We care about being right and it often takes reasoning from first principles to get there.
Many behaviors are blindly copied and repeated far beyond their useful lives. We make a habit of trying to tease out the best version of an opposing argument. When criticized, we try to seek the truth in the accusation rather than activating our defensive shields. We invite people who many of us disagree with to come speak at Stripe and we welcome views that don’t obviously mesh with our own.
Rigor doesn’t mean not-invented-here syndrome. We’re interested in the world around us and think that other companies, industries, and academic fields have much to teach us. We actively hunt in other fields for inspiration and ideas that challenge our assumptions and that we could learn from.
Thinking rigorously has many natural applications to our daily work. For example, we think the traditional way that candidates are interviewed in the technology industry is suboptimal. We’ve invested significant effort in fixing it, by introducing work-sample tests, dispensing with whiteboard programming, de-emphasizing credentials, and actively working to combat unconscious bias, among other changes. But that doesn’t mean we’re satisfied with our current process either. We suspect that there are a lot of significant improvements still to be made.
Part of being rigorous is being judicious. Stripes have measured reactions to things. We engage in testing and strenuous discussions with colleagues — but we don’t yell.
QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK YOURSELF
When is the last time you changed your mind on a fundamental opinion you had? Do you do that frequently?
Stripe deals with high variance situations on a day-to-day basis but are thoughtful and measured in response. Is that what you’re looking for?