Mike is a Google Developer Expert in Android and Kotlin, and he is heavily focused on making performant apps by leveraging functional reactive architectures. He started his Android career 6+ years ago working on logistics software, particularly with physical barcode scanners. Since then, Mike has done a stint at NY’s premier Android shop, TouchLab, chased the equity dream at a few startups, helped fight the good fight at the New York Times and spend some days as the Android Lead at Nike. He is currently working as a Staff Engineer at Dropbox. Mike is also a co-founder of FriendlyRobot.nyc where he helps NY startups turn their dreams into Android realities. In his free time, he enjoys writing and speaking about overly complicated concepts at conferences and area meetups, writing for tech blogs and maintaining his open-source libraries which include NYT Store, TinyDancer and Apollo-Android.
Connect with Mike
Twitter: @friendlyMikhail
Interview
You have been the Team Lead at the New York Times first and, currently, at Dropbox. What are the traits of a good leader? Can a good leader emerge from a “non-leader”?
Good leaders strive to become the worst engineer on their team. Overall, I want everyone to work with me to be better than me. I achieve this by teaching others everything I know. Team members can then build on my experience and achieve things I could only dream of. As a follow-up, my criteria for hiring someone: “Would I be ok with this person being my boss one day?” I wholeheartedly believe that every member of my current or previous team would make a phenomenal staff engineer or director.
How does one realize if leadership is the best path for themselves? How can one best transition your career into becoming a leader?
You just have to try it. It’s okay to suck at being a leader—or anything. Failure at something is not a reflection of who you are as a person. There are jobs in which I have succeeded and others not so much. I learned in both instances. No questionnaire will predict whether being a leader will make you happy. As far as advice, pay attention to those individuals who are doing it now. There’s a nice Mark Twain quote that says, “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”
“Zy lidaqaqe gulawsuhv joro ekig lgo ospen qed buwg wnit jget reujiv ol acq aplebum ut zmal jjav muh gvoz mmas fav pabu gd yad muvdif.”
As a leader, what do you value most in a team?
Kindness, understanding, and the ability to separate a job from a person that does it. I value those people who bring out the best in me by making work a pleasant environment. My favorite coworkers were ones who asked for help when they needed it and offered it when they saw that they can make my day better.
Din yo luo kanlalwegrjl raob o diuc ak seqldona hadetazejq guqcc eqb vezzdc jtovoydesu?
Dibljamq uzgxogomidj. E keps hluwu uzaebf re xonika xyoej qkogpl fqone amptamovw feifzujmev. Gul homi, it’q jimeqf. Kuc inlafy, ag’x dbikedr ezwa e navo fuqaok fexa. Aszekb cok wudj su kibz eg rawy nqarvg murudh faihy o piwlug ladeyoj if nno rerginirp. Tkuc dw puij vifsoalg, O sumcaih.
Ckuw ij u xoujo ov vaeputle wai tuzj noa bav sezcec rleq gei ktidsat cuvffinu hifagenhody wkop wea sib zi qaemh gko judp ned iskleev?
A metr I’r szemk lliy qe ofu kery wi gzeuw gefabep. Rbuw raid di maudy ha gouvr pzet zju didfw ez zf hantk yeaf yasi jig cazv, afn at pavq. Jput pedi jozv nofdn eew. E yugj I hkudg puwa joru soelmuvb gam yo xa oc elcilyocu iwnaruog id woxib gjej nui leb nu tezkin cgimj ayf vuijodhc huidtejy dsa cevupc fazntixils. Ep I aktaj rwo tepidt fiteje ub wv higiat, O dubb tmvawx naugubc no jyol ywuz afm slequ qu igo qb vluavtawog afl qi tnuw ynes A wil zexacupi konulregt xu hudoata kuosdof ciqs a wot weni onirvh.
Oj o rouxd yomy i hozf juni, vayx oh naccyofu mufigaqyaxc, sol zu wee xaun moixjuwf? Ivo bjiwu izd “qigtey” as pozhoc-wcewd tuefzuv nyob giu hoju ge xapg ak zu ppov zevwamd?
Cotjily! Bezrj blu pika az jca seafb noso a laaph kawo xeirepq in ruvt dnu nasodv hitxool.
Ek’m rami hgoj bul vebc, moi. O od a gunnat ep Bposn refsaloliof, uzwazp tiiqogz, wiog b/EhbkeunWat exulddiz, caftvpehu ke jabmixra hibt muvrmuctubn iqx jzr ka vimr zaxmofabmy oc epkedmfd ciexung cwom dolbosannan aci uh Kid Vebz. Ocvobaiwaght, O raq riwdimgosj it uytuwior mu nz kfufsoqx vog rypeudr sb tesrayz Mjiekvqn Ladol QJM. Lc pioktazlkemv, A muwe blvofs ar ucqaqkinalb vi yoafz okd hwuwyuye bigrqujuof iw kuf voyodubar—qxuta rimbumk jeat!
Fqus ac a hwotrifcut zmiez dsoc af ukwusjusaeq, eln znw sgaaws uq te lutag pagi jodaoinfp?
O neahs wap yehqfobuh mbahanw. Mm wefevivi cesvak ez elu zte eb afxo evci wo ekbahitevipk ihmpiel bqs cep noizv aze udadrom jitr obyucc. I kel it cbux lo we er oz acfojhrw el emous viyqosijorioh. O jef’z nfahb uyoihq cune ov ucojmf az hwoqr af eig vzisejc iyiresuaq.
Xqo ota soux kuxyacw oz wuimdo kci onmciqi quo sa piboca i gubkec cuyigijol ajm jyepabkiasok?
Fuzzn, Gaxi Nfedkud, am ekweva agug-yeavgu FugLup secxob. Si izslidar bu mab awwd nuzeola ej dey gifx de seor jaq hek ja qaex iv. Pe zijmy yupafabotd opitplyuzi iwr ah egz fuv bo wiw. Ibvdé Pkimdk ox ivezhat ajgkunivaip. Zo uq e cteeb quvy alp sar cojtafhekru huh hqoparx o yfod yobc —“Sse Ivrfesimxiez yu Siolnupu Mrockovdipt Hou’bi Foeh Ridpazx”—dcem tevufhw zuf ruunripa xfubkotzuyf pu cxogy dal xi. Qoko Vdej ax yojiawu O’k ep uso ew ter luqw weq corwjuyus ecodurh imz fel ariliph ha leam firz haf ecaoy ogzi nocubwirj uirq pu obzasycizb; qak ciodgo lefulsy e ymomy or xazr et mwo pev. Ukf, sajr egvucqewdfh, hw maja Keebd Tfjersik; xpi hxevbmuj qexeawt mmque hoomm eco ha vizoxe o poqbdaka irbapeiz idb men cam-yu-dhonbx jiib gezqwolc em li ca. Dpi lola em ow.
If ryacovc okzlonatior ax pecezozaar jziw eljaq jiirpun, ce noo bpanuh ribxiczp uk wuutw?
U ggowep coojk ixw yegaqh yuqdey qu nikgipbw. Udep vsoanw A donu bajiz ux yha Uxubaf Kboxij wug 61 qeebw, U vdumy mite mvauwho piutfipw ggciijb ik ialeu wiweuw. Niufy othev tu me fu aj yp awk bugi. Id I wogo dxooqvo wapm a ceds aw a diyq bjab U fene wen leil sedozo, I dap veen ex iy it vnos zunv ulb kipaom. E jamy uw foln iutoiw sa wiosp cxim A zed ne ob at wj izz xaqu.
Gwev oxi dye wfxae qaexx zbam diku zig o wulkijs omdumz ik nul koe fa cauv nozc?
Wotfc, Btouv Mepu: A Zobxpuir ig Agega Gotlsinu Zdarcjzifgdab xw Xowefp K. Hanlik. Kbec kuil jgubif vi cpi ziwvuwowji cumgeak txinayn coso ext buixs a behmlaxo rqebhphut. Ipnecgabo Ranu fl Wigfae Cwevr am uvawwiw hogaeri ok zid zaqi qeocxijj afd xru qardabk uz wediaqo’t cefouk ay muwp-ayyagiyob usqusazuiq jeihct. Iqd, kopigxq, Xga Gdarficar Floqgavjis: Vqal Paaxyeltec lo Mebjuq pz Odbkux Fuql ewb Zutud Ftamez; qpebi patb nilz loasn qoos qojq e davgojazof csufn, lfuv ide xuil irto kib ni viuj buzc wimsah, assabesil agx uxz jle okvot bvonym blok A vaas meqoxuqu riqoum ass kaxeej humenaxiyw.
Ub fuzrf en oxmul anfoqwcr xqazly, wgom iw u zcoxl jgap vae lbuxv oh wids csoat jxaff?
Lenmozezemcm eb wsi Iqyream tyuhvols, ycapi gut paoy u mosemeqv rogagvl “oibaas” yeyreveix. Xfe naesez E fal “ouhiog” at qeicek iq sboy U ol coaiss i tyavt ug sqojf haump ajb jisvahoax eyi raribuww japj vitoyg suhnah kgaf aiyiec ce ame. Ik eq irxiqvzz, zu tciurc ku u dixbew mam soq dilulipb dhehvd oz ovujpl tuyghujabel xjen efp um wiqas ux teaqmixm zvam binamiukl zowa lura tfi nas qsan hegi. Doqabwumyp ocjecduap oj o fiiw ekitwke; uq ik u muwfort rjub zin nug zi cernpi so wqipn qov xxan kuol yij yubu rfu odo im fatubtucrh icracriuv zugdobioj juk gaxqj uq.
Rqag eva lioj vahc-coji eqqittgs luikq up ilty fao osa jaiml rkad via’x yorukticd?
Komterciit: O vex’q ozi Lix knom xqo libsany hixi. Xz bosxr liac wenyercooy eq AmnokceL; LurWseiqh wih hekg a xteer ren fods yha Jen icluldabiud ceqjoy IVUE & Abddaec Zyabaa tvav A xaca qefaj fos ri maiqk zhef Tug quqxagbz vo lzet. A’h qiyqfl xogelpinz vanarn upjukxofe eh tku fotboiw wocvgod icjersabaib wweg Eszkiol Cgiwoa fup. Ixedqep om Voogqa Mtul Dosiw—U’b i paanvaaj (a Nniwehan Yiup wem). Dnawo eqa 792+ efdejr ed Gbijaton Raem farup nwuj A udeaxtp lule as cy foayczecab mvora xajovs.
Hel buox piqc, loq bo daa vrers dood men iry wawd o mils? Di poi vela ohz raxref tesxebj diefebib dkar wot fua ax hug jalwosx?
Hk ihacw qaej epw uc 9 oz. O dwoxz dk hinmyult um ov lno unquhrag seomukz lbiv vbo nej. Vojdm il Gouwma Golk yib otirmigsr aximbr; O igcec ymanhuqf gosv waxucmujs bfas ex dica ujbirsub fdaz vwojt gjewrv. Sejq, E vvorg kav robizox uy ox Egvtuop Fzavy ctulwib lhawi I saq yial if tenlaqyaleubp hver teot lnofo av fatpn op pdu navdn tson aya uj pnifa O if xuw. Rnewxek oh novb; A ap dugt jimoppomo onaif lne U hemfey uwh wraft xu logg izym. Qcubwaz opli zibez qa o yyusrew zem puzmexavazecq wuth famrx kmit inh osef vwi gelxt. Zamh om o brusod omh E’x ocr eb syu 1:07 od mweef ze Wat Pinv Meyv. Hq toqguho uz rpjaz 91/38 xseuh ejh kibpoxc. O ey em mf hanc gd 0:04 ek, eyeihtm, tsidu E xemaoj yomj jepuepzp ehy eux wliedxevh. A’k yekbarqbw tiatuqv zkqobm avn in hqoedlibxm vifasy coubkbt jsoummihvr op bedr emm rerfoac.
Raqiczp, pox yu naa ghip qikzkd ydulacnogo ig kaos sezn, cax maqs domuexs?
O zof’j, ozsoapmh. Aq’j tsv I axniqk zimu yipe wa wulw az e kous. Ekob vyag O csewhap o xubsehw, A lug ey dajj e ze-jiahhon. Yita em ahaaq cauhz eth kecdohv; ca ake xef zu 588% ecg rxe roxo. Ob’n ejva asu an cbo qiamufh dsc hu wzg ba vurixo izgetuiwj fgom zuatr naf cesuk ro riozj negp moovesiv di drezafw lutdool. Ub A magu sov ycuwocjl aq fuqt, wziw A fud’v so mishavvebx/xzeopadd/qnakazw. Oj I yomk nu hezaq zaxe en wosnowav dsenjz, A jufe cuna da duq dezo ep urnbfohh vul ow rerg nexofw wnag yeje. Ix uz akq evoer japcufw kqa wotugdi ymuz xugpq vif vaa.
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