Some of the people building Bitrise today were here when the team fit around one table. To celebrate a decade of building together, we're sitting down with the folks who've been here from the beginning. We're starting with József Erős, who turned a 10-week internship into a decade.
1. How it all started…
Q: What attracted you to Bitrise when you first joined?
I joined Bitrise as part of a 10-week internship while I was at university. The team was really welcoming and supportive as I took my first steps. This made the start of my journey a really positive experience, not just with Bitrise, but with software development in general. It was this welcoming vibe that convinced me to stay after graduation.
2. Ten years in, the journey so far
Q: What’s your proudest Bitrise moment from the last decade?
Given the nature of our product, it can be hard to explain to friends & family what we do and how we’re getting on. So, whenever we’ve had a big milestone or occasion that got some publicity, those moments help to make it a bit more tangible. And definitely makes me feel really proud to be part of it.
Q: What’s one thing you’ve learned over the past 10 years that surprised you or changed the way you think day to day?
In the early years I always came up with solutions that were 100% my own, often “reinventing the wheel”. While that gave me a better sense of control and the mistakes I made along the way definitely helped me learn a lot, I realized a huge chunk of my problems already had better approaches circulating in the community. Nowadays my initial step is to check first if anyone else had the same problem as me before… and the answer is usually yes.
3. Values, beliefs and what motivates you
Q: What do you love most about your work, and what keeps you motivated every day?
The thought of how much one person can influence a product this size can be overwhelming. But as a company we have a good way of dealing with it in smaller pieces, so every team can feel a sense of ownership. It helps to make sure your work doesn’t get lost in the noise, because you have real influence over your team’s work, which ultimately contributes to moving the whole company forward.
4. Culture: what it’s like to be part of Bitrise
Q: If you had to sum up the culture at Bitrise in one word, what would it be? And why?
Openness.
I like that we let everyone speak up and be heard, instead of having a hierarchical vibe where your opinion only carries weight if you’re a few steps higher on the ladder.
Q: What's the biggest change you have seen at Bitrise in the past ten years?
When I joined we were only a 6-8 person company. Now we’re 150+, so that’s definitely one of them 😄 And also our customer base. I was never that up-to-date with trends and the latest needs in the tech world, I was genuinely surprised by the level of demand. First I thought we’re just building some cool niche thing, but here we are.
Q: What’s a moment that made you think, “this is why I work here”?
It would have to be a couple of moments at our annual Bitreat company retreat. Specifically one from a few years ago. There was a “startup contest” where you’d pitch made-up products to “investors”. The concept itself was fun, and the creative and entertaining ways we came up with to sell fictional ideas and products were quite impressive. It felt like a great example of the unique creativity and energy we all share as a team.
5. The next chapter
Q: What excites you most about the next decade at Bitrise?
I watched Bitrise grow throughout the years into what it is today. I’ve developed a real sense of belonging here. Of course, our product is a lot more polished now, so it’s easier to work on than it was in the past. I’d love to see where it goes next and how it’ll turn out over time. To see the things we’ve always wanted to see come to life, but also the new areas we will choose to explore in the future.
Q: What’s the one thing you hope never changes, no matter how big Bitrise gets?
I think we adapt well to outside changes. That level of change will obviously keep coming in the future too, so I hope we’ll always be prepared to tackle it.
6. Final thoughts / reflections
Q: If you could travel back in time to your first day, what would you tell yourself?
Don’t release that code change 2 years 5 months and 20 days from now, it has a bug in it that will ruin your weekend 🙃
Q: What makes Bitrise a great place to join right now?
We have solid brainpower in the house right now, and the onboarding & learning experience has never been smoother, at least that’s my impression as a developer. So I think now is a great time to join.
