TechLead-Story: Valentin Slawicek, CTO at Moshbit GmbH
TechLeadStory
Valentin Slawicek
Team
Size and Roles:
- The Studo App development team at Moshbit GmbH has grown to more than triple its original size.
- Developers may work in various capacities, including Cross-Platform, Full-Stack, or specialize in Backend development.
Organization and Methodology:
- The team develops its own product and regularly gathers feedback from users.
- Backlog Grooming sessions every two weeks involve prioritizing user stories.
- Scrum sprints lasting two weeks prioritize bug fixes before new features.
Distinctive Team Aspects:
- Strong identification with users, as many developers are students or recent graduates.
- Proximity to users enables quick understanding and fulfillment of user wishes through code.
Recruiting
Integration in Recruiting Process:
- Recruiting for new developers is conducted directly from the development team.
- The team collectively identifies areas requiring support and defines the ideal competencies for new hires.
Onboarding Procedure:
- Kotlin is the primary language, and new developers, even without prior Kotlin experience, undergo training in Kotlin facets through tutorials, peer programming, and code review sessions.
Technologies
Qualities Beyond Technical Skills:
- Emphasis on a strong understanding of user needs and a willingness to embark on new challenges.
Technical Challenges:
- The Studo App, used by over 100,000 users daily, requires rapid feature releases and iterative improvements based on user feedback.
- Continuous improvement of user experience (UX) until it reaches full clarity and understanding.
Technologies in Use:
- Kotlin is used in backends, Android app, and frontend for web applications, often combined with React and occasionally TypeScript.
- Swift is employed for the iOS app.
- Backend databases include MongoDB and Redis.
- Cross-platform development heavily relies on Server Driven Rendering for several years.
Evolution of Technology:
- Since the company's founding in 2015, a shift from Client-Side Logic to Server Driven Rendering has been ongoing.
- By 2017, almost all new modules were developed using Server Driven Rendering.
- The company's technology choice was reinforced by Airbnb's adoption of a similar approach in 2018.
Dev Interview Info
