From burnout to brilliance, courtesy Komment

Henry Rochenoir | March 21, 2024

Not too long ago, at the ripe age of 25, I found myself feeling burnt out and somewhat disillusioned with engineering. Coding had been my passion since I was a teenager, but as I navigated the professional world, it had slowly but surely morphed into a burdensome chore.

I was caught up in the minutiae — tackling programming tasks in isolation, delivering atomic projects handed out to me, oblivious to the broader implications of my work.

I could see the trees, but the forest eluded me. Perhaps some of you have experienced something similar in your own jobs.

I felt this intense nagging desire to find a place where I truly belonged. A place that aligned with my values and aspirations. A place I could call home.

And then I joined Komment.

MY EXPERIENCE AT KOMMENT

Transitioning to Komment was a pivotal moment that reignited my passion for code and profoundly altered my perspective on what software engineering could be.

What sets Komment apart, in my eyes, is its unique paradigms of teamwork, an unwavering focus on developer experience, and a company-wide culture of straight talk, innovation and downright customer obsession.

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My colleagues here aren’t just going through monotonous motions of product development — they are constantly enhancing their skills, broadening their knowledge daily, and relentlessly seeking ways to deliver a more delightful end-user experience.

This environment, combined with a consistent push for excellence from both leadership and peers, positions Komment as one of the best places to work in the tech industry in my opinion. 

Yes, even better than Google. Especially better than Google.

The satisfaction I feel each day from pushing my intellectual limits and continuously learning is unlike anything else I’ve experienced in a professional environment before.


So, what is it about Komment’s way of working that drives this productivity and sense of fulfillment?

Let’s look at some of the key things they’ve got right.

Engineering Done Right

It’s easy for engineers to fall into the habit of going for quick fixes and patches with their code, especially with deadlines looming and customer requests pouring in. Engineers at Komment proudly reject such an approach.

Each of my teammates upholds an attitude of collective ownership of the product, the customer experience, and the success of the company.

And each one of us does what is needed to guarantee this success on a daily basis.

Teamwork in coding teams is essential to the achievement of key goals in an organization.
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Any unit of code we touch is always left in a better state than when we picked it up. We’re always finding ways to improve our codebase, even when it means modifying adjacent code entirely unrelated to the task at hand.

No one at Komment ever says “Oh that? That’s Jim’s code, don’t pin that on me”. If you can improve it, you just do it.

The Kommentmensch always insists on the highest standards. And then promptly executes on it.

That’s what having your team’s back looks like.


Hiring Done Right

I’ve noticed at several moments that my colleagues at Komment consistently choose duty over convenience. This behavior is neither a coincidence nor an anomaly at Komment.

On the contrary, I attribute it to a deliberate top-down effort to build a company culture around ownership and conscientiousness.

I think it comes down to four elements that are foundational to the company’s talent development process:

  1. Hiring exceptional individuals who have a natural propensity towards our company values — recognizing that certain qualities cannot be taught.
  2. Implementing impactful on-the-job training that clearly communicates and manages performance expectations.
  3. Providing role-models in approachable colleagues that you can emulate and constantly learn from.
  4. Establishing an incentive structure that encourages continuous execution of the company’s core principles.

Across all these factors, I daresay Komment has got it right.

The leadership here empowers — nay, incentivizes — you to do what is right instead of what is easy.

All day, every day.


Collaboration Done Right

Our idea of teamwork isn’t to have a morning standup followed by everyone going to their corners, and working on their respective tasks for the remainder of the day. Instead, we are constantly communicating with each other throughout the day.

We frequently huddle for rubber-ducking sessions, pair programming calls, or simply check in to share our current work status and challenges.

The team takes any opportunity to leverage each other’s strengths in order to amplify individual abilities.

We don’t stay blocked. We do not make decisions alone. And we take ownership of our natural domains to free up the team’s collective headspace.

At Komment, no one flies solo.

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I think this highly collaborative approach is the secret to our speed. We’re fast, like really fast.


Ideation Done Right

The culture at Komment has negligible patience for wasted time. All ideas are listened to with an open mind, discussed with fervor, and suboptimal solutions quickly get discarded, regardless of who came up with them — be it CEO or intern.

Komment does not optimize for HiPPOs (Highest Paid Person’s Opinions).

Instead, you are empowered to not shy away from stepping on each other’s toes because it is seen as a prerequisite to dancing well together.

The only opinion that matters is the customer’s. Not mine, not yours, not some industry expert’s.

Adi Singh | CEO, Komment

This sounds pretty obvious, doesn’t it? Yet, ask yourself — how common is it in our industry?

What makes Komment different is that I see this put into practice every single day.


A HOME FOR HENRY

The results speak for themselves. Our tiny motley group of engineers never ceases to surpass my expectation of what can be achieved by working well together.

Far bigger and more established teams falter on far sturdier ground.

The cornerstone of Komment’s culture is a disciplined and nurturing environment that prioritizes the customer experience above all else.

I can honestly say that I’ve never had more fun tackling complex computational problems and working together with a team.

It will by now be obvious to you that I love Komment’s modus operandi. It resonates deeply with me.

I wake up every morning feeling empowered to contribute to the fullest extent and push the boundaries of our product offerings.

This place is definitely for me.

Why Komment is the place for Henry
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Joining Komment felt like stepping into an ideal professional environment — one filled with equal parts innovation, collaboration, mentorship and growth.

If I’ve described you, or your way of working, or your workplace desires, shoot a message to hiring@komment.ai with your CV and join us in defining the future of software documentation.