Stop Confusing Perks for Culture: The Brutal Truth About What Really Matters

It’s easy to believe that company culture is about the little extras—the nap pods, the Friday happy hours, the free snacks that seem to multiply in the break room. But as Ben Horowitz bluntly explains in 'What You Do Is Who You Are,' these perks are just the icing, not the cake. The real substance of culture is found in the everyday behaviors, decisions, and unwritten rules that shape your team’s destiny.

Perks can attract talent, but they don’t keep it. When pressure mounts, when deadlines loom, or when mistakes happen, it’s your culture—not your kombucha tap—that determines whether your team pulls together or falls apart. Culture is the way your people make decisions when no one’s watching. It’s the micro-decisions: how you handle conflict, whether you admit mistakes, and how you treat the least powerful person in the room.

Horowitz warns that confusing perks for culture can be fatal. When the perks dry up (as they often do in tough times), what’s left? If you haven’t built a culture of trust, accountability, and honest feedback, your team will splinter. The companies that thrive are those where culture is lived, not just offered as a benefit package.

So how do you build real culture? Start by making your values actionable. Don’t just say 'integrity'—define what it means in practice. Set shocking rules that force people to pay attention. Tell stories that reinforce your standards. And above all, walk the talk—because what you do is who you are, and your team is always watching.

Perks are nice. Culture is everything. Invest where it counts.