Panic is part of a swelling trend of small companies that are really among the cutting edge of business. Very freeform, very openended, very dedicated to their products. They might be my favorite example because each of the people there (Cabel Sasser, Steven Frank, and Neven Mrgan) are entities in their own right. But they're similar in design and flow to companies like Coudal and — the mother of all these freeform places — Barbarian Group.

It's easier now than ever before to form a small group of passionate people and spend your life getting paid by selling directly to the masses. That's incredibly exciting.