Mike Lyons on building a product for family and friends

Dropbox users are at the forefront of Mike’s mind as he works to make the product run smoothly.

What unique challenge or problem have you worked on here at Dropbox?

I work on document previews — viewing an Office or PDF document on our website or mobile app. We do a lot behind the scenes so that viewing and interacting with documents is quick and reliable, so it just works.

What’s your favorite part about collaborating with other teams at Dropbox?

I interact with our sales team in NYC all the time, and they really sweat the details for our customers. Our sales team knows Dropbox in and out, and I’ve learned about a few Dropbox features and certifications by sitting in on their calls. They certainly want what’s best for our customers.

Mike is continuously learning from his colleagues on various teams. / Photo by Cuong Do.

What makes working in engineering at Dropbox unique or different than your other experiences?

Working at Dropbox is unique because I get to work with top experts who I constantly learn from. Whether it’s reviewing an engineering design or doing a code review, I try to pick someone who can give me great feedback. It’s the best way I’ve found to improve my skills quickly.

When it comes to company culture, people are always contributing to the delight and well being of others. For example, I’ve learned how to make a cappuccino and have made them for at least a hundred Dropboxers. It’s a great way to meet coworkers across the company you don’t typically interact with, and my latte art is improving (proof here)!

Mike would be glad to put his skills to the test and make a cappuccino for our new hires. / Photo by Yoonie Kim.

What has pleasantly surprised you the most about your team since joining Dropbox?

I’m always surprised by how quickly we get new features to our users. In my first three months at Dropbox, we shipped Office previews on our iPhone and iPad apps and a beta of full-text search to business customers. And there were only a handful of engineers working on each project.

What about the product most excites you or makes you proud to work here?

I love that I work on something my friends and family use. My family just went on a trip to Disney World and we used Dropbox to share our pictures and make a photo book together. It was really easy.

Hard at work, Mike is making sure that everything works well behind the scenes. / Photo by Yoonie Kim.

The Dropbox Engineering team is growing. We’d love for you to join us.