Mercury is a leading banking++ software platform for businesses (disclosure: happy small investor in the startup). I’ve found their CEO Immad Akhund to be a thoughtful leader, so was excited to see his recently published “Principles of Writing” to steer communications at Mercury, especially in the face of AI usage. Immad credits Clay’s Varun Anand for the inspiration which I too found to be worthy of review in an earlier post:

I’ll re-publish his opening here, but read the whole thing!

Principles of Writing at Mercury

1. Writing is thinking: Spending time on writing is not wasting time, it helps you process ideas, analyze problems, and explore solutions.
2. Less writing is better: Good writing is concise, which makes it easier to understand.
3. Reading should be easy: If >2 people will read your writing you should spend extra time making your writing good + digestible + clear etc. It is not fair for people reading to do work that the writer could have done for them.
4. Writing is expression: Your writing will be taken as an expression of your identity, so give it the care it deserves and be authentic.
5. Writing is important: Writing is the main way we communicate internally at Mercury, as a remote-first firm. We frame important discussions, and document thought processes and ultimate decisions, with our writing.