"I Want to Create What I Really Want" - Multi-Product Development in a Global Engineering Team at amptalk.
For the second installment of amptalk's employee interview series, we spoke with Koichi Furukawa, a software engineer in the team. After joining SoftBank Corporation as a new graduate and working with Suzuki-san, who later became amptalk's CTO, Furukawa was invited by Suzuki to join amptalk. We delved into his thoughts on changing jobs, amptalk’s environment and philosophy.
Decided to Move from SoftBank to a Startup with Just a Few People
Q: You joined SoftBank Corporation as a new graduate. What were your thoughts at the time?
In short, I wanted to become a software engineer who could create what I wanted to create. As a student in the IT field, I wrote programs for research at university and worked as a front-end engineer during internships. In retrospect, I wasn’t very skilled at the time, but my fundamental desire to create what I wanted to create remained unchanged, which led me to choose SoftBank Corporation as an environment where I could work as a software engineer.
After joining, I worked in a team primarily using Scrum development on systems for online stores. I was thrilled to see the features I developed being used by users and discovered the joy of creating a product from scratch.
Q: Can you tell us about your encounter with amptalk and why you decided to join?
During my time at SoftBank, I worked in the same team as Suzuki-san, who would later become amptalk’s CTO. He was very talented, a mentor, and a respected senior. One day, he invited me to visit the amptalk’s office, and as we discussed the product, business, and technology, my simple "interest" transformed into a desire to "work together” with him.
In addition to Suzuki-san, whom I trust, amptalk has many other talented engineers. The opportunity to work with them, be involved from the early stages of amptalk’s rapid growth, and experience the joy of creating products from scratch, which was my original motivation, were major reasons for my decision.
The Unique Documentation Culture of a Global Engineering Team
Q: What do you like about amptalk’s culture?
My favorite value is "ISSUE DRIVEN": Focusing on solving people's problems rather than just doing what we can. This principle is thoroughly implemented company-wide, and in product development, we constantly discuss questions like, "Whose problem does this feature solve? What is the true issue for the user?" The backlog always includes issues (user stories), allowing engineers to develop with the user's perspective in mind. If something is unclear, we can listen to actual customer requests logged in amptalk's meeting records. This is a unique advantage for us, as engineers typically have few opportunities to hear customers’ voices directly.
Another value that amptalk holds dear is "BLAMELESS": Solving issues through systems rather than blaming individuals. This principle is also deeply embedded in the behavior of the engineering team.
Q: What unique aspects does amptalk’s organization have compared to other organizations you’ve been part of?
My experience is limited to comparing SoftBank and amptalk. In my previous organization, roles were highly specialized, and teams were formed based on each service or domain. As a result, my involvement was limited, and I often didn’t understand anything outside my specific area of responsibility, even within the same product. Considering the scale of the services provided by SoftBank, that organizational structure may be appropriate, but personally, I wanted to be more involved in product and service development across different areas.
At amptalk, the entire team is well-versed in the product and works autonomously on all tasks. Being a small, elite team, we can engage broadly with the service from start to finish and follow the product's growth, which I find very appealing. The comprehensive understanding of the product by each member is largely due to our thorough documentation culture.
For instance, we have extensive documents like Architectural Decision Records (ADRs) and Requests for Comments (RFCs).
Discussions often focus on identifying the simplest design that is most adaptable to future changes, and we document the decision-making process, which ultimately enhances future development speed.
This approach aligns with amptalk’s value of "BLAMELESS," and by discussing designs before implementation, we can prevent rework and comprehensively understand features outside our responsibilities by reading the documentation. This ensures that anyone can handle new changes or bugs and that new members can verify the reasons behind past product changes, which is a point of pride for us.
Q: What are the joys and challenges of working in amptalk’s global engineering team?
The software engineering team consists of seven members, with only Suzuki-san, the CTO, and myself being Japanese. All communication, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening, is conducted in English. This environment is challenging for me, as I’m not proficient in English, but it’s enjoyable to improve my English skills daily, much like programming.
Additionally, due to our documentation culture, I can grasp the content in writing before discussions or refer back to it later, which is very helpful (laughs). Real-time communications like retrospectives and lunch conversations are still challenging for me, but I strive to become more comfortable with daily practice.
The Fulfillment of Working at amptalk, Which Aims for Multi-Product Development
At amptalk, we experience the joy of supporting the growth of existing products while simultaneously creating new ones. For instance, we started with "amptalk analysis" and released a new AI sales assistant product, "amptalk assist," in February this year. As the organization expands, we plan to develop even more new products. For engineers interested in creating new products, amptalk is currently at a very exciting stage. Furthermore, we closely collaborate with the Machine Learning (ML) team, adding another layer of attraction, especially considering the current excitement in the AI field.
Q:Who Should Consider Joining amptalk？
For those interested in working in a global engineering organization, there’s no better environment. Additionally, if you’re interested in developing new products or being part of a rapidly growing product, we’d love to have you visit amptalk’s office.
We’re Hiring!
This time, we spoke with Furukawa-san, a software engineer involved from the early days of amptalk, about the appeal of amptalk’s development organization. How did you find it? Incidentally, Furukawa played table tennis from elementary school to university and hopes to increase the number of table tennis enthusiasts at amptalk. If you’re an engineer who feels even slightly intrigued (whether you like table tennis or not), please apply for a casual conversation.
Software Engineer：https://herp.careers/v1/amptalk/5EjSzqgVpdzl