In this interview with Yannis Pavlidis, Senior Director of Data Science at Walmart eCommerce, we discuss what it takes to be a great engineering leader, differences between engineering and data science, psychological safety, and hiring and conducting interviews during the pandemic.
Interview with Rama Kulasekaran, Sr. Director of Engineering at Optum (UnitedHealth Group)
In this interview with Rama Kulasekaran, Sr. Director of Engineering at Optum (UnitedHealth Group), we discuss what it takes to be a great engineering leader, psychological safety, the importance of networking, three book recommendations, and mentorship.
Interview with Pei-Chin Wang, Senior Director of Product at Redfin
In this interview (and podcast), with Pei-Chin Wang, Senior Director of Product at Redfin, we discuss the relationship between engineering and product management, challenges in creating process as your company scales, some excellent interview questions, and a fun tip to disconnect over the weekend.
Interview with Margaret Schmitt, Senior Director of SBU Solutions Enablement at ANSYS
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
What’s your background and how did you get into management?
I’m Margaret Schmitt, Senior Director of Business Performance in the Systems Business Unit at ANSYS, a leader in engineering simulation technology; prior to this role, I served as Chief of Staff to the CEO at ANSYS. I have 20 years’ experience in semiconductor and electronic systems design, and I specialize in the areas of low-power and power/thermal management.
Interview with Xing Chen, Senior Director, Software Engineering at Thumbtack
Location: San Francisco
Current Role: Senior Director, Software Engineering
What’s your background and how did you get into management?
I studied computer science at Stanford starting in 2003. Originally, I thought I wanted to get a Ph.D. and did research at the AI lab, but ultimately the research work felt too slow and abstract for me. After undergrad, I started my career working at Peter Thiel’s hedge fund, Clarium Capital Management.
Interview with Sue Nallapeta, Sr. Director, Engineering/Acting Head of Engineering at Zoosk
Location: San Fransisco Bay Area
Current Role: Sr. Director, Engineering/Acting Head of Engineering
What’s your background and how did you get into management?
I started my career as a Software Engineer back in India and moved to the United States to get my Masters degree in Computer Science and AI/ML. I continued my career as an individual contributor for a few years in a small company which had a very flat structure.
Interview with Jerry Li, Senior Director at Groupon
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Current Role: Senior Director at Groupon running orders and payments and common engineering team.
What is your background and how did you get into management?
I started my career as an engineer at Amazon in payments many years ago. After a few years in the role, I started to have more leadership responsibilities. One day my manager pulled me into his office and asked me,
Interview with Rich Archbold, Senior Director of Engineering at Intercom
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Current Role: Senior Director of Engineering at Intercom
What’s your background and how did you get into management?
I studied Electronic Engineering in college but quickly realised it wasn’t for me. In my first full time role I worked as a Systems Admin for Ireland’s first Internet Service Provider. This is where I cemented my love for computing and the Internet.
In 2005 I moved to Amazon,
Interview with Hampton Catlin, Sr Director of Engineering, Rent the Runway
Location: New York, NY
Current Role: Sr Director of Engineering, Rent the Runway
What’s your background and how did you get into management?
I did go to 3 years of University for Computer Science but eventually dropped out. I had real trouble finding a job (this was the post-bubble tech world!) and ended up taking odd jobs for several years, but I kept developing as part of my passion for making and creating things.
Interview with Allen Cheung, Senior Director of Engineering at Affirm
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Current Role: Senior Director of Engineering at Affirm
What’s your background and how did you get into management?
Before I became a manager, I was a software engineer for about 8–9 years in Silicon Valley. I had a BA of Computer Science from Cal, worked for a number of mid-sized companies and startups, and eventually, during my 4-year stint at Square, eased into a management role after acting as my team’s tech lead for over a year.