Friends of Mode,
When we founded Mode in 2013, we spelled out our core values. The very first of those values is this:
We Don't Work Alone
At Mode, we work for people—for our coworkers sitting next to us, and for our customers around the world. In everything we do, we strive to put the people we do it for first.
What we build, as a product and a company, isn’t our success alone. We benefit from the hard work and sacrifice of others building technology, of those who clean our offices and deliver our packages, and of our friends and neighbors. We’re humble and grateful for the opportunity that we have.
When we wrote that, none of us imagined the circumstances we now face, but it's applicable to how everyone in our community has risen to this occasion.
Like many of you, I’ve been glued to the news—concerned for the safety of my family, colleagues, and community. At the same time, I’ve been moved by the compassion and selflessness of those same groups. I hope you’re as fortunate to be surrounded and supported by such exceptional people; I expect you are. We’ve heard countless stories of companies and communities applying ingenuity, creativity, and—yes—data to help those affected by the disease.
In the weeks and months to come, all of Mode is aligned to help our users and your communities. Whether or not these hectic times mean that analytics and business intelligence have taken on new urgency for your company, we remain on the job. We are here to support your use of Mode and to help you use your data as effectively as possible to navigate this new and rapidly changing business environment.
We’re even here to support you beyond that: we transitioned the entire company to remote work on just 36 hours notice, and, in the spirit of We Don’t Work Alone, we’re here to help you make that transition. Whether you need an extra set of hands to help you dig through data, advice on how to be most effective as a distributed data team, or you just need to talk through a tough challenge with a like-minded person, help is just an email away.
We’d also like your help. We’ve made Mode available for free to any researcher or organization that is working with public health or epidemiology models. Same if you are coordinating logistics for a food bank, or any organization fighting COVID-19 and its effects from the front line. Please spread this word throughout the data science community, and please reach out to me with introductions to anyone who would benefit from our assistance.
It wouldn’t be truthful to say that I’m looking forward to the events of the near future, but I am optimistic. The same curiosity and ingenuity that drew you, and us, to become data scientists will prove invaluable in solving this era’s new challenges and building amazing things.
I’m grateful for your words of encouragement, collaboration, and your business. The Mode community is stronger with you in it. Thank you, and be well.
Derek Steer, CEO, Mode
