Phil Libin on The Out of Office World

As employers adjust to a post-pandemic world, how can they design working practices that minimise human risk and maximise human reward?

My guest, Phil Libin, is an experienced CEO with some fascinating insights to share on what he calls ‘The Out Of Office World’. He’s the former CEO of Evernote and the co-founder and CEO of All Turtles, a product studio that solves what they describe as meaningful problems.

I first came across All Turtles when looking for a solution to make video presentations more engaging. In 2020, they launched a product called mmhmm which, in their words — and I’d agree — gives you ‘communication superpowers’. I’ve been using it ever since.

While our discussion begins with mmhmm, it’s the story of what the software inspired that I find really interesting. Because when All Turtles began using it internally, they also discovered a more effective way of working. What mmhmm inspired was the recognition that the perception we all have of video as a poor substitute for ‘in person’ meetings is wrong. There are certain activities that can be improved by the use of video — particularly asynchronous video — and recognising that ‘face to face’ time is so valuable means changing how we use that time. As Phil points out, he’s not created a blueprint for how all companies should think about working; it’s what works for them. But the ideas behind it are something that can inspire all companies.

To find out more about All Turtles, visit — https://www.all-turtles.com/

For mmhmm, the app that gives you ‘communication superpowers’ - https://www.mmhmm.app/home

The demo that I did of how I use mmhmm is here: https://www.mmhmm.app/blog/christian-hunt-compliance-expert

All Turtles also produces some fascinating videos and podcasts on the Out of Office World. Here’s a video that explains the philosophical underpinnings of their approach - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBKIMhGO8WA

I also recommend watching the mmhmm ‘Degrees of Freedom’ video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHL6dBk6wAE