Passionfroot

JP

We have different values, but one of the key ones is maintaining a growth mindset. Especially in the early startup phase, it’s important to give each other feedback and grow, not just as a company or team, but also as individuals. It’s crucial to continuously evolve, improve, and take a step back to assess our processes.

LN

I love that it’s very welcoming to different opinions. If you truly want to achieve something and excel beyond others, you can’t be afraid to express your thoughts. It’s important to know that you have a team that will pick up on what you say when it makes sense and build on it. I think we do that really well at Passionfroot.

FM

The focus of the company is the product, and everything stems from that  I’d say we’re thoughtfully product-centric. So, even though we may have shifted focus a bit, we still care deeply about our users, about the craft. Overall, the culture is very collaborative, thoughtful, and, of course, quite diverse in thought as well. We’re a mix of designers, ex-business professionals, and people from the creator space.

SW

I was at a point where I really wanted to work in a smaller team where I could have a bigger impact myself. Before, I found it really tedious to work in huge corporations where everything has so many layers of management that nothing gets done. I wanted to make a stronger impact personally and be one of the early employees. It was really interesting to me to help shape the culture where engineers aren’t just following a set plan but are working closely with design and product from the start.

FM

I used to work in finance, consulting, and other industries, but the things I was always most excited about were those that, in some way, connected to culture. I always thought, for example, that Nike was a cool company because they integrate their product into the culture on a completely different level than other competitors. Working with something that intersects with daily life, even if it’s not consumer-facing, feels meaningful in some way. So, being able to work in a business where you’re collaborating with content creators who are shaping culture in so many different areas—that was just super exciting to me. It feels a bit like Spotify in the way they work with artists.

AK

I think Linear has a lot of resources, but we also look into people like Lenny Rachitsky, for example, for product management. We explore many creators in the tech, product design, and engineering world, and they provide great insights into various things.

SW

I think what’s quite special here is that, for example, everyone on the engineering team has a really strong product mindset. Our goal, and what we usually achieve, is to have engineers involved early in the concept work for new features—not just handed something to build, but actually being there to plan and develop it collaboratively.

AK

I would say, super fun, to be honest. Fun, but also a bit scary in a way because I’m the only designer—I’ve been the only designer for the past two and a half years. Especially at the beginning, you’d design things, but then you’d have a whole team not implementing whatever you come up with. And at that point, there was really nothing at the company yet; we were starting from zero. Now, it’s just me, which is scary, but also exciting because you have so much impact. Everything you design actually gets used. There’s no project that I work on for weeks only to see it never shipped—everything goes live, sometimes as soon as the next day or the next week, which I find so rewarding and something I’m really proud of.

It’s a lot of fun and a lot of learning. When I look back at what I did two years ago, I sometimes wonder, ‘How did I come up with that idea?’ But it’s great to see your growth over time. I think it’s quite fulfilling.

JP

I  would say being open-minded is important. It means being able to communicate your opinions while also staying flexible and open to change. We have a lot of conversations, and people often have different perspectives, so it’s key to express your thoughts but also be willing to adjust if someone offers a new insight. You might think about a problem one way, but then someone else’s input opens your eyes, and you shift your view. I think that’s crucial.

The idea is that we’re focused on building, designing, and shipping what’s best for our users, not just what we personally prefer. It’s about setting aside personal biases and concentrating on solving user problems above all.

LN

Besides the initial discussion to establish mutual interest and cover administrative questions, we aim to keep the process simple and respectful for candidates. We don’t ask for take-home challenges or similar tasks; instead, we invest equal effort on both sides. The process is centered around two main steps.

The first step is about getting to know each other. We use the CV as a starting point, asking questions like, “Why did you do this?” or “What happened here?” This helps reveal the candidate’s thoughts, preferences, and ambitions.

The second step involves a design challenge. We present a problem we’ve faced, like building a storefront editor, and discuss how the candidate would approach solving it. There’s no right or wrong answer; we’re focused on understanding how they think and make trade-offs.

Finally, there are one or two steps for cultural fit, where candidates meet other team members, particularly from engineering, to see how well we’d work together and if they share our values.