Employee Spotlight: Jordan Shaw

Here’s your chance to meet the people behind The PubNub Data Stream Network. In a first installment we talk with Jordan Shaw, one of our Full Stack Software Engineers.

1. Full Stack Software Engineer? What’s that mean?

I sling the codez from anything interacting with the core to what our clients see. Ergo, Day to day I write low level python stuff that interacts directly with the core C process all the way up to writing JS/CSS/HTML for our customers to interact with the core.

2. What’s the coolest part of working at PubNub?

Working on stuff that is connecting millions and millions and millions (The Rock WWE reference) of people, using the software everyday and the camaraderie in the office.

3. You recently moved from North Carolina to San Francisco, that’s a long way. What do you like most about being here?

It’s nice being close to a lot of new things to explore, Golden Gate Bridge, Tahoe, Yosemite…etc. The tech community is obviously larger so chances are I’ll walk into a bar and start talking about python or ruby with someone.

4. What’s one reason every app should be real-time?

The most successful and engaging apps these days are content driven and contextual with what’s going on right now, in the moment. So if your app is able to engage customers in a timely and relevant way it will be less likely to go stale. No one likes stale apps!

5. When you’re not at work, what are you doing?

Usually running, riding my bike, watching the Netflix or Hulu Plus, or there is usually some birthday party in the city I’ll go crash with my roommate.

6. Wait, what? You and your roommate crash random B-Day bashes?

Well, not exactly. I usually have some connection like a friend’s work friend’s sister. I show up, eat cake and sing Happy Birthday without really knowing anyone. It’s fun.

6. What’s the most challenging part of your day?

The morning. West coast is 3 hours behind everyone else (give or take 2 hours) so there’s usually a lot of fires to deal with straight out of the gate.

7. If you had a soundtrack to your life, what would it be?

Tarzan (Phil Collins’s version of course).