Employee Q&A: Financial Stability with a Startup-like Environment
Responses by Sean Brynjólfsson, graduate of Cornell University in Computer Science
What Does Your Typical Day Look Like?
I start out by steeping a cup of tea before catching up on recent publications and announcements in the field. Then I check my results from any runs I had overnight and prepare for a meeting to discuss and make quick plans for what’s next. The rest of the day is often engineering away, but every so often there are larger meetings to see what the other (adjacent) engineering teams are up to.
Why A10? What Made You Decide to Join the Company?
The artificial intelligence team is run like a startup, a small group of engineers with great authority over the project vision. Unlike startup companies, A10 is a consistently profitable company, which provides much greater stability than could be found at a narrow, hyper-focused startup. A10’s background in networking, security, and hardware also complements its new AI efforts well. A young team with high ambitions and some stability is a great start.
What Skills or Knowledge are You Looking Forward to Developing at A10?
I am most excited about the research and patent work that we are working on, but I know there are opportunities to present/meet with customers.
How have You Grown and what are You Proud of Accomplishing?
I’ve had to rapidly become familiar with (M)LLMs and get better at setting short-term goals. With respect to goals, I’ve found it’s more about being able to contribute to the general momentum of the team than it is about getting done exactly what I said I would get done. Fail fast, replan, and get back at it!
What Makes A10 a Compelling Choice for Someone Exploring a New Career?
Much to the same reasons that I joined A10; it’s all the upsides of startup culture and none of the downsides*. If you want high agency at a mature company, this is a great place to be. Our team is growing, and our most recent class of interns was very impressive. It bodes well for our recruiting in the near future!
*If you want to gamble on being a unicorn, though, that’s your prerogative.
