To help employees love their job, A Thinking Ape gives them “insane” amounts of responsibility – and, of course, mentors to help them along. For example, a new graduate was running their Android platform within 2 months, says Arasaki. And according to reviews, people like being responsible: A Thinking Ape even created a position to uphold this culture: Troublemaker, which belongs to Sonia Ryan. It’s her job to handle campus relations, branding, and recruiting and HR – and generally make sure people are happy. She was also the one toting a crate of sandwiches into the office when I arrived. Along with letting people make mistakes, giving them lots of responsibility has created a culture of meritocracy and data-driven debate. Arasaki and his cofounders monitor the culture carefully; it’s their “second product line”:
