Tina Schuchman, Engineering Director, on how Dropbox strikes the right balance
From September 26–28, 2018, the largest gathering of women technologists will take place in Houston, Texas. Some 20,000 people will attend the 24th annual Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing, including a few Dropboxers! We’re excited to meet new people and share our commitment to increasing women in tech. Before then, we want to introduce you to some of the Dropbox women in tech you may see at booth #5132. See you in Houston!
Q: What is your name, what office do you work out of, and how long have you been at Dropbox?
A: Tina Schuchman. San Francisco. Seven years.
Q: What is your current role at Dropbox?
A: I’m the engineering director running our ecosystem team. We are responsible for the interface between Dropbox and all third-party applications, including our public API, SDKs, and strategic integrations with key partners such as Google and Microsoft.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job and/or team?
A: My team works at the intersection of Dropbox and third-party applications, so there’s a lot of exposure and learning from the business and product sides of the company. We always strive to do what’s right not only for our users but also for our business. We’re a new team that’s growing, so there are constant challenges to figuring out how to grow and scale. Lastly, we’re a tight-knit team. We do team bubble tea every Thursday during team lunch. If you don’t like sugar like me, there’s sugar-free bubble tea as well!
Q: Anything that you have done/accomplished at Dropbox that you’re proud of?
A: Last year, I built our ecosystem organization, which leverages third-party developers to build applications from the ground up — from setting the direction, to forming teams, to hiring, to execution, and, finally, to shipping. It’s great to make an impact not only on Dropbox but also our users.
Q: Have you had transformational or inspirational moments at Dropbox?
A: When I started at Dropbox, I was the only iOS developer on the iOS team. I shipped the camera upload feature for iPad and iPhone. I also had the opportunity to work on various products and platforms and was able to learn from other incredible engineers. And, as I gathered more and more technical and product knowledge, I started leading and eventually managing the team. I grew the team from four to 16 engineers. Then, when the company decided to evolve its platform strategy, I was charged with learning the space, forming that strategy, and building a team. It was a huge amount of learning on the product and business side, and I’ve been enjoying it ever since!
Q: Why did you decide to join Dropbox? What surprised you most when you joined Dropbox?
A: Dropbox strikes the right balance between ownership and the ability to focus on your career. With small companies, you often get a ton of ownership, but work is thrashy, and you don’t know whether you’ll be out of a job next month. With big companies, you often only get to own a small component, but the job is stable and the career framework is structured, so it’s easy to get coaching and focus on your career. Dropbox gives you the balance. It allows you to have great ownership, as well as a great support system that enables you to progress in your career.
Check back soon to meet more Dropboxers. In the meantime visit us at dropbox.com/jobs. Dropbox is growing, grow with us!
