Ever since we ditched our corporate jobs and kicked off Corporate Rebels, we’ve been on a mission: end the frustration and inefficiencies of traditional management.

We knew (or let’s be honest, hoped) to turn Corporate Rebels into a global movement.

And “movement” is the word we used from day one. But truth is, we weren’t a movement. Not yet. We were a team of workplace geeks with a big audience.

Powerful? Sure. But not nearly as powerful as a true movement can be.

So, 14 months ago, with shaky legs, we jumped.

We launched a global network of “Rebel Cells”.

What does such a movement look like in action?

Well, last week, I witnessed it firsthand when we visited Switzerland, where the local Rebel Cell connects pioneering organizations to learn, share, and push boundaries together.

We spent quality time with five of the member organizations to dive deep into their unique approach to work:

• Smartive: 28 people. No bosses. Transparent salaries. Shared ownership.
• Dectris: A high-tech company employing 180 people who reinvented their structure through parallel bottom-up and top-down revolutions
• MAN Energy Solutions: The Swiss part of a 10,000-person industrial manufacturer whose "Future Makers" initiative sparked a powerful transformation
• Cosanum: A family-owned healthcare logistics business where letting go of control unleashed huge team potential
• Team Factory: The team coordinating the Swiss Rebel Cell. A passionate company dedicated to impactful organizational transformation and progressive ways of working

The Swiss Rebel Cell is just one of 25 that have emerged globally. What makes them powerful is how they drive change from within their regions.

During these visits, I witnessed Smartive sharing their transparent salary formula while Dectris offered insights into their five-dimension evaluation approach. MAN's production leaders discussed challenges with Team Factory’s founder.

The peer-to-peer exchange is what makes this network come alive. It’s immediate, practical and rooted in shared experience.

No consulting speak. No theoretical BS.

Just raw, no-nonsense wisdom flowing between organizations committed to doing work better.

Driving back home, Joost and I talked it through.

This is the difference between an audience and a movement.

With an audience, energy flows in one direction. With a movement, energy flows everywhere, creating connections we could never orchestrate.

This isn’t just happening in Switzerland. It’s happening in Japan, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Germany, the US, the UK, and 19 other countries.

That's when it hit me: we're no longer building a movement.

The movement exists.

It's alive. It's growing.

And increasingly, it has a life beyond us.

As the Rebel Cell members shared a dinner in Zurich, I felt something unexpected: a profound sense of being exactly where we needed to be.

Not at the center, but as part of something much bigger.

And that's what a real movement feels like.

We’re ready to grow the movement to its next phase. Therefore, we’re welcoming new member organizations around the world.

Want to apply? Go here.

Updates from Corporate Rebels HQ

Here's a quick overview of everything happening at Corporate Rebels:

• New Masterclass dates: You asked, we listened. A new Masterclass kicks off June 24. Runs till July 31. Live sessions from 08.00–10.00 CET. Perfect for folks from New Zealand to Western Europe. More info here.
• AI, AI, AI: We’re switching to a new community platform next month. 1,500+ members and all Rebel Cells will benefit. Expect powerful AI tools—chat with our content, connect faster, and access everything you need in seconds.
• Dutch Rebel Cell meetup: Two weeks ago, 17 pioneers met to deep dive into salaries and compensation in progressive orgs. Touchy topic, valuable takeaways. Some of them I shared on LinkedIn.
• Crowdfunding for Peerdom: During our Swiss visit, we met Peerdom, who's democratizing investment in their workplace transformation platform - you can join for as little as 5,000 CHF. More info here.

New article

A new article has been published on our website earlier this week:

• The Death of the CEO: How Basetis Rewrote the Rules of Work​
  In this piece, my colleague Emma recently wrote a fascinating article on Basetis, a software company that literally "killed" the CEO role. After meeting Marc and Andreu in Barcelona, she documented how they transformed their 400-person company by removing what wasn't working and doubling down on trust - with striking results. Now they're even looking to "kill the owner" through steward ownership models. Enough to unpack here.
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What inspired us

Here's something noteworthy we discovered this past week that you’re going to love:

• Remembering Jean-Francois Zobrist
  ​One of my all-time favorite visits to a true workplace pioneer was back in December 2016. We drove to Northern France to visit Jean-Francois Zobrist, the iconic CEO who transformed manufacturing company FAVI. Recently, Zobrist passed away. With the great memory of that day in mind, I felt the need to share the two-part story we wrote on Zobrist's amazing work. Read it here.

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Cheers,

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