Building a new engineering team by turning another one around - Tips from Tinder

Transforming teams doesn’t go without its challenges.

Let’s look at Tinder’s example. 

In this episode, Chris O'Brien, Director of Engineering at Tinder, shares his insights on building and leading engineering teams, particularly focusing on turning around existing teams. He discusses transforming teams, transitioning into a leadership role, Tinder’s culture and hiring process and a lot more.

This blog post summarizes the main points of episode 94 of the Level-up Engineering podcast hosted by Karolina Toth. Make sure to check out the full interview through your favorite podcast platform or Youtube. 

This post covers:

• Building a new team by turning another one around
• Team values
• Handling changes
• Transitioning into a leadership role
• Tinder’s culture
• Keeping business, customer and team needs aligned
• Tinder’s hiring process
• Finding the right fit
• Bonus advice
• About Chris

What’s your experience building a new engineering team by turning an already existing one around?

I started out with a pretty hands-on role, dealing with daily tasks and tickets. However, it became evident that our infrastructure lacked clarity. Unlike now, where you can see everything neatly defined in source control, back then, it was all a bit messy, with manual processes and scripts that weren't easily reproducible. So, my boss and I decided it was time for a change.

We took the bold step of forming a new team, one that would shift our mindset from manual to automated processes. It was an exciting but challenging journey. We began with just two engineers who had been at Tinder longer than I had. Despite being mid-level, they brought a wealth of experience to the table, almost bordering on seniority.

Together, the four of us set out to establish new infrastructure and workflows. It was a trial-and-error process, but we eventually found our rhythm. What made it work was our ability to gel as a team. We all got along well, and our different strengths complemented each other nicely.

Once we felt confident in our new setup, we faced another big decision: merging our team with the existing one. This was a significant transition and not without its challenges. While some may advocate for a complete overhaul, I've always believed in the power of relationships.

Rather than blowing up the existing team, we focused on building connections, understanding each member's motivations, and setting new expectations. It wasn't easy, and not everyone embraced the changes. Some chose to seek opportunities elsewhere, which was understandable.

In the end, though, our approach paid off. By establishing a culture of collaboration and open communication, we successfully integrated the two teams. It was a tough process, no doubt, but seeing how far we've come, I'm confident we made the right choice.

Establishing team values

Sometimes, there's a chance to sit down and hash out what we envision for the team, what values we want to uphold. But in our case, things unfolded a bit differently. The four of us shared a deep love for technology and a thirst for learning. We found ourselves immersed in pioneering projects at Tinder, constantly pushing boundaries and delivering value to our colleagues.

To be honest, we didn't have many formal discussions about team values in the early days. Instead, our values seemed to emerge naturally as we worked side by side. I think that's true for a lot of teams out there. Values tend to develop organically, shaped by the personalities and experiences of the team members.

What really brought us together was the shared experience of working in the same office. It may sound simple, but being physically close to one another made a big difference. It created a sense of collaboration that laid the foundation for our team's values to take root and grow.

Handling changes

Some folks didn't stick around for the transition, opting for different opportunities within Tinder or elsewhere. But those who stayed were genuinely excited about the new direction.

Change isn't easy for anyone, especially in the workplace where stability and predictability matter. Switching teams suddenly can be unsettling, and it takes time for people to adapt and build trust with their new colleagues. That's why I've always believed in prioritizing relationship-building. It's something my mentor taught me early on, and it's proven to be invaluable. When there's already a foundation of trust and camaraderie, transitions become smoother, and teams become stronger.

What was your experience transitioning into a leadership role at Tinder?

Coming from smaller companies where I was more hands-on, I initially leaned towards a management-heavy approach—setting tasks, tracking progress, and ensuring deadlines were met. However, I soon realized that this approach only works to a certain extent, especially as I started managing larger teams and teams of teams.

As I navigated this transition, I recognized the importance of shifting from being just a manager to being a leader. Instead of dictating tasks, I learned to focus on serving my team as a leader. This meant setting a vision, gaining buy-in from my team, and empowering them to take ownership of their work aligned with that vision. I shifted from telling them what to do to providing them with the support, tools, and resources they needed to succeed.

Communication, relationship-building, and empathy became crucial aspects of my leadership style. Understanding my team members' challenges and feelings about their work allowed me to support them effectively. While I couldn't always solve every problem, having empathy and awareness of their struggles was invaluable.

One book that significantly influenced my approach to leadership is "The Servant" by James C. Hunter. It emphasizes the concept of servant leadership, which resonated deeply with me and has guided my leadership philosophy. 

What’s Tinder’s culture like?

The atmosphere is incredibly positive: It's a blameless environment where people are willing to own up to their mistakes without fearing repercussions. Everyone is supportive and collaborative, always ready to lend a hand.

One of the main reasons I've stuck around for so long is the people. There's a core group in the engineering department who've been here for five, six, even seven years, and they're fantastic to work with. They're the heart of what makes this place so enjoyable.

But it's not just the people that keep me here; it's the work we're doing. While we might not be the most well-known company in the industry, we're doing some truly impressive things. Our recommendation system, for instance, handles millions of users with a stable and reliable platform comprised of hundreds of microservices. We're also delving into cutting-edge areas like machine learning and data analytics.

Despite being a relatively small business, we're dealing with big company scale and tech challenges. It's a fantastic opportunity to work with amazing people and tackle complex problems. Here, I've had the chance to learn and grow in ways I wouldn't have in a larger company, where you often get siloed into a specific area. At Tinder, you get to dive into a bit of everything, and that's been an incredibly rewarding experience.

How do you make sure that the business, customer and team needs are all met?

My team has a unique role in the company. We focus on building the infrastructure that allows people to make connections in real life through our platform. Our main goal is to create a reliable and efficient system where users can sign in, swipe, match, and receive recommendations seamlessly. Since we work on the underlying infrastructure, we're a bit removed from the direct consumer interaction.

Our primary task is to build a scalable and dependable platform that other teams can build upon to create new features. So, our decisions are mostly driven by what's best for the business and the customer. It's a straightforward equation for us: we focus on engineering work, learn new things along the way, and ensure the platform meets the business needs.

For other teams, it might be more challenging. They have to balance priorities between delivering consumer-facing features and addressing engineering needs, sometimes having to choose between the two based on available resources and time constraints. However, the overarching goal for everyone in the engineering team is to prioritize the customer.

We've been successful in maintaining a stable and reliable platform over the years, with minimal major outages. Our focus on balancing both business and consumer needs has played a significant role in achieving this success.

What’s Tinder’s hiring process like?

Our hiring process at Tinder follows a familiar pattern seen in many tech companies, although it has evolved somewhat during the pandemic. Initially, our acquisition team reviews applications and reaches out to potential candidates. Additionally, hiring managers like myself also play a role in identifying and contacting potential candidates.

Once a candidate progresses in the process, they typically meet with a hiring manager to discuss the role's specifics and what the team is looking for. This conversation helps both parties gauge if there's a good fit. Following this, there's usually a technical interview, conducted either over the phone or via Zoom.

For onsite roles, the process includes both in-person and remote components due to our global setup. This hybrid approach allows candidates to interact with our US-based team over Zoom while also spending time onsite in Belgium.

Our interview format combines technical assessments with behavioral inquiries. While we do include some coding questions, our focus is on collaborative problem-solving exercises that simulate real-world scenarios. This approach helps us assess not only a candidate's technical skills but also their ability to work effectively within our team dynamic.

Overall, the process typically spans a couple of weeks, with scheduling and time zone differences occasionally presenting challenges. We place emphasis on evaluating candidates' conflict management skills, past experiences, team collaboration abilities, and their capacity to see a project through from inception to completion. This holistic approach ensures we find candidates who not only possess the technical expertise but also align well with our team culture and values.

Finding the right fit

Determining if a job is the right fit is tricky, to say the least. The interview process, while informative, only reveals so much. Candidates may feel confident about their abilities but still not get the offer, while others might land a job that doesn't quite suit them. It's not an exact science.

As a candidate, it's hard to gauge if a role is truly the right fit right off the bat. The interview process gives you some insight into the team and the work, but it's not the full picture. Similarly, as interviewers, we can't read your mind. We do our best to assess if you'll fit in, but it's not foolproof.

Sometimes, knowing a candidate from past experiences can help predict their success. However, relying solely on familiar faces can lead to a lack of diversity within the team. That's why it's essential to consider candidates with varied backgrounds and experiences.

Ultimately, determining fit comes down to a combination of factors: how well you answer interview questions, how you align with the team's values, and feedback from various team members. It's about making the best decision based on the information available and being open to diverse perspectives that can enrich the team.

Bonus advice

Never stop learning. It's not just about technology; there's always something new to discover, whether it's related to your job or not. Being curious can really boost your career, no matter what field you're in. 

Especially in tech, where things change constantly, learning keeps your mind engaged and your mental health in check. So, stay curious and keep growing—it's been a game-changer for me in both my career and personal well-being.

About Chris

Chris has been working at Tinder for the past seven years, currently as Director of Engineering for the cloud infrastructure team. He’s based in LA and is originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania. In his free time, he enjoys diving into new technologies and flying small airplanes. 

You can follow Chris and Tinder by checking out these sites:

https://www.lifeattinder.com/#open-positions 

https://medium.com/tinder 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisobrien1021/