Books › The Year Without Pants
The Year Without Pants
272 pages
A witty, boots-on-the-ground dispatch from the frontier of remote work and unconventional management.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like grabbing a coffee with a seasoned, slightly cynical tech veteran who has just returned from a wildly successful, convention-defying startup. The narrative moves at a brisk, engaging clip, blending the personal anecdotes of a memoir with the sharp, actionable insights of a top-tier business book. It immerses you in an energetic, forward-looking atmosphere where traditional corporate rules are gleefully discarded in favor of autonomy, trust, and relentless shipping. The prose is conversational and wry, stripping away management jargon to reveal the messy, human reality of leading creative teams. It is a perfect read for managers, remote workers, and anyone tired of endless meetings who wants to peek into a more liberated future of work.
- Mood
- energetic
- curious
- forward-looking
- informal
- Tone
- wry
- conversational
- candid
- pragmatic
- observant
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the future of work · remote collaboration · challenging corporate norms · creative management · autonomy and trust
- The writing
- Accessible, witty, and anecdotal, blending personal memoir with sharp organizational analysis.
- The arc
- Moves from curious skepticism about a radical work culture to an enthusiastic, grounded appreciation for its lessons.
- Who it's for
- Managers, tech workers, and anyone fascinated by remote work and unconventional corporate cultures.
Content notes
- workplace stress
About the book
A behind-the-scenes look at the firm behind WordPress.com and the unique work culture that contributes to its phenomenal success.
50 million websites, or twenty percent of the entire web, use WordPress software. The force behind WordPress.com is a convention-defying company called Automattic, Inc., whose 120 employees work from anywhere in the world they wish, barely use email, and launch improvements to their products dozens of times a day. With a fraction of the resources of Google, Amazon, or Facebook, they have a similar impact on the future of the Internet. How is this possible? What's different about how they work, and what can other companies learn from their methods?
To find out, former Microsoft veteran Scott Berkun worked as a manager at WordPress.com, leading a team of young programmers developing new ideas. The Year Without Pants shares the secrets of WordPress.com's phenomenal success from the inside. Berkun's story reveals insights on creativity, productivity, and leadership from the kind of workplace that might be in everyone's future.
The Year Without Pants shares what every organization can learn from the world-changing ideas for the future of work at the heart of Automattic's success.
Description from Open Library.
Books like The Year Without Pants
See why they match
Dreaming in codeScott RosenbergA fascinating, deeply human look at the messy, frustrating, and oddly poetic reality of trying to build something out of nothing.
Work Rules! Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and LeadLaszlo BockA data-backed, deeply human manifesto that reimagines the modern workplace as a space of autonomy and purpose.
It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at WorkJason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonA cool glass of water for the burnt-out professional soul, offering permission to simply do less and do it better.
WikinomicsDon TapscottAn optimistic, case-study-fueled exploration of how the internet's hive mind is rewriting the rules of innovation and business.
OriginalsAdam GrantAn invigorating intellectual dinner party that leaves you feeling equipped to change the world, or at least your workplace.
FreeChris AndersonA paradigm-shifting exploration of how the digital age turned a promotional gimmick into the bedrock of modern economics.