I saw a post that just… it irked me. It basically said that creativity can only come if you’re in an office face-to-face.

And I highly beg to differ.

A good culture (not office space) facilitates people reaching out… not showing up hoping someone will be there to talk to at the coffee machine.

In my experience, some of the best teams with the best ideas and outcomes have been teams spread out across the world.

When we have an idea, we send an IM or make a call. We have built a true culture of flexibility and trust around the world. We laugh together, mourn together, share about our families and hobbies, just like we would in person. We send random memes and GIFs. We share music and ideas about food. We enjoy talking to each other and when things get rough, we freely throw ideas around to solve the issue or come up with an amazing solution.

And we kick ass in everything we do, without ever having been in the same room. In some ways, I dare say that we perform better and have better structure and processes than those who have been forced into the office.

And perhaps it’s because being so spread out globally has made it necessary to form bonds and build trust while only seeing each other from the shoulders up. We have built amazing products with stakeholders in almost every continent and major first-world country for years, all virtually, without wasting money, energy, time, gas, or utilities.

In the end, creativity and output doesn’t rely on proximity. It relies on trust and bonds. And no amount of office space can give you that.