Valve Software handbook for new employees [pdf] (2012)

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Age and Purpose of the Handbook

  • Many note this is the 2012 edition and has been reposted for years; several see it as “stale PR” more than a live document.
  • Others argue it still accurately reflects Valve culture and is used as a recruiting piece, even if idealized.
  • There’s debate whether it was ever a true onboarding handbook vs. primarily employer branding; some claim it was never actually given to employees, others say it was.

Flat Structure and Culture

  • Current and former-employee accounts say desks-on-wheels, flat hierarchy, and self-organizing teams are real.
  • Skeptics invoke “Tyranny of Structurelessness”: informal power cliques, hidden hierarchies, and difficulty handling hard decisions and performance issues.
  • Some see Valve as unusually generous (e.g., handing hardware IP to ex-employees) but still subject to politics and inefficiency.
  • One view: “lead” roles described in the handbook are just management by another name, rebuilt from first principles.

Work/Life Balance and Game Dev Context

  • Commenters are struck by the handbook’s emphasis on family and balance, unusual for game studios.
  • Valve is portrayed as a small, extremely profitable, no-investor company that can afford this, making it a “pipe dream” employer in a low-pay, high-crunch industry.

Valve’s Output and Strategic Focus

  • Criticism: post-2012 Valve ships few new, risky games and leans heavily on remakes, service titles, and cosmetics; Half-Life 3’s absence looms large.
  • Counterpoint: HL: Alyx, Dota 2, CS:GO/CS2, Steam Deck, Proton, Index, and now Deadlock show they still produce impactful work, especially in platform and Linux/VR support.
  • Debate over Deadlock: some hail it as a fresh MOBA/hero-shooter hybrid; others say its design discourages engaging other players and will stay niche.

Steam’s Dominance, 30% Cut, and Competition

  • Many see Steam as a net positive: stable PC gaming ecosystem, strong tooling, and “good citizen” behavior over decades.
  • Others emphasize harms: pioneering or amplifying DRM, loot boxes, gambling-like CS skin markets, FOMO, early access.
  • Indie devs detail economics where 30% plus VAT and publisher recoup can leave small studios with a small fraction of revenue; Steam’s discovery favors already-successful games.
  • Some argue 30% is justified by infrastructure and features; others call it a monopoly rent enabled by network effects.

Digital Ownership and Future Risk

  • Concern over what happens when current leadership is gone: fear of subscription gating or “reputation mining” by future owners or acquirers.
  • Defenders note Valve’s long track record and statements about “failing open,” but multiple commenters refuse to rely on any corporation long term.
  • Consensus: if Steam ever “goes rogue,” piracy and alternative platforms (GOG, etc.) will surge, but today Steam’s convenience keeps it dominant.