đź’żSince 2005, I have been creating, managing, and scaling technology companies and platforms. I created the largest technology platforms in IT education, business education, and agro-industry. I developed and implemented software, ERP systems, and automated semiconductor equipment for companies in the US, Germany, France, England, and Taiwan.
Major tech businesses and projects in my professional background: GeekBrains, AGRO24, Biznes Molodost, Megaplan, iTec group, Mecasoft. More details about these businesses here: Businesses - IT Field.
Below are my thoughts, views, and descriptions regarding technologies and IT.
I truly got closer to technology when I started working as a programmer in a French company in 2004. Even as a child (from 1992), I had a computer (a 286 Pentium), and I loved everything related to it—games, networks, and creating various things. Later, this hobby transitioned into a professional sphere, where I worked as a programmer and eventually managed hundreds of projects.
💿Once in Minsk, I was stopped by a traffic officer. He looked around the car for a long time and said, “You look like some kind of spy.” At the time, I had a lot of wires and circuit boards in my car because I was testing navigation tracking systems for a major freight operator, a French company called Intercars, right in my car.
I began participating in large international projects (in 2004, at MecaSoft) in France, Austria, Germany, Taiwan, the US, and the UK. I worked with experienced professionals and quickly got into project management. Together, we conceived both equipment and different types of software. Many projects were related to the semiconductor industry. Equipment installation and robot management took place in various countries, including Silicon Valley (USA). I first arrived in Silicon Valley in 2007. We carried out many projects in the States, including in Portland, Oregon. I persuaded a senior project manager to go to California to see how things were arranged there.
At university, I fell in love with the database management systems course, particularly normalization. I still use those principles all the time. I can break down any business or process into details, describe it, normalize it. I can do this better than almost any systems analyst. No programmer would do it this way. Why? Because I approach it with business experience and knowledge, from a broad perspective and mindset. I understand what is needed. Imagine a good gardener who knows how to plant, but someone has to determine which plants are needed, for what purpose, and when to plant them. As an architect, you build it.
As a technological architect of businesses and products, I understand why people need these things and how to use them. I have implemented thousands of different systems, know a huge number of things, and can create what’s needed myself. It’s not hard for me to launch a website or set up an email marketing system with various touchpoints and triggers. I know how it works. Do I want to do it? Of course not. I don’t need to. I know how to set parameters, understand marketing, write texts, know how to interact with customers, and handle sales. I possess a huge number of these qualities. Some I do better, some worse. Many things I can’t do or can’t do very well. Then I know whom to involve to do it better.
I like technology. I find it easy to understand, to dive in, and I see the scale. It’s full of huge possibilities. Why am I in the tech world, why am I in AI, and why in the Valley? Because I know the world is developing rapidly. For example, artificial intelligence is something different, like the advent of electricity, computers, or the internet. It’s big, it’s important, and we need to pay attention to it.
Technology is also important in my life. I interact with it. Large businesses without technology are unrealistic, or you simply don’t understand them. If you’re a leader and don’t understand technology, you should admit it. Most leaders know only abstractions and say, “The main thing is to manage the team, hire people.” But what if you can manage, understand finance, hire talent, and also know technology? What if you’re very strong in all these areas and can figure things out easily? For you, it’s natural, free, and easy. “No, that can’t be! It’s impossible!” But it’s possible.