very best work of my professional career right here, right now — at GitLab. Trust your team to do the right thing. Empower them to solve the right problems and make sure they are set up for success.

iteration is very hard it's the hardest value at GitLab. I still do iteration office hours where people at the company say look I have this i want to iterate more i just don't know how to divvy it up and we talk about that.

What stuck out to you the most about GitLab’s culture during the hiring process, and what was it specifically that convinced you to join?

The thing I love the most about GitLab’s culture is that everyone is very friendly and loves to see each other succeed. I’ve been experiencing this firsthand, from the very first interview all the way until today. This creates an environment where you genuinely love your work and put in your full effort every day for the best interests of the company. From coffee chats to team meetings, everyone is always happy to look out for you if you need help and push you forward to do your best.

How does the company culture encourage peers to connect with each other either virtually, in person or both?

One of the downsides of having a remote job is meeting fewer people in person. GitLab has a good foundation in place so that employees don’t feel like they’re missing out on a lot of fun. Coffee chats are one of the best ways to meet new people and share your interests. Weekly social calls are always fun. GitLab encourages employees to meet through co-working spaces to connect with fellow local engineers, which is another thing that I’m looking forward to. I got to join GitLab’s casual October chess tournament just after I joined GitLab and met a lot of engineers with common interests. There’s a lot more happening every day than you might expect, and you are always welcome to join. You feel like you’re at home.

What opportunities are available for employees to level up their careers?

Conferences are a great place to meet people with similar interests and start conversations and technical debates. I enjoy attending conferences and have been doing it since college. GitLab encourages all employees to attend conferences. In fact, GitLab has promised to provide up to $10,000 as a growth and development fund each year for employees to upskill by attending conferences, obtaining new certifications or taking courses. GitLab is a great place for career growth. Even though I’ve only been with the company for two months, I can see my colleagues stepping up to be acting engineering managers, shadowing interviews to step up to that role and much more. There are a lot of doors to explore when you love to do the right thing.