Why Principles Matter

At Maincode, we believe principles matter more than rules. Where rules try to control behaviour, principles reflect character. They don’t tell us what to do or how to do it. They describe who we are. They help us move fast without second-guessing. They give us clarity in moments of ambiguity. And when things get hard, they remind us what matters.

These principles are personal. They weren’t made to sound good on a wall or website. They capture the spirit of what makes someone a Maincoder. The people who push us forward. The ones you want in the room when the problem gets real.

We use these principles every day. Not as guidelines or reminders, but as part of our language. They help us make decisions, break ties, and move faster with integrity. When you hear them spoken, it’s not for show. It’s alignment in motion.

Our Principles

We’re a technology company with a fundamental belief that progress should serve people. We don’t build for technology’s sake, we build for human impact. We believe humans aren’t just part of the system, they’re the reason the system exists. Our work is judged by how well it empowers people, removes friction from their lives, unlocks new capabilities, and brings them joy.

Maincoders choose the path that’s right, not just the one that’s fast. That often means saying no to easy wins, short-term hacks, or the instinct to copy what others are doing. It means building things that take longer but stand the test of time. We talk often about making timeless choices, decisions that still make sense a year from now, or ten. We’re okay if others don’t understand those choices immediately. We’re building for the future, and we hold ourselves to a long-term standard. Doing the hard thing is part of our mindset, our process, and our culture.

Maincoders step up. We don’t wait to be asked. We don’t look around the room to see whose job it is. If something matters, it’s our job. Taking point means leading from the front, especially when things are ambiguous or tough. It means jumping into the middle of the problem, or picking up the unglamorous work that unlocks a teammate’s success. It means doing the hard, boring, invisible work that others avoid because we know it moves the team forward. This is how we build momentum. It’s how we build trust. And it’s how we build things that matter.

We thrive on challenges. There’s a specific kind of joy that comes from being deep in a problem, fully immersed, with the sense that you’re close to something meaningful. That moment when time disappears and it’s just you, the system, and the next possible breakthrough. We’ve all felt it, the late-night surge, the wall you hit and the light bulb that follows. That’s not just romanticism. It’s how meaningful progress actually happens. Our best insights come from people who stay curious when things don’t work, and who have the tenacity to follow the thread. We hire for this trait. We reward it. And we protect the space that makes it possible.

Curiosity beats cynicism. At Maincode, we believe some of the best work happens when people don’t know all the rules yet. We encourage people to chase ideas before they have permission, to question why things are done a certain way, and to be okay asking what might sound like a dumb question. We’ve built a culture that prizes intellectual and emotional safety, where people can take risks without fear of judgement, and where experimentation is a first-class citizen. You only need to know enough to get into trouble here, because we believe that’s where real learning starts. Many of our best ideas have come from people who didn’t know better and decided to try anyway.

Maincoders aren’t just great at what they do, they operate at full power. We believe brilliance comes from the right environment, the right constraints, and the right level of trust. That’s why we’re intentional about who we hire, how we support them, and what we expect from ourselves and each other. We optimise for signal, not noise. That means cutting friction, shielding focus, and amplifying the energy of people who have it. We talk about voltage because it represents exceptional people at their full potential, driving forward with clarity and pace. You can’t carry lightning on a shoestring, so we make sure nothing and no one dims our brightest lights.

Shipping is sacred. At Maincode, we’re builders. Our ideas matter most when they’re in the hands of others, when someone can benefit from them, react to them, or be changed by them. We’re not perfectionists, we’re finishers. The moment something is good enough to test, share, or learn from, we get it out the door. We believe time kills ideas. The longer something sits, the less it lives. Maincoders ship early, ship often, and ship what matters.