A tea party tradition at Cleverbit Software reveals how casual kitchen conversations about thermodynamics evolved into a company ritual that defines its engineering culture. Simon Azzopardi, the company's Director, discusses how this unique approach to onboarding reflects broader strategic shifts in software delivery, AI governance, and the company's expansion across international markets.
Can you provide some background for those who don't know your company?
Can you share a little-known fact about your company?
Several years ago, a team lead at Cleverbit once invited a few developers to join him for tea, and the guest of honour got to choose the blend. What followed was not what anyone expected. The kitchen conversation turned into a genuinely serious debate about boiling points, heat latency and steam temperature, and how each one affects the quality of the tea. A handful of engineers, deep in thermodynamics, over a cup of tea.
There was no hierarchy and no performance, just people thinking out loud together, comfortable enough to get that specific about something so small. Today, this has become one of our traditions. Whenever someone new joins the team, a tea party happens and a debate on physics or maths happens, and somehow this ceremony is exactly the kind of detail that tells you more about our culture than any mission statement could.
We operate a free-to-view policy, asking only that you register in order to read all of our content. Please login or register to view the rest of this article.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
View source
