*Updated March 2026
How and where work happens has fundamentally changed for everyone. The question is no longer whether work happens in an office, remotely, or somewhere in between. It is how teams operate effectively across those environments. Some fast-growing startups have continued to invest in remote-first or highly flexible work, using it to access global talent. At the same time, many large companies, including Apple and Meta, have introduced more structured expectations for in-person work, often within hybrid models. Meanwhile, organizations like HubSpot, Spotify, and Lyft continue to operate with flexible approaches that combine remote work with intentional time together.
Each of these approaches addresses part of the problem. But for smaller or rapidly growing companies, the challenge is different. Success depends on speed, shared context, and tight collaboration. Teams need to move quickly, make decisions with incomplete information, and stay closely aligned as the company evolves.
At the same time, access to talent is broader than ever. The ability to support team members across locations, without losing connection or momentum, is essential.
At Roboflow, we have developed a system that brings these ideas together. It enables people to work from anywhere while creating opportunities to come together in person when it matters most.
We call this Distributed Work.
What is Distributed Work?
Distributed Work is our approach to building a high-performing company. It enables people to work from anywhere while creating clear moments for in-person collaboration.
It is not defined by location. It is defined by how we operate.
Unlike traditional hybrid models that rely on fixed schedules, Distributed Work is built around intentional time together. We come together when it meaningfully improves speed, alignment, and connection. This includes all-company onsites, team-specific gatherings, and time spent in our hubs.
Key components of Distributed Work:
- Flexible Work Locations: Team members work remotely, from a hub, or a mix of both depending on their role, location, and what helps them be most effective.
- Intentional Gatherings: We invest in regular in-person moments including company onsites, team meetups, and hub office time. These are designed to build trust, deepen relationships, and accelerate the work.
- Tools and Support to Do Your Best Work: Roboflowers are equipped with the tools and monthly AI Tools and Productivity stipends to work effectively, wherever and however they work best.
- Operate in the Open: We default to transparency. Work happens in shared channels, decisions are documented, and context is accessible. This allows a distributed team to stay aligned without relying on proximity.
Distributed Work allows us to build a team across geographies while maintaining speed, clarity, and connection. It creates an environment where individuals have autonomy in how they work, and the team stays deeply aligned on what matters.
Why Distributed Works For Us (And Could Work For You)
Roboflow’s team spans multiple countries, including the United States, the UK, and Brazil. We regularly bring the team together through both large company onsites and smaller team gatherings in locations like Canada, Mexico City, and across Europe.
Distributed Work expands access to talent, allowing us to hire the best people regardless of location. At the same time, it maintains a strong sense of connection, shared context, and collaboration through how we operate and how we come together.
However, Distributed Work is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It requires intention and comes with a real investment—around 12% more in some cases—in tools, in-person gatherings, and the systems that keep a distributed team aligned.
It also raises the bar for how individuals operate. Team members need to be comfortable with autonomy, take ownership of their work, and contribute to shared context without relying on proximity.
For this model to work, companies need to balance flexibility with connection, creating an environment where people can do their best work independently while staying deeply aligned as a team.
How Does Distributed Work in Practice?
The core principle behind Distributed Work is ownership. Individuals have the autonomy to decide how and where they work, and the responsibility to stay aligned with the team.
This only works if the experience is cohesive. There is no distinction between “remote” and “in-person” employees. We invest in both equally and design how we work so that everyone has access to the same context, opportunities, and ability to contribute.
At the same time, we recognize the value of being together. Time spent in-person is intentional and focused on building relationships, increasing velocity, and solving problems that benefit from real-time collaboration.
Here’s how Roboflow implements Distributed Work:
1. Providing Access to Office Hub and Co-working Spaces
Our hubs in San Francisco, New York, and Brazil provide dedicated spaces for in-person collaboration. Team members can use these regularly, especially when working closely with others or spending time together as a team. We also provide a monthly productivity stipend to support co-working memberships, home office setups, and other tools that improve how people work day-to-day.
This ensures everyone has access to an environment that supports focus, collaboration, and high-quality work—whether that’s a hub, a co-working space, or their home setup.
2. Offering a Travel Stipend
We provide an annual $4,000(+) travel stipend that team members can use to spend time with teammates in person, whether that’s visiting a hub, working together in another city, or joining a Lighthouse.
Lighthouses are team-organized, bottoms-up gatherings designed around a specific goal—such as building a product, solving a problem, or advancing a key initiative. They combine focused work with time together, and are one of the primary ways teams collaborate in person. This approach gives individuals and teams the flexibility to plan time together when it’s most valuable, without relying on centralized coordination. It also makes it easier to connect across geographies in a way that feels natural and frequent.
Lighthouses have taken place in locations like Mexico City, Palm Springs, Vienna, and Nashville, bringing teams together to work closely and build deeper relationships.
3. Organizing Company-Wide Onsites
Twice a year, we bring the entire team together for all-company onsites focused on alignment, planning, and strengthening relationships. These gatherings are a core part of how we operate. They create shared context on company priorities, reinforce how we work together, and give teams the space to collaborate in ways that are difficult to replicate remotely.
Over time, these onsites have become a key moment for the company—aligning on where we’re going, how we get there, and building the relationships that make the work better every day.
4. On-Prem Onboarding for New Hires
All new hires begin with time spent in-person at one of our hubs during their first few weeks at the company. This allows new team members to build relationships early, understand how we operate, and get up to speed quickly by working side-by-side with their teammates.
On-prem onboarding ensures that new employees quickly build relationships, learn our processes, and get a feel for our working cadence. It’s also an opportunity to immerse themselves in our culture early on, setting the foundation for their long-term success.
5. Respond Promptly
We operate across time zones by design. Our team spans the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Poland, Brazil, and beyond. Instead of forcing everyone into the same working hours, we optimize for overlap where it matters and flexibility everywhere else.
This means individuals have control over how they structure their day, while still showing up for the moments that require real-time collaboration. For customer-facing teams, this is especially important. Responsiveness and coverage matter, so we ensure schedules support the needs of our customers without sacrificing flexibility for the team.
Flexible schedules are not about working less or asynchronously all the time. They are about working in a way that allows the team to stay fast, connected, and effective across geographies.
6. Public Communication by Default
Working across time zones only works if context is shared. We default to public communication. Conversations happen in shared Slack channels, decisions are documented, and work is visible. This ensures anyone can understand what’s happening, why it’s happening, and where they can contribute.
Information is not gated by location or proximity. Whether you’re in a hub or working remotely, you have access to the same context.
This creates alignment, increases speed, and allows the best ideas to come from anywhere on the team.
Distributed Work Is How We Build Culture and Drive Performance
Five years into our distributed work journey, we’ve seen firsthand how this approach enables teams to remain connected, productive, and high-performing, regardless of where they’re located. Distributed Work shapes how we build the company.
It allows us to hire exceptional people wherever they are, move quickly with shared context, and stay deeply connected as a team. The combination of flexible work, intentional time together, and operating in the open creates an environment where individuals can do their best work and the team stays aligned on what matters.
This model requires discipline. It works because we are intentional about how we communicate, how we collaborate, and when we come together.
The result is a team that is distributed by design, connected in practice, and able to operate at a high level as we scale.
“Having worked in numerous companies before, I have found Roboflow to be the most refreshing and genuine culture so far! 'Culture' is a word that tends to be thrown out these days as a tick the box exercise instead of an intentional, meaningful mission. I would describe the workplace culture here to be open, collaborative, supportive and fun- everyone genuinely seems to have an interest in one another and the work we're doing!” - A Roboflower describing our culture in most recent Culture Survey
The lessons we’ve learned have shaped how we operate. Working in the open, investing in time together, and creating shared context are not side practices. They are foundational to how the company runs.
Distributed Work is not a perk or a policy. It is a system. It defines how decisions are made, how teams stay aligned, and how we scale without losing connection.
This approach works because it is intentional. It creates an environment where individuals have ownership, the team moves quickly, and everyone has access to the context needed to contribute.
If this way of working resonates with you, we’re hiring.
If you adopt distributed work, we’d love to hear from you and learn from your internal practices!
Cite this Post
Use the following entry to cite this post in your research:
Kate Wagner, Joseph Nelson. (Aug 11, 2023). How We Work Together at Roboflow. Roboflow Blog: https://blog.roboflow.com/how-we-work-together-at-roboflow/