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How We Communicate

We’re a fully-remote team building open superintelligence across continents and cultures. Clear communication isn’t just nice to have—it’s how we ship fast, stay aligned, and build trust with millions of users.

Core Communication Principles

Section titled “Core Communication Principles”

Default to Open

Section titled “Default to Open”
  • Build in Public: Development discussions happen in open GitHub issues
  • Share Progress: Daily updates in Discord keep everyone informed
  • Document Decisions: Important choices are recorded for future reference
  • Learn Together: Share discoveries, failures, and insights with the team

Async First, Sync When Needed

Section titled “Async First, Sync When Needed”

As a global team, we optimize for asynchronous communication:

  • GitHub: Technical discussions, code reviews, feature planning
  • Discord: Quick questions, daily updates, community engagement
  • Documentation: Long-form thinking, architectural decisions
  • Meetings: Only when real-time collaboration adds value

Write for Clarity

Section titled “Write for Clarity”

With team members from different linguistic backgrounds:

  • Simple English: Clear over clever, direct over diplomatic
  • Context Included: Assume readers lack your specific context
  • Examples Help: Show, don’t just tell
  • Visual Aids: Diagrams, screenshots, and code samples

Good: “The model fails to load on M1 Macs. Here’s the error log and steps to reproduce…” Bad: “It’s broken on Mac.”

Communication Channels

Section titled “Communication Channels”

Where to Communicate What

Section titled “Where to Communicate What”
TypeChannelExamples
Feature DevelopmentGitHub IssuesNew features, bug reports, technical discussions
Daily UpdatesDiscord #daily-updatesWhat you worked on, blockers, discoveries
Quick QuestionsDiscord team channels”Anyone know why X happens?”
Long-form ThinkingGitHub Discussions / DocsArchitecture proposals, post-mortems
User SupportDiscord #supportHelping users with Jan
Urgent IssuesDiscord + @mentionProduction bugs, security issues

Response Time Expectations

Section titled “Response Time Expectations”
  • GitHub Issues: Within 24-48 hours
  • Discord Questions: Best effort, timezone dependent
  • User Bug Reports: Acknowledge within 24 hours
  • Security Issues: Immediate escalation

Communication Best Practices

Section titled “Communication Best Practices”

For Engineers

Section titled “For Engineers”
✅ DO:
- Comment your code like someone will read it at 3am
- Update documentation when you change behavior
- Share WIP early for feedback
- Close the loop: report back on solutions


❌ DON'T:
- Assume context that isn't written down
- DM technical discussions (keep them public)
- Wait until perfect to share progress
- Leave PRs without description

For Everyone

Section titled “For Everyone”

Assume Positive Intent

  • We’re all working toward the same goal
  • Language barriers can cause misunderstandings
  • Ask for clarification before assuming

Be Specific

  • “The download button doesn’t work” → “The download button on Windows returns 404 for model X”
  • “It’s slow” → “Model loading takes 45 seconds on 8GB RAM”
  • “Users want this” → “15 users requested this in issue #123”

Close Loops

  • Follow up on questions you ask
  • Update issues with solutions
  • Thank people who help you
  • Share outcomes of discussions

Meetings That Work

Section titled “Meetings That Work”

We minimize meetings but when we have them:

Before the Meeting

Section titled “Before the Meeting”
  • Share agenda 24 hours prior
  • Include pre-read materials
  • State desired outcome clearly
  • Invite only necessary people

During the Meeting

Section titled “During the Meeting”
  • Start with 5-minute silent reading of materials
  • Stick to agenda
  • Assign action items with owners
  • End 5 minutes early

After the Meeting

Section titled “After the Meeting”
  • Post summary in relevant channel
  • Create GitHub issues for action items
  • Share recording if applicable

Writing Culture

Section titled “Writing Culture”

Pull Requests

Section titled “Pull Requests”
## What
Brief description of changes


## Why
Context and motivation


## How
Technical approach


## Testing
How to verify it works


## Screenshots
If UI changes

Daily Updates

Section titled “Daily Updates”

Keep them brief but informative:

**Yesterday**: Shipped GGUF loader optimization (30% faster)
**Today**: Working on Windows installer bug #456
**Blockers**: Need review on PR #789
**TIL**: Quantization affects different models differently

Documentation

Section titled “Documentation”
  • Write docs as you code
  • Include examples users can copy
  • Explain the why, not just the how
  • Keep it up to date or delete it

Community Communication

Section titled “Community Communication”

When engaging with our open-source community:

Be Helpful

Section titled “Be Helpful”
  • No question is too basic
  • Provide context and examples
  • Point to relevant documentation
  • Follow up on issues

Be Humble

Section titled “Be Humble”
  • We don’t have all the answers
  • Users often have great ideas
  • Mistakes happen, own them
  • Thank contributors publicly

Be Human

Section titled “Be Human”
  • Personality is welcome
  • Celebrate wins together
  • Share the journey
  • Build relationships

Global Team Considerations

Section titled “Global Team Considerations”

Time Zones

Section titled “Time Zones”
  • Post updates at consistent times
  • Record important discussions
  • Rotate meeting times fairly
  • Respect off hours

Cultural Awareness

Section titled “Cultural Awareness”
  • Direct feedback styles vary by culture
  • Silence doesn’t mean agreement
  • Ask if unsure about interpretation
  • Celebrate diverse perspectives

Language

Section titled “Language”
  • English is second language for many
  • Avoid idioms and slang
  • Use simple, clear language
  • Be patient with communication

Red Flags to Avoid

Section titled “Red Flags to Avoid”
  • Information Hoarding: Share knowledge freely
  • Private Discussions: Keep technical talk public
  • Assuming Context: Document everything
  • Delayed Responses: Acknowledge even if you can’t solve immediately
  • Unclear Communication: If confused, ask for clarification

The Jan Way

Section titled “The Jan Way”

Our communication style reflects our values:

  • Open: Like our code
  • Inclusive: Like our community
  • Clear: Like our mission
  • Async: Like our architecture
  • Global: Like our vision

Good communication at Jan isn’t about perfection—it’s about clarity, openness, and building together across any distance.

“The best code is documented code. The best decisions are documented decisions. The best team is one that communicates openly.”