01:11:23 · Valentina Jerusalmi, Molly O'Shea
[01:11:23] S1: Think the issue most of the times is that while obsessing on perfection, people miss so many opportunities to get things done and testing things. So I think the analysis paralysis, especially when it comes to, for example, code deploy or infrastructural design, those things can really slow down a product. So you need very few but very solid basis when you build something but then you need to add a lot of flexibility and make sure that there are not super constraining processes or approval lines and things like this because in my experience, those are the things that kill a product, the inability to act on the product. And sometimes companies just because they become bigger and bigger, they tend to, you know, overweight themselves with these processes and approvals and inability to really run the business. Well, when you have an extremely talented and responsible team who really feel like owners of what they do, you really get to a place where people can drive change safely and meticulously, but like without ever adding too much, you know, in terms of processes and all those things. So I think this is always reflected in the code, it's always reflected in the infrastructure but it's also reflected in the processes people have to follow that sometimes it's just overly long or overly burdensome, like cumbersome. [01:13:06] S5: What are the typical compositions of the teams working on various projects?
01:13:06 · Molly O'Shea, Valentina Jerusalmi
[01:13:06] S5: What are the typical compositions of the teams working on various projects? [01:13:10] S1: It's very diverse, wouldn't say there is one fits all kind of organization. It depends on the product but I would say there is always maybe a 40, 30, 40% of engineers in our teams and the rest is divided into more business oriented roles like product managers, growth managers, customer support managers, designers. So I would say a 40, 60 business, engineering to business. [01:13:41] S5: And where do you see most people are coming from? [01:13:44] S1: Yeah, so we are looking to hire talent across all Europe. So of course we have a new close-up in Italy just because that's where the company started. So that's where our brand is very strong, but I think we are becoming stronger and stronger in Europe. And at some point very soon, [01:14:06] S5: probably we're already doing it. We will start higher also in The US. For someone with such drive and motivation, this is a question I'll ask in most of my interviews, people will say like performance is derivative of who you surround yourself with or who you're inspired by. Where did you get that drive? Like who are the people that keep you motivated?
01:14:06 · Molly O'Shea, Valentina Jerusalmi
[01:14:06] S5: probably we're already doing it. We will start higher also in The US. For someone with such drive and motivation, this is a question I'll ask in most of my interviews, people will say like performance is derivative of who you surround yourself with or who you're inspired by. Where did you get that drive? Like who are the people that keep you motivated? [01:14:27] S1: You know, as cheesy as it could sound, really, I think all of my team does this with me every day just because it's composed of people who are so generally interested in moving things forward that it's impossible not to feel driven in this company. When I first started for sure, Francesco Mancone who's the CTO today and Luca, Luca Ferrari, our CEO, they have been two of the most relevant people in my growth, but there are so many others that it would be like unfair not to mention just because they have all really participated in who I am and who I became in Bending Spoons. So I'm thinking of my software engineering lead, Martina, like she's awesome. Many others, so many others. I really couldn't name them all, but so many. [01:15:20] S5: Do you find this culture to be unique between your friends cultures or people you went to university with?
01:15:20 · Molly O'Shea, Valentina Jerusalmi
[01:15:20] S5: Do you find this culture to be unique between your friends cultures or people you went to university with? [01:15:26] S1: I would say sadly in the sense that I wished for all my friends to have the same experience in their companies, but I feel like so far Bending Spoons has really been a one of a kind, at least in Italy. So I hope many other companies will start, you know, applying this framework and the values that Bending Spoons have. Of course, are many others that are rising and that's exciting, but for our most established companies, I feel like we're not there yet. And I wish people would start, you know, realizing that this is a model that really works and that we have so much talent in Italy, in Europe that just waits for, you know, a good opportunity to make their talents grow and shine, which that's what I really hope, but we're not there yet. [01:16:17] S5: So as we close out, I have to ask you, what are you most looking forward to in the next twelve months? [01:16:23] S1: I'm looking forward to making AOL shine and to finish this carve out process so that we can really get hands on on focusing a thousand percent on the product and making sure we can give the best experience possible to our users. [01:16:40] S5: What is the opportunity for AOL?
01:16:40 · Molly O'Shea, Valentina Jerusalmi, S6
[01:16:40] S5: What is the opportunity for AOL? [01:16:42] S1: I think there is so much, like we have so many ideas on how to grow the company with synergies also with Bending Spoons products. There are so many, our user base on AOL is extremely engaged. So we believe we can provide a lot of value for them through many, many different channels, many different ideas. We know what they like. So it's very easy for us to present them with very relevant either products or content on both levels. There is so much opportunity. Amazing. Really look forward to that. [01:17:18] S5: Vali, thank you so much. [01:17:20] S1: Thank you so much, Molly. It was great being here. [01:17:31] S6: Email, and also go deeper on our podcast interviews. Subscribe to Sourcery today. And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen. Link in description to sign up.