Engineering Without Borders
Building global products requires more than deploying to multiple regions. It demands leading engineering teams across cultures, navigating time zones, and building systems that work for users worldwide.
Our international experience started at Amazon—launching Amazon.fr and supporting Amazon.co.jp, bridging teams between Seattle, Paris, and Tokyo. At Grindr, we led distributed teams across Los Angeles, Gurgaon (India), and Junín (Argentina) while serving 5.8M daily users in 192 countries.
Global Team Experience
flowchart TB
subgraph Amazon["Amazon International"]
A1[Seattle] <--> A2[Paris]
A2 <--> A3[Tokyo]
end
subgraph Grindr["Grindr Global"]
G1[Los Angeles] <--> G2[Gurgaon, India]
G1 <--> G3[Junín, Argentina]
G2 <--> G3
end
The Amazon Foundation
At Amazon, I traveled to Seattle to learn a new templating engine from the US Electronics team, then returned to Paris to implement it and train the French team. This pattern—embedding with expert teams, then transferring knowledge—became a template for international engineering leadership.
sequenceDiagram participant Paris as Paris Team participant Seattle as Seattle (US) participant Tokyo as Tokyo Team Paris->>Seattle: Learn templating engine Seattle-->>Paris: Hands-on training Paris->>Paris: Implement & train team Paris->>Tokyo: Support JP launch
Leading Distributed Teams
| Challenge | Solution |
|---|---|
| ✗ Time zone gaps | ✓ Async-first with strategic overlap windows |
| ✗ Language barriers | ✓ Clear docs, visual communication |
| ✗ Cultural differences | ✓ Adapt style, build relationships |
| ✗ Meeting overload | ✓ Written proposals, recorded decisions |
Grindr: 192 Countries, Three Continents
At Grindr, I worked directly with engineering teams in India and Argentina while rebuilding the platform. This meant:
- Follow-the-sun development - Work continued across time zones
- Cross-cultural code reviews - Building shared standards across teams
- Knowledge transfer - Onboarding and mentoring remote engineers
- Async coordination - Clear handoffs and documentation
Key Lessons
- Write everything down - If it's not written, it doesn't exist for other time zones
- Time zones are a superpower - Distributed teams can accomplish more in 24 hours
- Build relationships intentionally - Remote teams need deliberate connection
- Embrace cultural differences - Different styles are features, not bugs
The 127K Difference
- Amazon heritage - Foundational global engineering experience
- Multi-continent teams - Direct experience leading India and Argentina teams
- Knowledge transfer - Bringing teams up to speed quickly
- Global scale - Systems serving users in 192 countries
