Company | 05/02/2025
Beyond Remote Work: Ledger’s Blueprint For Collaborative Innovation
Before You Dive In:
— In 2024 Ledger open 106, a state-of-the-art Head Office in Paris, swimming against the tide of remote work
— 106 is the physical manifestation of Ledger’s focus on inspiring innovation & collaboration
— Every aspect of the building’s design was meticulously planned to accommodate creativity, security and flexible work
As the world emerges from a period of unprecedented workplace transformation, one thing has become clear: to drive innovation, the future of work is more about how we work together, than where. At Ledger, our approach to this challenge is reflected in 106, our state-of-the-art Paris HQ which embodies the same principles that guide our products: thoughtful design, security-first thinking, and a commitment to long-term value over short-term trends.
Swimming Against the Tide: The Courage to Choose Connection
In 2021, when the corporate world rushed headlong into fully remote models, shedding office space and declaring physical workplaces obsolete, Ledger made a deliberate choice to swim against the tide. We invested heavily in our headquarters and global offices, not because we rejected flexibility, but because we recognized something fundamental about innovation in security: it thrives at the intersection of structure and spontaneity.
During those three formative years of meticulous planning and development, we carefully shaped every aspect of the space to embody our vision for the workplace of tomorrow, making deliberate choices that would support our hybrid model and innovation philosophy long before many organizations began rethinking their hasty remote-work decisions.
This vision culminated in June 2024 with the completion of our state-of-the-art 106T headquarters. This wasn’t just a construction project but a manifestation of our forward-thinking approach to work.
106 HQ: A Physical Manifestation of Ledger’s Innovative Philosophy
Located in the heart of Paris’s historic Marais district, 106 rue du Temple is more than just our head office, it reflects how Ledger has built a modern workplace on unique historical and cultural foundations.
Originally constructed in 1927 as a telephone exchange by renowned architect François Le Cœur, the building’s Art Deco façade, now listed as a historic monument, speaks to a new spirit of communication, resilience, and reinvention that defines both the neighbourhood and our company.
This distinctive setting, steeped in centuries of cultural evolution, from medieval religious orders to revolutionary change, provides the perfect backdrop for Ledger’s innovative philosophy to thrive, bridging tradition with modernity. Ledger’s CEO, Pascal Gautier, drew inspiration from François I and Chambord Castle, constructed in the 16th Century as a symbol of power and Renaissance aesthetic.
The design of the nine-storey complex intentionally creates what we call “innovation intersections“, spaces designed for both focused work and spontaneous collaboration, where team members from different disciplines naturally encounter each other, leading to organic cross-pollination of ideas. These aren’t just incidental architectural features; they’re innovation catalysts:
- The Welcome Hall with Barista: Our entrance isn’t merely a checkpoint; it’s a social catalyst. The barista area has become the birthplace of countless cross-departmental collaborations.
- Modular Event Space: A basketball court transforms into a large meeting space accommodating All-Hands, AMAs, and official ceremonies. This flexibility has allowed us to host everyone from Maurice Levy to Minister Clara Chappaz, bringing external perspectives into our innovation ecosystem.
- Fitness & Wellness Facilities: Recognizing the physical dimension of high performance, our gym and wellness areas offer a space for recharging, strengthening both body and mind. They are integral to sustaining the cognitive energy needed for breakthrough innovation.
- Professional Media Studio: Beyond internal collaboration, we’ve established a state-of-the-art media studio that empowers our teams and leaders to amplify Ledger’s voice across global channels, enabling our expertise to transcend borders. Ledger Studio has become a crucial connection point with key market actors and beyond, hosting interviews, webinars, and thought leadership content that position Ledger at the center of critical conversations in Web3 security.
- Music Room: Creativity doesn’t stop at workstations. Our dedicated music room embodies the idea that cross-functional jam sessions between engineers, designers, and business teams fuel both cultural connection and unexpected professional collaboration.
The Donjon: Where Security Meets Innovation
One of the most distinctive features of our 106T headquarters is what we call “The Donjon”, Ledger’s highly secure infrastructure, where our most sensitive operations take place. Unlike the famous Silicon Valley garages where startups are born, the Donjon represents something entirely unique in the tech world.
Established in 2018, Ledger Donjon is the security research team at Ledger made up of world-class experts with extensive backgrounds in software and hardware security, as well as cryptography. The Donjon analyzes and improves the security of Ledger products along with those of competitors, for the benefit of the whole ecosystem. That’s why the Donjon open-sources most of its internal attack tools.
Even within this ultra-secure setting, we’ve designed spaces that enable our security experts to collaborate effectively. Think of it as the European Space Agency’s Mission Control meets a high-security bank vault, where precision and teamwork are equally critical.
This unique infrastructure demonstrates how Ledger is redefining the relationship between physical security and digital innovation, creating an environment where both not only coexist but actively strengthen each other.
Hybrid Done Right: Structure, Flexibility & Clear Boundaries
Our hybrid model wasn’t developed as a compromise but as an intentional framework that maximizes both flexibility and connection. We established clear principles:
- On-site work as our reference point: While we embrace flexibility, in-person collaboration remains our baseline, creating a shared context for distributed work.
- Acknowledgment of individual differences: We recognize that remote work experiences vary dramatically based on role, home environment, and personal work style.
- Education before implementation: Before launching our hybrid approach, we invested in helping teams understand both the benefits and limitations of distributed work.
- Security without compromise: Our security protocols extend seamlessly between office and remote environments, reflecting our belief that protection and productivity must coexist.
At Ledger, this structured approach to hybrid work has strengthened team cohesion and innovation. Our structured flexibility creates the psychological safety necessary for both individual contribution and collective creativity.
The Productivity Paradox: Bridging the Creativity Connection Gap
The conversation about workplace models often focuses narrowly on immediate productivity metrics, but at Ledger, we recognize what we call the “creativity connection gap“, the gradual erosion of collaborative innovation that can emerge in environments without meaningful face-to-face interaction.
While remote work can boost individual productivity on defined tasks, complex innovation often requires the “creative collisions” that happen when talented people share physical space. For a company securing the future of digital assets, these moments of unplanned collaboration aren’t just valuable, they’re essential.
Our approach acknowledges both immediate performance needs and the conditions necessary for breakthrough innovation:
- Deep work spaces that allow for focused productivity
- Collaborative zones that facilitate spontaneous interactions where novel ideas emerge. Last quarter, a casual conversation between engineering, product, and GTM teams waiting for their morning caffeine boost sparked a solution to a user onboarding challenge we’d been tackling for weeks.
- Wellness areas that support the physical and mental states conducive to creative thinking
- Community-building opportunities that strengthen the trust essential for risk-taking and innovation
These principles come to life through concrete implementations:
Wellness Programs Beyond Amenities: Our fitness facility isn’t just equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, it’s programmed with sessions designed to bring together employees from all ten floors of our building. When our security and UX teams participated in the same morning yoga session, they discovered a shared perspective on user authentication that led to a significant product improvement.
Business Vertical Integration: The modular design of our spaces allows different business verticals to convene in configurations tailored to their specific collaboration needs. When our hardware and software teams needed to resolve complex integration challenges for our Ledger Stax product, the ability to reconfigure physical space to mirror their workflow proved invaluable.
At Ledger, we’ve observed a marked increase in cross-functional collaboration and creative problem-solving since implementing our thoughtfully designed hybrid environment. This “innovation advantage” reflects exactly what we’ve designed our work environment to cultivate.
Global Connection, Local Presence
While our Paris HQ stands as our innovation anchor, our approach extends to all our global locations. Each Ledger office is designed with the same principles, creating spaces that foster both productivity and serendipitous collaboration, while serving as connection points for remote team members when they gather.
This network of purposeful spaces creates what we at Ledger call “connected identity” – the ability to feel part of both local teams and the broader organization, something particularly valuable in a company spanning 56 nationalities.
Beyond serving our teams, our Paris HQ also acts as a bridge to the wider community: hosting cultural events, welcoming partners, and showcasing Ledger’s products and vision. This openness strengthens our mission to democratize security and foster trust in the digital asset ecosystem.
The MVP Bar: This gathering space extends collaboration beyond traditional work hours, with teams naturally continuing discussions over lunch or after-work gatherings. When our product and tech teams needed to align on a common roadmap to serve the business, the informal setting of the MVP Bar provided exactly the right environment for breaking down silos.
- Rooftop with 360° Paris Views: Offering an unparalleled perspective over Haussmannian Paris, our rooftop does more than impress visitors, it changes perspectives. Teams regularly use this space for brainstorming sessions, finding that the panoramic views literally elevate their thinking beyond conventional boundaries.
The Future is Neither Remote Nor Traditional
The debate between remote and traditional work presents a false dichotomy. The future Ledger is building transcends both models, creating an environment where:
- Flexibility serves a purpose rather than existing purely out of convenience
- Technology connects rather than isolates
- Physical spaces catalyze rather than constrain
- Security enables rather than restricts
In an industry defined by constant evolution, our workplace model embodies what we believe about innovation itself: it happens when talented people with diverse perspectives come together in an environment designed for both security and creative freedom.
A Leadership Position in Workplace Innovation
As Exec HR, I’m proud that Ledger hasn’t simply followed workplace trends but has taken a leadership position in designing an environment that reflects our values and mission. In the same way that our products set new standards for digital asset security, our workplace approach establishes a new model for innovation-focused organizations.
A perfect embodiment of this philosophy occurred recently during our cross-functional planning session for the next generation of security protocols. What began as a structured meeting in our main conference area spontaneously evolved into an impromptu whiteboard session in our communal area, then continued over lunch at the MVP Bar, and culminated in a rooftop brainstorming session.
This fluid movement through different environments, each supporting a different mode of thinking, produced a breakthrough that would have been impossible in a single setting or via video calls.
The companies that will define the next decade won’t be those that embraced remote work fastest or clung most tightly to traditional models. The leaders will be organizations like Ledger that thoughtfully designed environments where human creativity, technological capability, and purposeful collaboration converge.
As we secure the future of digital assets, we’re equally committed to securing the future of work itself, creating spaces and practices where breakthrough innovation isn’t just possible, but inevitable.
If Ledger’s collaborative workplace sounds like an environment where your career might thrive, please review our open opportunities or connect with me on LinkedIn.
By Alex Blanc, Executive HR at Ledger
Credit for photography: Antoine Mercusot
This blog post accompanies a podcast interview with Alex Blanc, Executive HR at Ledger, conducted in French, but available with English subtitles.