Episode 13: Attorney Lydia X. Z. Brown on Making Work More Accessible

Because of their background in working with disabled and marginalized people, attorney and activist Lydia X.Z. Brown has a deep understanding of how different workplace environments can best serve diverse workforces. Today they join our host Matt Mullenweg to discuss what distributed companies can do to make workflows and working conditions more inclusive.

For more, go to Distributed.blog.

Produced by Mark Armstrong and the team at Charts & Leisure: Jason Oberholtzer, Whitney Donaldson, Cole Stryker, Levi Sharpe, and Michael Simonelli. Theme music by Jason Oberholtzer. Cover art by Matt Avery.More

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Making Work Accessible, Wherever it Happens

Lydia X. Z. Brown is a lot of things — writer, advocate, organizer, strategist, educator, speaker, and attorney. Why do they spread their time and expertise across so many arenas? Because Lydia chooses to dedicate every aspect of their life to promoting social justice for some of the world’s most marginalized people. More

Distributed Podcast: Hear Matt Mullenweg in conversation with Lydia X. Z. Brown. Read the transcript.

Episode 12: Toptal’s Taso Du Val on Finding the Top Distributed Talent

When hiring managers interview a candidate for a high-level role, they want to be sure that the person they choose will be productive and able to work well with their prospective team. But what if the hiring process takes place over video chat? A growing number of companies outsource the vetting process to a company like Toptal, a freelance marketplace. Toptal’s CEO Taso Du Val joins us on this episode of the Distributed podcast, with Matt Mullenweg.

For more, go to Distributed.blog.

Produced by Mark Armstrong and the team at Charts & Leisure: Jason Oberholtzer, Whitney Donaldson, Cole Stryker, Levi Sharpe, and Michael Simonelli. Theme music by Jason Oberholtzer. Cover art by Matt Avery.More

Subscribe to Distributed at Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RSS, or wherever you like to listen.

Inside Toptal’s Distributed Screening Process

In tech hubs like San Francisco and New York, the demand for top-tier talent can outstrip supply, so HR departments find themselves in a fierce competition for local job applicants. In response, some companies have turned to the distributed model, which allows them to reach beyond hub cities and to access qualified candidates around the…More

Distributed Podcast: Hear Matt Mullenweg in conversation with Taso Du Val. Read the transcript.

Vox Tackles the Pros and Cons of Remote Work

Citing a few recent studies that discovered remote work increases productivity and employee satisfaction, Vox looks at the causes and effects of distributed work arrangements. Most interestingly, they explore the broader trends driving the popularity of remote work, such as millennials moving out of tech hub cities like San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles.…More

Stephen Wolfram on 28 Years of Remote Work

Stephen Wolfram started out on an academic career path, but eventually realized that founding a company would allow him to pursue his scientific work more efficiently. He’s served as a remote CEO of Wolfram Research for the last 28 years. In this episode, Stephen shares with host Matt Mullenweg — another remote CEO — his perspective on the value of geo-distribution, and the processes his partially-distributed company uses to make world-changing software.

For more, go to Distributed.blog.

Produced by Mark Armstrong and the team at Charts & Leisure: Jason Oberholtzer, Whitney Donaldson, Cole Stryker, Levi Sharpe, and Michael Simonelli. Theme music by Jason Oberholtzer. Cover art by Matt Avery.More

Subscribe to Distributed at Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RSS, or wherever you like to listen.

Welcome to the Chaos

Sonal Gupta leads Automattic’s Other Bets division, a team that develops experimental products that hover around Automattic’s core business. She relies on her legal background in order to clearly communicate the team’s new ideas to the rest of the company. More

Distributed Podcast: Hear Matt Mullenweg in conversation with Sonal Gupta. Read the transcript.

Automattic’s Sonal Gupta on Communication and Chaos

Sonal Gupta leads Automattic’s Other Bets division, a team that develops experimental products that hover around Automattic’s core business. She relies on her legal background in order to clearly communicate the team’s new ideas to the rest of the company.

For more, go to Distributed.blog.

Produced by Mark Armstrong and the team at Charts & Leisure: Jason Oberholtzer, Whitney Donaldson, Cole Stryker, Levi Sharpe, and Michael Simonelli. Theme music by Jason Oberholtzer. Cover art by Matt Avery.More

Subscribe to Distributed at Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RSS, or wherever you like to listen.