Ever wanted to know more about the people behind your favorite Everyday AI platform? You're in luck — every few weeks, meet some of the humans at Dataiku working to ensure customers and users find success on their path to Everyday AI. This week, we spoke with Arash and Kateryna who are both software engineers in test working on our engineering team. As Kateryna and Arash both work remotely from the south of France, we met them at RivieraDev — one of the funniest and sunniest conferences for developers — and asked them to introduce each other.
Check out the video below to see Kateryna and Arash answer fun, rapid-fire questions about each other on topics like hacking, flat exchange, techno festivals, and software bugs.
Still curious to know more about their Dataiku experience and understand how they know each other so well? Keep reading!
Can you please describe each other’s role within Dataiku’s engineering team?
Kateryna: Arash and I are both software engineers in test but Arash focuses on all the functionalities that are related to our Designer theme. It is mostly UI-related and, right now, he works with Snowflake and Selenium.
Arash: Kateryna joined Dataiku and our QA team a few months before me. From what I know, she has been involved in the creation of automatic and manual tests, has improved some of our ways of working, and has collaborated with the development team on numerous features. Her main focus so far has been the verification of data visualization modules of Dataiku.
What makes you like working with each other?
Kateryna: Arash is detail-oriented and very good at communication. Plus, he is a good team player! I believe it’s an ideal combination of personal qualities for our job. And he is also always very supportive.
Arash: This is actually not the first time we are working together. We used to be colleagues at another company and I have always enjoyed working with Kateryna because she is efficient, direct to the point, curious, and willing to lend a helping hand. It is always a pleasure to have her point of view on different subjects and tackle problems together as she brings a specific perspective to any task or project.
Can you give us an example of a project where you particularly enjoyed collaborating?
Arash: That’s an easy one but not so common for QA engineers! Dataiku was a sponsor of RivieraDev this year and we went there to support the team and engage with peers. The current health restrictions forced organizers to create an outdoor setup near a lake and it was very unique. Four Dataikers attended the conference and it was nice to be there with Kateryna.
Kateryna: I think indeed RivieraDev is actually our only common work project at Dataiku so far! Even if we do the same job, we work on different functionalities and with different development teams so it was nice to spend some time together again. This event was really special with presentations and events on the water. Overall, we had a lot of fun!
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Is there a topic that can easily lead to hours of debates between the two of you or a topic you like to argue about together?
Kateryna: We don’t really argue a lot, but with Arash it’s very easy to have an interesting conversation. A typical chat between us would probably start around our summer plans then switch to daily work at Dataiku and finish on a debate about how you can achieve personal well-being nowadays.
Arash: Actually I see one thing: planning! We have been colleagues and friends for a few years now and I found myself more than once going through the details of a plan with Kateryna, whether it’s a delivery process/deadline for a project or an escapade in nature! Usually we come to a quick conclusion but for those few cases that we are not on the same page, the discussion can go on for a long time.
According to you, which Dataiku value (or aspect of the culture) does Arash for Kateryna and Kateryna for Arash represent the most?
Arash: It is what we call “Accountable Camaraderie” at Dataiku. Kateryna is always reachable for a discussion and ready to help you search for a solution to your problem. You can always count on her and you can be sure that if needed she will go out of her way to help you, prioritizing the team rather than herself.
Kateryna: I would say “Diversity of People and Perspective.” Arash is very friendly and he is always surrounded with people with different backgrounds. I have never seen him judge anyone on their jobs, social background, age, skin color, or anything else and he is really open to learning from anyone.
You are two experienced software engineers in test who worked at other companies before. Is there something that you believe is unique about being a QA at Dataiku?
Kateryna: We worked together before but I can tell that this is very different from what we experienced in our previous companies. Here, the quality of the product is a common responsibility and tests are not only written by QA. Each developer also has to work on tests, maintaining some of the existing ones and writing new ones. Our team is very diverse and I feel like I am in a safe place here. And, most importantly, it’s the first time that I have worked for a company that not only says it cares about its people but really does.
Arash: For me the uniqueness also comes from the closeness and how reachable everyone that works at Dataiku is. We are growing fast but even though I work remotely, I don’t have the feeling that I’m actually “far” from my colleagues. You can choose a random person, send them a message, and have a coffee and a chat with them in no time. It’s not only unique for me, but almost surreal that we have managed to gather so many open-spirited individuals in one place.
Finally, what is it like to work from Nice (for you Kateryna) and Antibes (for you Arash)? How do you stay connected with the rest of the team?
Arash: Everything is a trade-off, so is working from home! I am more in control of my time, but I also don’t get to see my fellow Dataikers as much as I would like to. Fortunately, Dataiku has thought of that and, as a remote Dataiker, I have the possibility of traveling to Paris every month to meet and collaborate with teammates. And of course, while working remotely, I know that I can always talk to anyone from Dataiku about basically anything — and that’s something precious not to be taken for granted!
Kateryna: I like my home office, it’s something that motivates me every day. But of course I like to see people live. So I went to Paris once already to meet my colleagues and we spent time together. I also went on a trip to Serbia with some Dataikers — we all worked from there together and spent some nice weekends and visited local places. If the pandemic continues to improve, I plan to go to Paris from time to time.