How Firebase Interviewed Software Engineers Sep 26, 2019 Today, Firebase has a large team with hundreds of engineers. Before the Google acquisition, however, we had a small team of just 24 exceptional people that I firmly believe was among the strongest of its kind in the world. A big part of that success was the way we interviewed software engineers. I’m sharing our approach below so that other teams can compare methods and learn from what we did in the early days of Firebase.

Pineapple Day: How I Started a Global 🍍 Holiday Jul 25, 2019 On June 27th of this year, the co-stars of Psych posted this video celebrating Pineapple Day. They weren’t alone. Hundreds of other celebrities and brands celebrated on social media as well, including T-Mobile, The Cheesecake Factory, Malibu Rum, Eaze, Dole, The Good Place, DiGiorno, Antiques Roadshow, Fandango, Consumer Reports, Merriam-Webster, and many many more. Local TV stations covered the holiday, and thousands of regular folks celebrated in their own way.

Startups I Want to Fund Oct 2, 2018 I hear a lot of startup pitches. I’ve been angel investing now for ~4 years, and I’m an LP and advisor to a number of VC funds. I also heard a lot of pitches through my work at Firebase (the company I co-founded), as many of its customers are startups. I like being pitched – partly because I enjoy meeting smart people, and partly because it’s a chance to pay-it-forward to the next cohort of entrepreneurs, but largely because it’s a chance to be a part of the solution to some of the world’s biggest problems.

My Experiences in the Haitian Earthquake Aug 21, 2018 In January 2010, a catastrophic earthquake hit the capital city of Haiti. It was one of the deadliest humanitarian disasters in history, killing hundreds of thousands of people in mere minutes. Through sheer coincidence, James and I were there, right in the middle of one of the hardest hit areas of the city. We lived, and after the earthquake, we spent three days trying to help any way we could before finally deciding to evacuate.