It is an interesting experiment and kudos to them for having the courage to actually commit to it. I'm pretty sure Steve Jobs tried to do something very similar to this at Next Computer and it failed.
I think the openness of Next, where employees were allowed to know what every person in the organisation was earning, contrasted with the secrecy of Apple, speaks volumes about what Jobs ended up thinking about the value of openness in corporate settings. Unfortunately, as Peter Thiel points out, there are big advantages to having secrets.
That said I'm sure gittip can survive on a small scale with this kind of attitude and it probably helps given the market they're working in, I just don't think it scales long term.
Thanks! I didn't know that about NeXT. It's especially interesting compared to Apple, as you mention! Also, your comment about Peter Thiel led me to discover these great lecture notes from a class of his:
I want to find a way to combine the transparency and emphasis on personal autonomy of open source projects with the unparalleled productivity of traditional, closed corporations. It's a delicate balance.
I think the openness of Next, where employees were allowed to know what every person in the organisation was earning, contrasted with the secrecy of Apple, speaks volumes about what Jobs ended up thinking about the value of openness in corporate settings. Unfortunately, as Peter Thiel points out, there are big advantages to having secrets.
That said I'm sure gittip can survive on a small scale with this kind of attitude and it probably helps given the market they're working in, I just don't think it scales long term.