What we've learned building a remote-first company
Four years, three continents, and zero offices. Here's how we've built a culture where async isn't a compromise — it's a superpower.
Rafael Braga
Head of Growth
December 8, 2025
6 min read
We've never had an office. Not because we couldn't afford one — because we didn't want one. From day one, Acme has been fully distributed: our team spans San Francisco, London, Nairobi, and São Paulo. The decisions we make about how we work are shaped by that reality.
The biggest misconception about remote work is that it's just office work with a video call instead of a conference room. It's not. Good remote culture requires rethinking almost everything: how decisions get made, how information flows, how trust is built, how people advance.
Our operating principles are simple: write things down, default to async, and over-communicate context. Every major decision at Acme starts with a written proposal — a short doc explaining what we're doing, why, and what alternatives we considered. Anyone can comment. Decisions are made with a deadline, not a meeting.
The hardest thing about remote isn't productivity — it's belonging. It's easy to feel like you're working alongside people without actually knowing them. We invest in two company-wide gatherings a year, intentional 1:1s across teams, and a #life channel that is explicitly not about work.
We're not perfect at this. But we believe that the future of work is distributed, and the companies that figure out how to make it feel human will win. Acme exists to build that future — and to live it every day.
Enjoyed this post?
Share it with your team.