The Valve Handbook for New Employees – yours to download and keep forever

Get a peek at Valve’s in-house culture

Tarryn van der BylApril 23, 2012

The Valve Handbook for New Employees is out now, and it’s pretty much exactly what it says on the cover. Although, things at Valve maybe aren’t much like things at other places.

For example, there are no managers at Valve, and everybody gets to choose what they’re working on. That’s why the book is subtitled “A fearless adventure in knowing what to do when no one’s there telling you what to do.”

Hey, it’s just like my job. Kind of.

“In 1996, we set out to make great games, but we knew back then that we had to first create a place that was designed to foster that greatness,” reads the blurb on the back cover. “A place where incredibly talented individuals are empowered to put their best work into the hands of millions of people, with very little in their way. This book is an abbreviated encapsulation of our guiding principles. As Valve continues to grow, we hope that these principles will serve each new person joining our ranks.”

It doesn’t mention anything about getting tested, but there’s probably testing involved.

A PDF of the book is available to download here.