Culture and Values¶
Most of the Culture Handbook was written directly by Roham Gharegozlou, CEO. The Product Principles section was written by Arthur Camara, VP Product. This wiki page preserves the original language wherever possible.
Vision¶
"Open worlds with infinite possibility for digital communities and the creators that serve them." -- Dapper Labs Vision Statement
What this means, in Roham's words:
"We are building a world where individuals can own their own data, digital assets, and online identities irrevocably; where creators can build for their communities without any platform risk; where most peoples' everyday lives rely on open protocols and decentralized applications rather than closed monopolies." -- Roham Gharegozlou, Culture Handbook
Mission (Distinct by Entity)¶
As the organizations have grown, the missions have separated:
Flow:
"Empower developers to easily and quickly build increasingly powerful composable applications that are mainstream-ready in user experience."
Dapper Labs:
"Build delightful products and communities that drive mainstream crypto adoption."
The shared purpose underlying both:
"The purpose of our collective efforts since our founding has been to drive mainstream adoption of crypto technologies." -- Culture Handbook
Why This Matters: The Open State Thesis¶
The Culture Handbook frames crypto not as a financial instrument but as the next evolution in computing:
"Crypto is a set of technologies that enables software state to be open -- accessible by anyone, controlled by no-one, and trusted by everyone. A computing platform built for software with open state (data) as well as source (code)." -- Roham Gharegozlou, Culture Handbook
The progression:
| Era | Where Software Runs | Who Has Control |
|---|---|---|
| Mainframe / PC | Your local device | You |
| Cloud / SaaS | Someone else's datacenter (Google, Amazon, Microsoft) | The datacenter owner |
| Blockchain | Any number of devices worldwide | Only the owner of the asset or data |
"Bitcoin and other digital currencies are the first kind of 'application' enabled by this new computing platform; NFTs and analogous digital assets are another. This is maybe analogous to text and multimedia websites as the initial 'applications' for server-side applications aka 'the cloud' or 'software as a service' -- we are barely scratching the surface in terms of the complexity and utility of applications that can be built on top of open crypto protocols." -- Culture Handbook
The API Fiefdoms Analogy¶
"Today's digital realities exist as isolated fiefdoms -- completely incompatible with each other other than through restricted gates we call APIs. Citizens of one world do not own their own land (data) and all of the value they create belongs to the owner of said world. Most damning: the only things possible in a digital world are what its creator defines as possible." -- Roham Gharegozlou, Culture Handbook
The alternative:
"Web 3 allows for digital worlds that function more similar to physical realities: where software can be built on top of software the way a building can be built on top of a properly-prepared plot of land; or cars that can instantly be 'compatible' with a network of roads and bridges." -- Culture Handbook
"Imagine if you could only wear Nike shoes in the Nike store -- that doesn't work! But that's how all digital systems work today without web 3 / crypto." -- Roham Gharegozlou, "Dapper Master Plan" email
Why Entertainment as the Entry Point¶
"If people play with an open and free future, we don't have to teach them about the benefits of decentralization; they will come to know them in their hearts." -- Culture Handbook (origin of the entertainment-first strategy)
The cold start problem is real. Despite 100M+ people having purchased cryptocurrency, almost none have used Web 3 for anything except financial speculation. From "How We Win" (April 2023):
"We win when Web 3 wins. What does Web 3 need to win? Apps that onboard new audiences. 'Killer' apps, you might even say. Apps people just have to have. And tell their friends about. Apps that onboard people onto a new paradigm." -- Roham Gharegozlou, "Big Picture / How We Win" (April 2023)
From "You've Got Mail" (March 2023):
"Dapper Labs' role in driving that progress has been as a catalyst, the tip of the spear: with CryptoKitties, we showed the world that crypto could be about more than currencies. With NBA Top Shot, we proved that everyone could be a part of it. Could. They haven't yet. Web 3 is still too small. But I believe our little bubble on Flow might be closer than anyone to catalyzing the next inflection point." -- Roham Gharegozlou
The goal:
"How we win is simple, and it's what the whole space needs to move forward: a 'You've Got Mail!' moment where normal users are coming on-chain for one reason or another every single day, ideally to do one of the verbs that define Web 3: Read (web 1.0), Write (web 2.0), Buy, Play (mobile), Own, Sell, Compose (Web 3)." -- Roham Gharegozlou, "You've Got Mail" (March 2023)
Why Web 3 (For the World)¶
The Culture Handbook articulates four pillars:
1. Digital Ownership¶
"Web 3.0 extends the concept of digital ownership beyond cryptocurrencies, encompassing various aspects of our digital lives. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), for example, allow users to claim ownership of unique digital assets like art, music, virtual real estate, and collectibles. This new paradigm of ownership empowers creators to monetize their work directly, while users gain verifiable proof of authenticity and the ability to trade or sell their digital possessions." -- Culture Handbook
2. Control Over Personal Data¶
"In an age dominated by AI, maintaining control over one's data is more critical than ever. Web 3.0 enables users to retain ownership of their personal information and decide how it is used, shared, or monetized." -- Culture Handbook
3. Composability and Platforms Without Platform Risk¶
"Web 3.0's composability, or the ability to seamlessly combine and build upon existing components, has the potential to create a new Cambrian explosion of creativity and empowerment for people worldwide. By enabling open and permissionless collaboration, composability fosters rapid innovation and generates never-ending value for users." -- Culture Handbook
4. Governance Without Government¶
"Decentralized governance models, such as decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), could allow users to participate in decision-making processes directly, without the need for intermediaries or centralized control." -- Culture Handbook
Values¶
Five values, each with sub-dimensions. Verbatim from the Culture Handbook.
Ownership¶
"We use founder mentality to move mountains and make the impossible happen. We have each other's backs, understanding that both conflict & collaboration are critical to success. We play the role we need to play with high trust and low ego."
- Founder Mentality -- Move mountains. High trust, low ego.
- Efficient Operations -- Work hard and smart. Capital and resource efficient. Recover from missteps quickly.
- Leadership -- Conflict and collaboration are both critical for success.
- Comfort with Ambiguity -- Embrace change. Seek answers to questions being asked for the first time. Constantly pursue new information to update thinking.
Community¶
"We serve our ecosystem. We build with empathy, but go against the grain when it's the right thing. We create surface area for our community to engage and create. We emphasize inclusiveness and diversity in reaching new audiences."
- Customer Focus -- Create surface area for the community to engage and create.
- Transparency -- Honest and authentic. Share information freely. Ask questions without pretense.
- Collaboration & Empathy -- Build with empathy, but go against the grain when it's the right thing to do.
- Diversity & Inclusion -- Multiple perspectives produce fundamentally superior outcomes.
Impact¶
"We begin with the end goals in mind -- and emphasize autonomy, experimentation, and interdisciplinary mindset to get there. We start with riskiest assumptions and use leading indicators to course-correct or fail fast as needed."
- Bias for Action + 80/20 -- Time is the most valuable resource. Maximum impact.
- Autonomy -- Trust and empower. Support rather than control.
- Experimentation -- Build, test, reflect, iterate. Learn by shipping. Start with riskiest assumptions.
- Long-term Value Creation -- Building the future and taking responsibility for how we shape it.
Kaizen¶
"We are actively curious, embrace challenges, and always follow through. We create safe spaces for feedback and prize organizational learning. We invest in personal health as well as professional growth, recognizing we are on a bold mission."
- High Standards -- Invest in personal health and professional growth.
- Humility -- Not afraid to ask for help. Not afraid of failure.
- Celebrate Wins & Failures -- We either win or we learn.
- Feedback -- Safe space for feedback. Prize organizational learning.
Fun¶
"We play to learn, lean into creativity, and love bringing delight to our fans. We make time to build trust as a team and get to know each other, knowing that 'talent wins games, teamwork and intelligence win championships' (MJ)."
Product Principles¶
Written by Arthur Camara, VP Product. Six principles that govern how products get built.
1. Start with the Why¶
"Begin every project or initiative by defining the core purpose and value it brings to users. Establishing the 'Why' helps align the team and serves as a guiding principle for decision-making throughout the development process."
Before starting any initiative: create a clear simple document outlining the problem, the value to users, and alignment with product vision. Share it for alignment.
2. Seek Bold Discoveries¶
"Design in bold beats: launch antifragile systems allowing for two-way doors. Bold beats are time-limited features or campaigns, which set the right customer expectation for ephemerality and allows us to iterate."
Experiment with bold, contrasting versions. Avoid micro-optimizations when direction is unknown. A bold beat is a time-limited campaign -- not "launching Challenges on EPL" but "For the next week, collect 5 to get a reward on April 30!"
3. Pay Daily Attention to Customers Walking In¶
"Become addicted to experiencing your customer journey and especially the new user journey. Walk in your customers' shoes regularly to uncover insights and opportunities for improvement."
The analogy: you cannot ask customers to come back later while designing a new t-shirt collection, or have blockers that make it hard for them to see the current collection. Do both: sell the current tees well AND work on the new collection.
Product Reviews of user experiences: at least once a week per team. PMs experience the product first-hand multiple times per week.
4. Cross the Finish Line Often¶
"Getting projects 99% done is the same as 0% done for users if they can't experience the value."
Ship continuously. The skateboard-to-bicycle-to-car analogy: each stage delivers value. Building wheels-then-doors-then-windshield does not.
5. Tackle Product Risks Head-On¶
"Even before launching, assume unknown unknowns. As we move initiatives forward, clearly identify risks and address them."
Start with the riskiest assumption. Delegate to the right DRI with expertise in that riskiest area. If the riskiest part is technical, engineering drives. If user behavior is the risk, design drives.
6. Commit, But Add Magic in Every Step¶
"If commitment requires the 'magic' to be watered down, the solution isn't good enough."
Once a decision is made, commit fully. But never strip the delight. Every touchpoint is an opportunity to exceed expectations.
The Crypto Progress Pattern¶
One final framing that captures how the company thinks about its position in the market:
"Progress in technology has always followed a sigmoid pattern, but in crypto, the incredible tumorous growth we see due to the power of financial speculation leads to a much spikier pattern that many of you are quite familiar with at this point. Higher highs, lower lows, and progress lurching along, relentlessly. No-one can stop progress, but the people building on the front lines can and do shape its impact. That's why we're here." -- Roham Gharegozlou, "You've Got Mail" (March 2023)
Source Documents¶
- Culture Handbook:
gdoc:1d0h4k8NDyZUgPkNkyv3PpDzfs2Sn7uqQmeOOxdIjsWQ - Dapper Master Plan email:
gdoc:1u6-C9c103Abgi7H-DQKOIAiZSQ2iqfEbVmHpcpktZ0o - Open Letter to Flow Team:
gdoc:1_7AXUXaejx1Pxqh-XRSZEEp4ebVqiirEWKNnBcXczuA