Shared values are important because they allow people at a company to have diverse opinions and productive disagreements about tactical subjects, while knowing they’re philosophically on the same page. Perhaps the best example of this is how our altruistic efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic kick-started a series of events that grew the company massively. We intentionally avoided profit-driven efforts; instead, we focused on what our communities needed from us. We made this decision because when you help people in need, you often get disproportionately rewarded by the community. We provided free virtual care for people with COVID-19 concerns. We went to underserved communities with mobile trailers to provide testing, at an operational loss. We built a nationwide database of testing centers that did not bring us any direct monetary value. We open-sourced our clinical datasets to help other researchers solve problems. Our efforts did not go unnoticed. We inspired superfans. Our brand, which is oriented around the idea that everyone deserves great care, started really resonating with the public. Hiring got ten times easier. Dozens of local governments and research institutions linked to our resources, which in turn made our search engine rankings skyrocket. Inspired by our efforts, Google and Pinterest offered us exclusive advertising programs. Local governments trusted us to run their initiatives, and that brought us massive brand recognition. We gained commercial value that we would have never gotten if we hadn’t adhered to this principle. Assuming that karma exists has paid off.