Scaling Cloud Teams: Strategies for Rapid Team Growth - Interview with Yan Cui

  • June 3, 2024

We're excited to share our latest podcast episode where we dive into the world of cloud engineering with a certified AWS hero! 🚀 Discover how to scale your team, overcome hiring challenges, and build innovative solutions in the cloud.

Video Interview

Watch the video on YouTube or below:

 

Building the Future of Sports Streaming: A Journey in Cloud Engineering

In our latest podcast episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with an AWS-certified hero, Yan Cui, who has made significant strides in the field of cloud engineering. With experience ranging from full-time roles to independent consulting, Yan shared invaluable insights into the challenges and triumphs of working in the cloud, particularly with AWS. Here are some key takeaways from our conversation.

The Early Days at DAZN

When asked about his early days at DAZN, Yan described the company as "Netflix for sports streaming." DAZN was one of the biggest players in the live sports streaming space, a multi-billion dollar company with a significant challenge: hiring the right engineers.

"It was super well-funded, a multi-billion dollar company, but they had a real problem in terms of hiring people within London, but also more broadly as well." –Yan Cui

The team grew rapidly from three to over 200 people, a testament to the strategic hiring and the exciting projects they were working on.

Overcoming Hiring Challenges

One of the main hurdles DAZN faced was finding the right talent locally. This led to the necessity of hiring engineers from outside the city, and sometimes even from outside the country. Despite these challenges, the right hires were made, leading to a period of rapid growth and innovation.

"I think part of the problem is that they couldn't find enough engineers locally, so they had to hire people from outside of the city and sometimes even from outside of the country," Yan says.

Building Innovative Solutions

Once the right team was in place, the focus shifted to building innovative solutions that had not been done before on such a scale. The resources available at DAZN allowed the team to execute their ideas effectively, creating a dynamic and exciting work environment.

"But once we got the right people in place, it was a really exciting time because we were building something that hadn't really been done before on that scale, and we had the resources to do it right," says Yan.

The Role of an AWS Hero

Yan's journey as an AWS hero was also a highlight of the conversation. Being an AWS hero involves not only deep expertise in AWS but also a commitment to sharing knowledge and helping the community. This role has allowed Yan to work with various companies, bringing his expertise to different projects and helping teams optimize their cloud strategies.

Key Takeaways for Cloud Engineers

Throughout the podcast, several key takeaways emerged for aspiring cloud engineers and companies looking to optimize their cloud strategies:

  1. Strategic Hiring: Finding the right talent is crucial. Sometimes this means looking beyond local candidates to find the perfect fit.
  2. Innovation at Scale: With the right resources and team, it's possible to build groundbreaking solutions that push the boundaries of what's been done before.
  3. Community Engagement: Sharing knowledge and contributing to the community is an integral part of being an AWS hero and helps drive the industry forward.

As cloud technology continues to evolve, the insights shared in this episode provide valuable guidance for engineers and companies alike. Whether you're looking to scale your team, overcome hiring challenges, or build innovative solutions in the cloud, the experiences and strategies discussed in this podcast offer a roadmap to success.

Tune in to the full episode for an in-depth conversation and more insights into the world of cloud engineering. Don't miss out on learning from one of the best in the field! 

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