By Pranesh Anthapur, Director of Human Resources at Kraken
Many companies describe themselves as remote. In practice, most still organize work around shared schedules, fixed time slots or informal urban centers. The desktop disappears, but the operating system remains the same.
Remote control is common. Smart async is not.
At Kraken, the operating system has changed. We’re not just remote first. How we design our work shapes how it evolves, how decisions are made, and how people feel they belong.
On a typical weekday, a product specification written in Portugal garners structured feedback overnight from engineers in Brazil and venture partners in Singapore. When the Krakenite logs back in, it finds a document that has evolved through structured feedback, with concerns clarified, trade-offs outlined, and a clear decision-maker identified, allowing work to continue without pause.
This rhythm is repeated in all functions. Compliance reviews, marketing launches, infrastructure upgrades, and hiring decisions all flow through Slack without unnecessary bureaucracy or cumbersome processes. Work continues across time zones because it is designed to do so.
Progress doesn’t stop
Crypto markets never close, but that doesn’t mean Krakenites have to stay online 24 hours a day. We operate as one global team, so when a Krakenite signs, a teammate from another region can pick up the work in its full context and continue to move it forward.
You can clearly see the impact on how we hire. Applicants should not wait for a specific office to open. Interviews, feedback, and decisions continue to move forward because a team member is always moving the process forward.
Follow-the-sun handoffs (where work happens between teams across time zones so progress never stops) are nothing new. What makes Kraken different is that Krakenites can build their careers from virtually anywhere, without being tied to a central city or expectations of relocation.
We don’t concentrate opportunities in a handful of offices and call them distributed. We hire globally and design work so that location does not limit contribution, visibility or growth. This freedom is neither an exception nor an advantage. It’s an integral part of how we operate.
Over time, geographic diversity results in stronger thinking, as different perspectives emerge, are challenged and refined rather than filtered through a single time zone or point of view.
Teleworking is in our DNA
We are explicit about this model. Remote-First is not a temporary accommodation or a recruitment lever. This is how we operate. Decision making is not concentrated in a single location or level of the organization. Krakenites, at all levels and in all regions, take real ownership of their work, which means the best thinking can come from anywhere – and it does.
We hire the best person for the job, regardless of where they live, and design work so that location does not limit contribution, visibility, or growth. A Krakenite in a city has the same weight in one decision as in another. Seniority is acquired through impact and not proximity to a head office.
This approach requires trust. Managers cannot rely on visual cues of activity, and performance is evaluated based on output, clarity, and follow-through. Leaders are expected to write well, clearly define ownership, and make decisions visible. Employees need to communicate proactively and close loops. When these expectations are mutual and clear, supervision becomes lighter and accountability becomes stronger.
Connection is designed, not assumed
Connection isn’t just about texts or calls. Earlier this year, we brought the entire company together for an in-person meeting. For three days, teams stepped out of their daily routine and engaged in lengthy discussions about strategy, product direction, and growth priorities. Executives presented roadmaps, small groups discussed trade-offs between functions, and engineers and customer support specialists compared notes on the friction points they see from different angles.
In the evening, the Krakenites who had collaborated met virtually face to face, shared meals, made connections, and closed the day with relaxed team meetings.
The impact then manifests itself in practical ways. Cross-functional discussions move faster because trust has been built. Disagreements seem less personal because people now associate names with real conversations and shared experiences.
We don’t get together to recreate an office. We come together to strengthen the system that allows us to operate without one.
A strong remote model balances structured asynchronous work with focused in-person connection
This model is intentional and we are transparent about it.
For candidates, this clarity is important. Some people thrive in environments where reflection is documented, ownership is explicit, and independence is expected. Others prefer constant, real-time interaction. We design our remote model to support asynchronous work where it is most effective, and we equip teams with the right tools to make it work in practice.
Slack keeps decisions visible, Zoom allows for focused discussions in real time, Loom allows for quick recorded presentations, and AI meeting recaps ensure context is captured and shared. At the same time, we support in-person team sessions and retreats when projects, functions, or strategy benefit from being in the same room. This balance helps people decide if this way of working matches how they do their best.
Remote work fails when it is treated as a compromise on top of traditional habits. It succeeds when treated as infrastructure.
At Kraken, asynchronous collaboration, global recruiting, and periodic in-person meetings are not separate initiatives but part of a cohesive system built on trust, written clarity, and respect for time. The work doesn’t stop at the edge of a time zone, and neither does the responsibility.
This is not an advantage. This is how we run Kraken.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Kraken or its management.
