Toptal CEO Sets 80 Percent Remote, 20 Percent In-Person Split for AI Teams

Toptal CEO Taso Du Val now advocates an 80/20 model in which 80 percent of the workforce can remain fully remote and 20 percent should work in person, a change from his earlier position that 80 percent of work should be remote and 20 percent in-person at quarterly off-sites.

Du Val said the shift stems from changes in software development, where teams building datasets and agents for large language models require more intense brainstorming and technical discussion than remote tools currently support. He pointed to seven recent PhD graduates in AI and reinforcement learning who report directly to him and are focused on that work.

"I hate to say it, because I wish everything could be done remotely just as proficiently as it could in person," Du Val told Business Insider. " Toptal has operated remotely since its founding in 2010 and employs roughly 700 people. Du Val said he still believes remote work is here to stay for most roles and is considering a headquarters only for the innovation-focused fraction of staff.

The company has paused routine off-sites in the last six months after holding as many as 62 in a single year following a 2021 ramp-up. It hosted gatherings in Turkey, Thailand, France, and Spain and spent many millions of dollars on them. Du Val said the off-sites often failed to drive value unless tied to specific intent-driven projects.

He recently spent a month in a 15-bedroom villa in Turkey with a team building a fintech branch and found the format effective for that purpose. "It really wasn't driving value, so I realized, 'wow, this is really pointless, unless you're doing very specific intent-driven work,'" Du Val said. He added that Toptal plans to hire staff who can facilitate more productive gatherings in the future.