Jan Handbook
Jan’s Handbook is inspired by Posthog and Gitlab. Thank you for showing us the way.
Welcome
This handbook explains how Jan works, and is public.
We’re building superintelligence that you can self-host and use locally. Not as a limitation, but as a feature. Your AI should work wherever you need it - on your laptop during a flight, on your company’s servers for compliance, or in the cloud for scale.
Jan’s Handbook is a living document, constantly evolving as we build the future of AI ownership.
Chapter 1: Why does Jan exist?
- What problem are we solving? - Why AI needs to be ownable, not just rentable
- Who we are building for - People who want flexibility and control
- Our vision for open superintelligence - An ecosystem you can own
Chapter 2: How we make money
- How we make money - Open core + optional services
- What is our moat - Community, trust, and aligned incentives
Chapter 3: Who we hire
- The Fast and the Curious - Ship today, learn for tomorrow
- Underdogs Welcome - Talent is everywhere, opportunity isn’t
- dy/dx > y-intercept - Growth rate beats starting position
- Obsession - We seek those who can’t not build this
- Team, not family - Pro sports team approach
Chapter 4: How we work
- Remote-first - Global team, local impact
- Open-source - Build in public
- How we coordinate - Tools and processes
- Sprints - Ship every week
- How we communicate - Clear, open, async-first
Chapter 5: Jan’s Philosophy
- Open Superintelligence Platform - Not one model, but an ecosystem
- Lateral Thinking with Proven Technology - Innovation through integration
- Humanity-aligned - Technology that unites
- Perpetual Optimism - Building the future we want to live in
Chapter 6: Team & Operations
- Team Structure - How we’re organized
- Compensation - Fair pay, meaningful equity
- HR & Culture - Joining and growing with Jan
Quick Links
- For new team members: Start with Onboarding
- For contributors: Check out our GitHub and Discord
- For the curious: Read about our vision
Our North Star
We’re building superintelligence that:
- Works anywhere: From your laptop to your data center
- Belongs to you: Download it, own it, modify it
- Scales infinitely: One person or ten thousand, same platform
- Improves constantly: Community-driven development
This isn’t just about making AI accessible. It’s about ensuring the most transformative technology in human history can be owned by those who use it.
“The future of AI isn’t about choosing between local or cloud. It’s about having both, and everything in between, working perfectly together.”