ll Turtles is a fully decentralized company. This means there is no designated office, even though the company is registered in Little Rock and CEO Phil Libin and several employees live in Bentonville. There is actually no time specified.
All Turtles is a fully online international product studio and the fifth company launched by CEO and Founder Phil Libin. Libin became well-known in the technology world due to the success of his Evernote, which he launched at the time. Evernote is now used by engineers, businesspeople, writers, chefs, students, and all walks of life around the world. A decade too early, Evernote could have become one of his current efforts with All His Turtles, which is taking on most of the workplace and health-related products and startups.
When I asked Libin if he was focusing on All Turtles products, he paused. “What we're really trying to do is build something for the world outside of this office,” he says. “You don't have to make a lot of sacrifices in your personal life to have a career. You can have a great career and live where you want to live. You can take time for your children and your health. I guess.”
All Turtles' hypothesis is based on the idea that the success of these products comes from the success of the pioneers, and that these products will further support the next generation of innovation. The company's name originates from the Hindu creation myth, in which the earth rests on the back of an elephant standing atop an endless turtle tower.
All Turtles' mission and operations have shifted to a bigger picture than one single product or app, and the company is currently working on approximately nine active products, with twice that number already released. Masu. Their work ranges from a remote work platform to support refugees called Sora Union to fast-growing fertility benefits company Carrot.
Phil himself came to Arkansas from San Francisco during the early days of the 2020 pandemic. It wasn't his plan to live in Arkansas, but he just didn't want to leave. After months of renting Airbnbs, he decided to make Arkansas his landing spot and is currently building his own home. All Turtles was previously registered in San Francisco, but is now registered in Little Rock, with all paperwork being sent to Livin in Bentonville. In the near future, the company plans to officially call Bentonville its home.
Well-known for its innovation throughout the region, the city frequently attracts up-and-coming startups and burgeoning technology talent from across the state and beyond. In November 2020, the Northwest Arkansas Legislature launched an incentive program to attract remote technology talent to the region. The winner received $10,000 and the option of mountain biking or road biking, a popular sport in the area. The program continues today, with the latest report showing more than 66,000 foreign applicants and his 100 beneficiaries. Nearly 100 more spouses, partners and children followed. Applicants were not required to work for an Arkansas company, although the traffic definitely boosts businesses in the state.
In a region where housing costs are lower than average but incomes are higher than average, remote work is an attractive getaway from the often stressful city when the weather is nice. The Northwest Arkansas Legislature hosts its own online cost of living calculator where (if you're feeling jealous) you can enter your salary and location and see how it compares to Northwest Arkansas. With a cost of living 116% lower than San Francisco, it's no wonder Livin chose to move to Bentonville, where the purchasing power of a dollar is more than twice hers.
Optional separation
The All Turtles distribution model is foreign and exciting to me. The company is giving employees an additional $800 per month to help improve working conditions. This could mean expanding your home office, paying for a club membership, or buying a better desk. The goal is to maximize people's productivity and allow people to choose their own mode. This scholarship was funded by eliminating the San Francisco office, so no funding will be lost to improvement efforts. Rent, utilities, food, and security costs amounted to about $800 per worker, which was just distributed among them.
Throughout our discussion, Libin emphasized the difference that even though companies are dispersed, that doesn't mean they never meet. All Turtles currently rents an office in Bentonville because several employees live in Arkansas and people meet weekly. Libin also plans meetings and events at nearby local hangouts.
One of the places he frequently visits with his team is the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art. When I told him I didn't even know the museum was used by remote workers, he laughed. “I mean, I don't know if other people are doing it, but they're probably doing it,” he says. Sometimes he works there personally, and sometimes his team rents a conference room. “That raises some interesting questions: 'Why isn't everyone working in museums?'” That's great, especially if you're doing creative work.Of course you should [creative work] Surrounded by art and nature. ”
He also talks about hosting a multi-day summit at a cabin on Beaver Lake and going to Eureka Springs. Mr. Libin doesn't want to monitor his employees' every move, and he doesn't demand a demanding schedule of 40 hours a week. Employees work asynchronously based on their most influential schedules, and when they gather for meetings, they waste time by what Libin calls “sitting in a room and showing each other slides.” There's nothing to do. “Whenever we meet in person, we go to places that are actually beautiful and inspiring that lend themselves to the kind of work we're trying to accomplish. There are so many great places like this in Arkansas.”
But the decision to head out into the Northwest Arkansas wilderness isn't just an idyllic or New Age-style remote work exercise. It helps the company's productivity and impact. “Everyone loves it. The reaction is always very positive,” says Libin. “But more importantly, I think the results are good. I think we're very creative and we're accomplishing a lot. It's nice that people like it, but… , but more importantly, it works.”
