Rewatch powers Gatsby's transparent triumph

Founded in 2015 and acquired by Netlify in 2023, Gatsby created a framework for enterprises to build dynamic web experiences that could easily scale. Like many technology start-ups, the Gatsby team emphasized transparency within a remote-first company. In its earliest days, that meant open door meetings.

“Our culture when we had 10 employees was that everyone should join the meeting. And then as you shift more, you can't have a 50 person meeting, you know?” says Dustin Schau, VP of Product and Engineering at Gatsby, now Senior Director of Engineering at Netlify.

While the team adjusted by ensuring meeting recordings were available to the whole company, the introduction of Rewatch to Gatsby's operations provided a strategic solution challenges that leadership did not even know existed.

Revelations with Rewatch

The main challenges were effectively managing and sharing Zoom-recorded videos, as well as making sure that these important recordings were easy to find. Without Rewatch, the recorded meetings lost their value because the team had difficulty accessing the videos and even when they could, the lack of context made them less valuable. This situation turned potentially valuable sources of insights into resources that were not being fully utilized.

In contrast, Rewatch integrated directly into Gatsby’s workflow, and automated the process by automatically recording and sharing meetings. The team used Collections to easily organize content and make it more discoverable and useful for every employee. Additionally, the transcripts and meeting notes added the context and searchability that they previously lacked.

“How you get work done, how you share information inside the company… having it be through a consistent tool that's discoverable and open and integrated with Slack and Notion and other tools, those are absolutely competitive advantages,” says Dustin.

Through enhanced discoverability, effortless video sharing, collections feature, automatic recording and transcription, Rewatch extended a toolbox, granting Gatsby the ability to re-embrace its core culture of transparency and collaboration.

“The moment Rewatch was integrated consistently into our workflow, it effectively transformed into the team's primary knowledge base.”

Harnessing hidden themes

Meetings, like Gatsby’s important Product Council gatherings, became open resources, promoting transparency and inclusivity within the team. And that was not simply a one way street where leadership was openly sharing information with the company as a whole. By establishing that mindset, employees felt welcomed to speak up to leadership with suggestions and even corrections that they saw in other meetings.

“That pattern of behavior is something that Rewatch enabled. As a leader, I want an open door policy, ping me on anything, you know? That was a really awesome when someone says ‘hey I watched this video, I think you can do something better.’ Cool. Thank you. I agree. Thank you for watching the video and keep watching.”

With employees actively participating in the company’s narrative and contributing their unique perspectives and insights, the culture of openness and collaborative innovation was able to flourish, even as the company grew and meetings became naturally segmented.

Competitive edge unleashed

By fostering an environment conducive to seamless cross-functional knowledge sharing, Rewatch notably bridged the gap between teams.

Key to this alignment is Rewatch's ability to create accessible artifacts. The platform prioritizes user ease, ensuring critical information is readily available, thereby reinforcing the organization's knowledge-sharing framework. This accessibility serves as a robust bridge, eliminating the previously existing barriers of information silos.

Dustin emphasizes the strategic significance of Rewatch in this context, noting its role in fostering an open communication culture. He remarks, “Rewatch empowered every employee to make information readily available, emphasizing transparency over the cumbersome process of constantly seeking information from peers.” He further adds, “The moment Rewatch was integrated consistently into our workflow, it effectively transformed into the team's primary knowledge base.” This testament underscores that Rewatch does not just simplify processes, but reshapes organizational communication dynamics.

The symbiosis of knowledge sharing & vibrant company culture

Gatsby's experience with Rewatch underscores this significance enhancing knowledge sharing. the significant impact overcoming information silos have not only on the consistent dissemination of information but also on employee satisfaction.

With 100% adoption of Rewatch, Gatsby’s engineers found a transformative shift in their weekly routines. Instead of missing out on information entirely or navigating endless, sometimes unnecessary meetings that disrupted the focus time necessary for successful work, they had the liberty to access and assimilate the same knowledge on their own terms. More so, they could do this in a timezone that was most comfortable for them. This wasn't just about reducing idle salary expenses and creating greater transparency—it was about fostering employee retention.

“As a tool, Rewatch made information, strategy, architecture, all kinds of things that sometimes are a little harder to find, more discoverable, which makes better employees. Happier engineers, more productive, more time in the zone or focusing instead of in meetings,” says Dustin.

While he did not know he needed Rewatch until it was recommended to him, it’s now essential to Dustin: “Life is so much better with Rewatch than before Rewatch.”