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.