We just wrapped up this year’s annual @Buffer team retreat, and in an attempt to not duplicate the posts my teammates are posting, I’ll just say this:

Our ability to connect as humans is vital. It makes life worth living and work worth doing. Without it, we might as well be hamsters on separate wheels.

Now you might say: you work for a remote company! Of course you crave connection with colleagues! Plenty of offices offer this.

That’s not what I’m talking about at all. I’m talking about proper human connection. Knowing someone at the level of their soul.

Sure, I’m driving distance from only 4 of my teammates and even more are on the other side of the world. But each year we come together and not just to work. To connect as a team of humans.

We sure do work – a few of us got from big hairy idea to functional prototype in about 2 hours, as one of many examples – but we also shared meals, some of which lasted hours, talked deep about very hard things in life, wandered a city together, laughed hysterically together, cried together, sang our lungs off at karaoke together, screamed into the void while touching grass, celebrated our achievements together, got quite real about our challenges while all in the same room. All of the above happened last week.

AI was a frequent topic this year, and my takeaway continues to be this: while it can speed things up – and we’re oddly well positioned to really take advantage of that at Buffer – it cannot (and must not) replace any of the human stuff. If it does, we’re done for.

These people are wonderful. I feel like I’ve known most of them for decades. I’m so proud and grateful to be part of this team.