How 1Password’s culture is evolving

The cybersecurity landscape is changing fast. At 1Password, that means we’re continuously evolving what we work on, how we work, and the culture we need to achieve our goals.

Last year, I wrote about what high performance means to us. As our industry continues to move quickly, I want to share a more holistic view of the culture we’re continuing to shape and strengthen to meet this moment. 

I recently joined the Culture Uncovered podcast to talk about what that looks like in practice. Now, I’m bringing some of those reflections here for anyone exploring a career at 1Password, and for people-focused practitioners curious about how culture evolves inside a growing security company.

Building on a strong foundation

1Password was founded in 2005 and has grown steadily for over two decades. I joined in early 2022, the same year we closed our Series C, which was, at the time, the largest round raised by a Canadian company. Since then, we’ve entered a chapter of incredible growth. As we scale, a big part of my role is to honour the culture that got us here while making sure our people and systems are ready for our future.

Here’s what we’re focused on right now.

How we’re enabling our people to lead with AI

This is one of the most significant shifts happening across our company and our industry. At 1Password, we’re continuing to invest in our people to help them develop AI fluency, use best-in-class tools and integrations with confidence, and do their best work.

We’ve reached roughly 98% adoption of AI tooling internally, with AI Champions embedded across departments. “AI Champions” are employees who are trained to experiment with workflows, drive peer learning, and build AI confidence in practical ways.

What we’ve learned along the way is that the process is about being curious, listening intently to employee feedback, and building trust.  Our team members have important questions about privacy, responsibility, and thoughtful AI use. We make space for those questions, learn together, and stay focused on using AI to improve how we work and the outcomes we deliver.

How 1Password balances high performance with sustainable work

The pace of work is accelerating, and we prioritize a shared sense of purpose, clarity, and accountability to better serve our customers. There’s a strong sense of collaboration, openness to feedback, and opportunity for people who want to make an impact here – but this ambition can also cause some ambiguity. We're transparent with candidates about what they're walking into. This is a fast-moving, high-expectation environment where most of our challenges don’t have a “playbook.” We’re excited to meet the people who are energized by that.

Making that pace sustainable means investing in the whole employee experience. We reward our people beyond just a competitive salary and benefits. We offer support for major life moments, including generous parental leave policies and retirement matching. We also create space for our people to recharge through wellness days and connect through employee resource groups, and we continuously develop them through formal mentorship, leadership training, and AI enablement. 

We’re confident that the experience we create for our people directly shapes the experience we deliver to our customers.

1Password is making time for in-person connection

1Password has been remote-first from the beginning. It’s part of how we’ve built an exceptional team across Canada, the US, the UK, and beyond. It remains a real strength of how we work.

As we’ve scaled, I’ve seen the value that comes from getting the right people in the same room with a clear purpose. There’s a level of trust and alignment that can build quickly when working in-person. When it’s done well, that energy carries back into how teams collaborate remotely. 

That’s why 1Password is investing in more intentional in-person moments. We’re building out a larger hub in Toronto, where we were founded. We’re also opening spaces in the US and the UK, and we’re focused on bringing our frontline sales teams together more regularly. Across the company, we’re expanding opportunities for focused offsites, hackathons, and team volunteer events that help us connect, solve problems, and make an impact together.

We’re helping every team member see their impact

More than 180,000 businesses and millions of people trust 1Password to help protect their digital lives. That’s a responsibility every person here takes seriously and should feel connected to. Every team member, regardless of their role, is part of the customer experience and has a role to play in the future of what 1Password is building.

Ambassadorship has to be earned from the inside. People won’t represent a company they don’t feel proud of, connected to, or cared for by. That’s why our investment in the employee experience is what makes our culture of ambassadorship possible. When people feel valued, proud of their work, and clear on how they’re contributing to the future of the company, that culture  grows naturally. We’re excited to keep creating more moments for our people to build connections with our customers, our work, and each other.

The road ahead

I joined 1Password because I saw an opportunity to make a real impact, and to do it alongside great people. So much has evolved since then, but that principle feels just as true today. This is a team that cares deeply about the future of 1Password, challenges each other with honesty and warmth, and wants to build something that lasts.

The work we’re doing is critically important: helping people and businesses stay secure in a world where trust, access, and identity are being reshaped every day. Together, we’re building the culture that makes that work possible 

If you’re energized by meaningful work, ownership, and the chance to help shape what’s next in identity security, I hope you’ll take a look at 1Password.