The Postmodern Data Company
We enable startups and enterprises to make better use of their most important asset—their data.
The Oxygen Method
We care deeply about the craft of tool-making—building systems that are lightweight, intelligent, and elegant.
Lightweight
No bloated infrastructure. No unnecessary complexity. We build lean systems powered by Rust and DuckDB that run fast and cost a fraction of legacy stacks.
Intelligent
AI is not an afterthought—it's woven into the core. Purpose-built agents that understand your data and automate the entire analytics lifecycle.
Elegant
Every API, every interface, every line of code is crafted with intention. We obsess over developer experience and design because great tools should feel effortless.
Founders' Story
Joseph and Robert met at Harvard University 15 years ago where they bonded over their love for Math, Physics, and Music Composition.
After spending more than a decade as data scientists and machine learning engineers at AI and data-forward companies like Airbnb, Wayfair, and QuantCo, they saw that modern data platforms were too fragmented, too complex, and lacked native intelligence. Teams were forced to stitch together 5+ tools just to get basic analytics working, paying millions in infrastructure costs while drowning in integration complexity.
With Oxygen, we are building the data platform we always wanted—one that is full-stack, composable, lightweight, and agent-native from the ground up.
Meet the Founders
Joseph Moon
Co-founder & CEO
Previously: CEO at Hyperquery; Founding Team at QuantCo; Founding Data Scientist at Wayfair; B.A. Mathematics from Harvard.
Robert Yi
Co-founder & CTO
Previously: CTO at Hyperquery; Data Scientist at Airbnb; Data Science Lead at Wayfair; Ph.D. Physics at MIT, B.A. Physics from Harvard.
Company Mantras
Get to the truth
Nothing matters more than getting to the truth. The market does not care about your feelings or your ego. We must deliver what the market wants, not what we want. In discussions and arguments, focus on getting to the truth, not on winning the argument.
h/t Harvard University
Build your craft
The Company's craft is building intelligent systems. We are dedicating our careers to this craft. Engineering, design, product, sales, marketing - these are part of the craft you are building as a profession and calling.
h/t Jiro Ono
Be intellectually honest
Do not pretend to know what you do not know. Admit it when you are wrong. Do not be defensive. Ask for help if you need. Being intellectually honest requires you to have the courage to be wrong and vulnerable.
h/t Harvard University
Write well to think well
The best way to think better is to write better. We have a heavy writing culture, where all important meetings and thoughts are documented.
h/t Jeff Bezos
Decide in writing
All important decisions (especially Type-1, 1-way-door decisions) are written down and heavily scrutinized in a decision document prior to the decision being made.
h/t Jeff Bezos
Measure twice, cut once
Think twice before saying or doing something. A significant amount of time can be saved if one thinks through all the parameters of an action prior to doing/speaking. We want to be measured and in control.
h/t Harvard University
Always be moving
A Company that does not have a default stance and movement even in the face of uncertainty is dying. Calculated movement gives more information. Stasis means death.
h/t Reid Hoffman, Paul Graham, Jeff Bezos
Have too much ambition
Ambitious startups are easier to build. We can attract more capital, attract better people, and stand for something much bigger than ourselves. When in doubt, have more ambition, not less.
h/t Sam Altman
Speed AND quality
Being fast is incredibly important in a startup. A false dichotomy is that speed requires sacrifice in quality. We must achieve both. The way to do this is to reduce requirements down to their absolute core.
h/t Patrick Collison, Sam Altman
Reduce surface area
Most product success happens because of focus, not because of the number of features. Having a smaller surface area allows us to be more nimble and execute faster.
h/t Elon Musk
Cut out the middleman
Talk and work directly with the people doing the work. We do not believe in middle managers whose primary job is to manage. Direct communication enables speed and clarity.
h/t Elon Musk
Founder mode
The Company is built around the unique strengths of our Founders. This allows high speed and quality of output. Our culture of truth-seeking and intellectual honesty allows us to operate with high trust when acting quickly.
h/t Brian Chesky
EV > TV > MeV
Solve for the company value (enterprise value, EV) over your team's value (TV), over your own value. Always do the right thing for the company as a whole, not just for your team.
h/t Brian Halligan
Get to the truth
Nothing matters more than getting to the truth. The market does not care about your feelings or your ego. We must deliver what the market wants, not what we want. In discussions and arguments, focus on getting to the truth, not on winning the argument.
h/t Harvard University
Build your craft
The Company's craft is building intelligent systems. We are dedicating our careers to this craft. Engineering, design, product, sales, marketing - these are part of the craft you are building as a profession and calling.
h/t Jiro Ono
Be intellectually honest
Do not pretend to know what you do not know. Admit it when you are wrong. Do not be defensive. Ask for help if you need. Being intellectually honest requires you to have the courage to be wrong and vulnerable.
h/t Harvard University
Write well to think well
The best way to think better is to write better. We have a heavy writing culture, where all important meetings and thoughts are documented.
h/t Jeff Bezos
Decide in writing
All important decisions (especially Type-1, 1-way-door decisions) are written down and heavily scrutinized in a decision document prior to the decision being made.
h/t Jeff Bezos
Measure twice, cut once
Think twice before saying or doing something. A significant amount of time can be saved if one thinks through all the parameters of an action prior to doing/speaking. We want to be measured and in control.
h/t Harvard University
Always be moving
A Company that does not have a default stance and movement even in the face of uncertainty is dying. Calculated movement gives more information. Stasis means death.
h/t Reid Hoffman, Paul Graham, Jeff Bezos
Have too much ambition
Ambitious startups are easier to build. We can attract more capital, attract better people, and stand for something much bigger than ourselves. When in doubt, have more ambition, not less.
h/t Sam Altman
Speed AND quality
Being fast is incredibly important in a startup. A false dichotomy is that speed requires sacrifice in quality. We must achieve both. The way to do this is to reduce requirements down to their absolute core.
h/t Patrick Collison, Sam Altman
Reduce surface area
Most product success happens because of focus, not because of the number of features. Having a smaller surface area allows us to be more nimble and execute faster.
h/t Elon Musk
Cut out the middleman
Talk and work directly with the people doing the work. We do not believe in middle managers whose primary job is to manage. Direct communication enables speed and clarity.
h/t Elon Musk
Founder mode
The Company is built around the unique strengths of our Founders. This allows high speed and quality of output. Our culture of truth-seeking and intellectual honesty allows us to operate with high trust when acting quickly.
h/t Brian Chesky
EV > TV > MeV
Solve for the company value (enterprise value, EV) over your team's value (TV), over your own value. Always do the right thing for the company as a whole, not just for your team.
h/t Brian Halligan