Alvar Lumberg needs no introduction in Estonia in startup circles: Alvar is a seasoned engineering leader who built Wise from the early days, then founded Grünfin, and now is transforming investing at Lightyear. We chatted with Alvar on his engineering journey, and discussed ideas on product engineering, building startups, and building great teams.
Here is what we talked about:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:05 - Welcome & Guest Introduction
00:00:33 - Alvar's Early Exposure to Computers and Coding
00:03:38 - First Steps into the Tech Industry
00:05:05 - Growth and Learning at Hansa Bank (now Swedbank)
00:06:13 - The Codeborn Experience and the Shift to Product Focus
00:08:03 - Joining the Startup World with TransferWise
00:10:00 - Evolution of Roles and Responsibilities at Wise
00:12:16 - Founding Grünfin: Mission and Challenges
00:13:20 - Comparing Different Work Environments: Bank, Contracting, Startup
00:19:51 - Key Skills for Startup Engineers
00:24:45 - Ensuring Quality in a FinTech Startup
00:35:24 - The Role of Test-Driven Development (TDD)
00:41:49 - Philosophy on Engineering Leadership
00:47:15 - Building a Team: The Importance of Composition
00:50:50 - Lessons Learned from the Grünfin Journey
00:56:57 - Why Alvar Joined Lightyear
00:59:58 - Engineering Challenges at Lightyear
01:02:44 - The Future of Engineering with LLMs
01:11:53 - Recommended Reading and Resources
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