# Open & Async

> The collaborative software development playbook for remote and distributed teams

## About

Open & Async is a book by Ben Balter, Director at GitHub, about thriving and advancing your career in remote and distributed software development. Drawing on a decade of experience at GitHub—the company that pioneered remote-first software development—the book provides battle-tested practices, concrete patterns, and actionable guidance for both engineering leaders and individual contributors.

## Author

Ben Balter is Director of Hubber Enablement at GitHub, where he helps thousands of GitHubbers do their best remote work. Before this role: Chief of Staff for Security, enterprise PM, and GitHub's first Government Evangelist. Before GitHub: attorney, Presidential Innovation Fellow, and member of the White House's first agile development team. The US CTO once called him one of "the baddest of the badass innovators." He holds a J.D. and an M.B.A. from the George Washington University and is a member of the DC Bar.

- Website: https://ben.balter.com
- GitHub: https://github.com/benbalter
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benbalter.com

## Book Details

- **Title**: Open & Async: The collaborative software development playbook for remote and distributed teams
- **Author**: Ben Balter
- **Publication Date**: February 18, 2026
- **Formats**: Paperback (ISBN 979-8-9957542-1-3), Hardcover (ISBN 979-8-9957542-2-0), eBook (ISBN 979-8-9957542-0-6), Audiobook (ISBN 979-8-9957542-3-7)
- **BISAC**: BUS071000 (Leadership), BUS085000 (Organizational Behavior), COM051390 (Software Development & Engineering / Tools)
- **Publisher**: Open & Async LLC

## Audience

- **Engineering Leaders**: VP Eng, Directors, Engineering Managers, Tech Leads — learn how to build effective remote teams, create cultures of transparency, and retain talent.
- **Individual Contributors**: Software developers, senior engineers, tech leads — build skills in async collaboration, written communication, and career advancement through impact.

## Key Topics

- Working in the open: documentation, transparency, giving everything a URL
- Asynchronous communication: replacing meetings, writing clearly, chat etiquette
- Impact over input: measuring outcomes, protecting flow state, developer happiness
- Leadership in distributed teams: decisions as documentation, leading by example
- Team health and sustainability: preventing burnout, navigating conflict, in-person time
- AI and agentic workflows: emerging tools for open and async work

## Links

- Website: https://open-and-async.com
- Sitemap: https://open-and-async.com/sitemap-index.xml