Michira Griffins

pixel flinger :-)

[Gergely Orosz @GergelyOrosz]

How did a tiny team of 30 engineers build WhatsApp, more than a decade ago? From Jean Lee, engineer #19 at the company.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
01:39 Early years in tech
06:18 Becoming engineer #19 at WhatsApp
13:53 WhatsApp’s tech stack
18:09 WhatsApp’s unique ways of working
25:27 Countdown displays and outages
27:07 Why WhatsApp won
28:53 The Facebook acquisition
33:13 Life after acquisition
39:27 Working at Facebook in London
44:07 Transitioning to management
47:27 Performance reviews as a manager
53:29 After Facebook
58:53 AI’s impact on engineering
1:02:34 Jean’s advice to new grads and startups
1:06:45 Empowering employees
1:08:17 Book recommendations

Watch or listen:

• YouTube: https://t.co/UhXGaERuPX

• Spotify: https://t.co/00Wq6yguli

• Apple: https://t.co/SJi52uWKzi

Brought to you by:

• @statsig  – ⁠ The unified platform for flags, analytics, experiments, and more. https://t.co/ZCSOIcX2Sz

• @SonarSource – The makers of SonarQube, the industry standard for automated code review. https://t.co/Q7wjteXaUZ

• @WorkOS – Everything you need to make your app enterprise ready https://t.co/U76GQysXq7

Three interesting observations from this episode:

1. WhatsApp had no code reviews after in-place.

WhatsApp cofounder, Brian Acton, reviewed the very first pull request of each new hire, and after that, there were no more code reviews. Jean recounts how Brian reviewed her debut PR in extreme detail. This first (and only!) review set the bar high, and she wrote code to that standard from then on.

2. WhatsApp had close to zero formal processes.

WhatsApp had no Scrum, no Agile, no TDD (test driven development), and no formal code reviews beyond the first commit. In contrast, Skype had 1,000 engineers and mandatory Scrum training, but WhatsApp still outcompeted it and won. Jean’s response to hearing of all the formal processes Skype used in order to execute faster: “I’m surprised to hear they thought they were shipping faster because of it.” Perhaps process is often a substitute for trust, not quality?”

3. Saying “no” to features was a competitive advantage.

WhatsApp’s CEO, Jan Koum, rejected 99% of feature requests from the team. While competitors shipped dozens of shiny, new features, WhatsApp ruthlessly prioritized reliability and simplicity. Jan repeatedly told the team what the mission was. “I want a grandma living in the countryside to be able to use our app”, he said.

[BowTiedMara @BowTiedMara]

Marco Rubio managing Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran:

[Het Mehta @hetmehtaa]

Most people don't know this, but https://t.co/E5e3edXNmv runs on Richard Stallman's personal thinkpad, and when he closes the lid, the website goes offline!

[Noor @noorrietje]

Twitter is such a goated app, it feels like a psych ward with no staff

[Michira Griffins @MichiraGriffins]

@Hetzner_Online I've been trying to create an account from Kenya and submitted all required verification documents, but my account keeps getting closed with no explanation given. This is very frustrating. Can someone please look into my case and explain what's happening?

[Johnny Midnight ⚡️ @its_The_Dr]

I think he lays it out perfectly and easy for anyone to understand!

[Michira Griffins @MichiraGriffins]

@ntvkenya @OfficialJMbugua @EricLatiff @MariamBishar @NationFmKE Why are you broadcasting in english?

[Michira Griffins @MichiraGriffins]

@boostnbytes Lala!

[Michira Griffins @MichiraGriffins]

@HaithamElmasri1 @grok

[Nature is Amazing ☘️ @AMAZlNGNATURE]

Imagine seeing this majestic creature in the wild.

[Joserin³ 🎨🏎️ Ferutto One PO @persikemas]

Max Verstappen after finishing p17 to p1 in brazil gp to FIA:

[DEV Community @ThePracticalDev]

Happy #MemeMonday 🤪 #WebDevelopment

[Patrick Bet-David @patrickbetdavid]

Tom Cruise was right.

This interview was on June 24th, 2005.

Sometimes it takes 20 years for your argument to be proven right.

[Serillo✭ @OdhisSr]

@Engmichael_ke Bro mimi sitaki kutegemea watoto

[House of Trad @house_of_trad]

@getbasedtv More of this

[Michira Griffins @MichiraGriffins]

@ArtCandee @ArtCandee which is true now? https://t.co/PNbRVc0tJn

[Michira Griffins @MichiraGriffins]

@ZacksJerryRig I was talking of a hypothetical situation where that happened.

[Michira Griffins @MichiraGriffins]

@ZacksJerryRig https://t.co/LICtBjQAp5

[Ja Loka @_fels1]

USAID fighting poverty in Africa.

[Michira Griffins @MichiraGriffins]

@ZacksJerryRig @ZacksJerryRig the money never gets to Africa. Or most of it. What happens is, it is normally lost in the management. Take for example when you donated a library in Budalangi Kenya but money ended up in the people managing the project instead of building the library.