[iNvid02]

The employee handbook that hit the internet earlier this year pulled the curtain back on Valve, suggesting staff float about the company's Seattle offices working at desks made of gold and sitting on chairs made of clouds. Games seem to emerge from the bowels of Gabe Newell's tower not because someone decided they would be a good thing to do and then told others to make it happen, but because someone decided they would be a good thing to do and others heard about it in the kitchen or toilet and thought, that sounds like fun, I'll help out, I've always fancied making augmented reality glasses that know when I'm happy or sad. When business development director Jason Holtman took to the stage at the Develop conference in Brighton last week, I expected him to say something along the lines of, yeah, it's not quite like the way the handbook describes. That bit about us not having any bosses? That was a joke. Yes, we like to do things a bit different, but if we operated exactly how it's described in the handbook, there would be chaos. Jason Holtman, Valve's business development director. Though the way Valve works, he may well be design lead on Half-Life 3 too. Turns out, that's exactly how Valve operates. So, as I sit down with Holtman for an interview following his presentation, the first question on my mind is: surely Gabe Newell, one of the richest men in video game land, the founder of the company that made Half-Life, is the boss. I mean, really. Yes, really.

"Gabe moves around in groups and sits with us and talks with us. He goes to meetings with us, solves real problems with us, and has ideas and his ideas are like other ideas. You can easily say no, or tell more data on that and he'll work with you."

very interesting, im sure gaf will like it. it covers a lot of stuff

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...the-boss-of-me

[Robot Pants]

uh huh.
WHERE IS HL-
Just kidding. Go, Gabe!

[StuBurns]

It still runs counter to things we've already heard about their development.

[vaelic]

changing this text based on older outdated news.

[Enco]

As nice as that must be, it makes them useless with deadlines.

No direction = being slow as fuck with everything = lots of simple things that don't get done

[cyborg009]

I have heard much differently and not positive

Like what?

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Conflicting reports on the on-goings of Valve "management" everywhere these days.

[lazer_bean]

i think Gabe mentioned it in some interviews already, so the guy isnt going to contradict his boss now (just kidding)

it's funny how some people think chaos doesnt happen in very structured organizations

[CrunchyFrog]

That one line still makes me chuckle, "Of all the people who are NOT your boss, Gabe is the MOST not your boss." Valve does have the benefit of a generous trust fund, but still, it's so obvious that this is a heaven for independently minded devs.

[Gorillaz]

I have heard much differently and not positive

Im a little interested...go on.

[ColonelColon]

Who's the boss?

[iNvid02]

I have heard much differently and not positive

spill dem beans

[CrunchyFrog]

I have heard much differently and not positive

spill it

[djplaeskool]

I have heard much differently and not positive

Go on...

[Grakl]

Good interview; fun to read, especially the "Free to play Half-Life" thing.

[MRORANGE]

I have heard much differently and not positive

info?

[deviljho]

Gabe forces his ideas down his employees:

C'mon, people, you can't show the player a really big bomb and not let them blow it up.

[Mrbob]

I have heard much differently and not positive

Without a source, this doesn't mean much. Also, if this were the case Valve wouldn't have such a high employee retention rate and constantly attract the biggest and brightest minds in the industry to their doors.

[Cosmonaut X]

I have heard much differently and not positive

[n8BitMan]

Pretty much if you are working at Valve, you are going to wear a lot of different hats.
Who would of thought.

[Kitschkraft]

Where are these counter-reports at? I've never heard anything but this same line, from everyone, including that wonderful Geoff Keighley article on Portal 2. That leaked handbook even verified this view on Valve.

I don't think that their actual games are immune to critique, but the work environment seems god-tier.

[lazer_bean]

I have heard much differently and not positive

[Pai Pai Master]

Valve went from "that neat company that makes games I like" to "my favourite company ever" within these last few years. The work they're doing with Dota2 proves that they simply give more fucks about games and their consumers than 98% of other developers out there.

Great read.

[Eggman]

Is Gabe Newell JEsus Christ or someshit? The guy sounds like an angel send from the gods.

[gdt]

It still runs counter to things we've already heard about their development.

IIRC the, concept of managers and leads (I think thats what you're referring to) doesn't contradict stuff from the handbook or what they've said after that leak.

[Silly.Mikey]

They might as well just release it asap cause if all this hype surrounding it is any indication, there's is no way in hell it'll live up to expectations so just come out with it already.

[Nirolak]

I have heard much differently and not positive

This is basically the same thing as coming into a thread to hint at "insider" info and then run away without clarification, which is expressly prohibited. If you want to come back and expand on your point, please feel free; otherwise you can choose take a lengthy vacation like other posters who give baseless implications of "secret" info.

You have six hours from this post.

Sincerely,
charlequin and Nirolak

[Derrick01]

Publisher: EA

AHA WE GOT YOU!

Seriously though we need a lot more info and proof than that.

[StuBurns]

IIRC the, concept of managers and leads (I think thats what you're referring to) doesn't contradict stuff from the handbook or what they've said after that leak.

No, I was referring to huge sweeping decisions Gabe has made alone. If he's a moment to moment hierarchical presence, I have no idea, quite possibly not, but he is very clearly, the boss.

[Volcynika]

I have heard much differently and not positive

Yeah, these types of posts are incredibly idiotic.

[Htown]

thread just got real

[Grakl]

thread just got real

Real stupid. The guy probably wont come back. Useless post; dunno what he's trying to get at.

Unless there is a scoop.

[Silly.Mikey]

Yeah, these types of posts are incredibly idiotic.

Playing devils advocate for a second though, what do you expect them to say in an interview? That the work conditions are horrible and he hates it there? Im sure Gabe would love that.

[StuBurns]

I hope the mods can tell if he clicks on the thread again, it'd be bad form to can him because he's taking a long shit.

[Aguirre]

gaben is good, pure and decent.

[Volcynika]

Playing devils advocate for a second though, what do you expect them to say in an interview? That the work conditions are horrible and he hates it there? Im sure Gabe would love that.

I'd assume if he hated working there, he would no longer be working there.

[Bomber Bob]

gabe's so cool

[Metalic]

This kind of remind of that Valve employee document that leaked not too long ago.

[dLMN8R]

As nice as that must be, it makes them useless with deadlines. No direction = being slow as fuck with everything = lots of simple things that don't get done

And thank the fucking lord for that!

[Silly.Mikey]

I'd assume if he hated working there, he would no longer be working there.

You'd be surprised.

[StuBurns]

Valve is obviously not a terrible place to work, although having exclusive access to Valve shares is probably enough to keep someone there who does actually hate it.

[speedpop]

Glad to see silly crap like that get called out in the thread.

[Professor Beef]

I hope the mods can tell if he clicks on the thread again, it'd be bad form to can him because he's taking a long shit.

...a 6 hour shit?

[Artadius]

This is basically the same thing as coming into a thread to hint at "insider" info and then run away without clarification, which is expressly prohibited. If you want to come back and expand on your point, please feel free; otherwise you can choose take a lengthy vacation like other posters who give baseless implications of "secret" info. You have six hours from this post. Sincerely, charlequin and Nirolak

[Gorillaz]

I'd assume if he hated working there, he would no longer be working there.

Or it could be somebody venting. The above poster has a point tho, how does a company that doesn't have a true "direction" or deadlines work?

[iNvid02]

im gonna pm him just in case

edit: ok done, so he has a fair shot now

[StuBurns]

...a 6 hour shit?

A sleep and a shit then.

The point is, unless they know he ever reads that post, it's a little unfair. Then again, it was rule breaking anyway.

I don't personally care, it was just an aside.

[Silly.Mikey]

Glad to see silly crap like that get called out in the thread.

My shits dont take that long. If i had to take a shit just before i revealed that i had that kind of information, i would have taken my shit first, then posted my info. But thats me.

[Tomat]

This is basically the same thing as coming into a thread to hint at "insider" info and then run away without clarification, which is expressly prohibited. If you want to come back and expand on your point, please feel free; otherwise you can choose take a lengthy vacation like other posters who give baseless implications of "secret" info. You have six hours from this post. Sincerely, charlequin and Nirolak

Gabe's #1 fan. Don't talk shit about his husbando :P

[Tenck]

Or it could be somebody venting. The above poster has a point tho, how does a company that doesn't have a true "direction" or deadlines work?

Ever heard of Valve time?