Russ Caditz-Peck on the power of transparency
After a four-year stint in DC Russ decided to join the Dropbox communications team.
What did you do before Dropbox?
I moved here after four years in D.C. I worked at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which oversees tech policy issues like net neutrality, telecom merger reviews, and the National Broadband Plan. I was the special assistant to the Chairman, which meant briefing my boss for meetings with tech and telecom industry leaders and experts, and then helping execute on the plans that came out of those meetings.
I also worked for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). I was a paralegal on online privacy and mortgage fraud cases, on then the team that preps the FTC Chairman and leadership for congressional hearings.
Before that, I was a student at Whitman College in beautiful Walla Walla, Washington.
Why did you decide to join Dropbox?
I worked with some incredibly smart, strategic people in government. I learned a ton. But after my boss finished up at FCC, I wanted to engage with tech more directly and work first hand with a company in the middle of explosive growth.
I used Dropbox throughout college, and when it was time to go job hunting I reached out to some people involved with the company. I learned about their very thoughtful stances on the policy issues I care about, and liked what I heard. So, I jumped at the chance to apply for an opening on Dropbox’s communications team, which aligned my background in writing, messaging, and planning with a product that I was excited to work with.
It’s also been awesome living back on the West Coast, after growing up in the Seattle area and going to college in the northwest. San Francisco is amazingly beautiful and happenin’, as they say.
What surprised you about Dropbox when you joined?
The across-the-board transparency. During my onboarding week, I was blown away by how readily the executives shared their take on the company and our market. After working in political offices where high-level strategy is held closely to the chest, this openness — and also desire for feedback — was great. This attitude of transparency, which I still see every day at the company, is incredibly effective in bringing everyone together around a common vision and goals.
What team are you on and what do you do at Dropbox?
I’m on the communications team. We’re the team that proactively and reactively shapes how Dropbox is portrayed in the media. This means everything from helping strategize and execute on the stories we want to tell, to reacting quickly when we get unexpected news that relates to us. My team works with nearly every part of the business, from product to partnerships to policy, so every day brings a ton of variety. I’m also on our small policy team where I help with how the company interacts with the political world.
What, in your view, is unique about doing comms at Dropbox?
Dropbox itself is in an awesome and pretty unique place — loved by its users and growing incredibly fast around the world. It’s a cliché, but every day is exciting.
Dropbox is growing. We’d love for you to join us.
