Engineering Unblocked

Scaling Engineering at Wolt with Niilo Säämänen, CTO

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Niilo is the CTO of Wolt, a subsidiary of DoorDash. In this episode, he talks to Swarmia founder and CEO Otto Hilska about lessons learned while rapidly scaling an engineering organization.

Timestamps

(0:23) Niilo’s background
(03:49) Where to focus first
(06:02) Product management in a 3-way marketplace
(07:36) Principles-driven development
(09:18) Turning “big things” into reality
(12:26) Choosing the right work
(15:18) Staying close to the customer
(17:26) The culture at Wolt
(21:17) A high bar for excellence, driven by data
(24:11) Recruiting and hiring
(32:43) Growth & Growing Pains
(41:30) Ownership and standardization
(47:11) Niilo’s journey

Find the transcript: ⁠https://unblocked.fm/episodes/niilo-säämänen-cto-scaling-wolt

Where to find Niilo

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niilosaamanen

    • Where to find Otto

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilska
    • Twitter: https://twitter.com/mutru

      • Where to find Rebecca

      • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rmurphey
      • Twitter: https://twitter.com/rmurphey

        • Links and mentions

        • Wolt: https://wolt.com/en
        • High Output Management: https://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/dp/0679762884
        • Marty Cagan books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marty-Cagan/author/B00J21JTNM
        • Project Aristotle: https://rework.withgoogle.com/print/guides/5721312655835136/
          • ...more
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