Boss: The studio at scale

Play this quiz

Quick check

What did Valve's 2012 handbook say Valve doesn't have?

  1. Any management
  2. Desks
  3. Games
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Any management

Valve: "we don't have any management". Its desks have wheels.

Quick check

Who should add most of the items to a one-to-one's agenda?

  1. The team member
  2. The manager
  3. The board
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The team member

GitLab: "Preferably, the majority added by the team member."

Do the math

runway
bank         2,400,000spend/month    500,000earn/month     350,000

How long is the runway?

  1. 16 months
  2. 4.8 months
  3. 24 months
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16 months

Burn is 150,000 a month. 2,400,000 ÷ 150,000 = 16.

Quick check

What does "default alive" mean?

  1. On current trends, it reaches profit on the money it has
  2. It has a lot of money
  3. It has never lost money
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On current trends, it reaches profit on the money it has

Paul Graham's test: do current trends reach profitability on the money left?

Quick check

In a secondary sale, the company receives the money.

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False

The money goes to the shareholder who sells.

Quick check

A UK studio plans 120 redundancies. When must collective consultation start?

  1. At least 45 days before the first dismissal
  2. At least 30 days before
  3. There is no minimum
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At least 45 days before the first dismissal

100 or more redundancies: at least 45 days.

Do the math

merger
Studio A  US$20MStudio B   US$5M

What share do Studio B's owners get?

  1. 20%
  2. 25%
  3. 5%
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20%

The merged company is worth US$25M, and Studio B brings 5 of it: 20%.

Quick check

What did Nintendo start making in 1889?

  1. Hanafuda playing cards
  2. Toys
  3. Game consoles
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Hanafuda playing cards

Fusajiro Yamauchi began making Hanafuda cards in Kyoto.