The author, a member of Buildkite's People Ops team, discusses the onboarding process at various organizations and how it can be improved. They mention that many new employees feel overwhelmed or uninspired by traditional onboarding methods such as long PowerPoint presentations. Instead, they suggest creating an environment where new team members feel comfortable and have access to informal mentors who can guide them through the company's culture and norms. The author then introduces Buildkite's unique onboarding process designed by themselves and colleague Ben Christensen at the request of the company's founders, emphasizing that it is meant to be "weird" in order to stand out from conventional methods.