#63 Rob Dufalo CTO of defi SOLUTIONS

Episode 63 ·

Today we are talking to Rob Dufalo, the CTO of defi SOLUTIONS, and we discuss investing in yourself and the people around you, creating a successful remote culture that works, and how empowering your team keeps morale high and promotes growth.

All of this, right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast

Robert Dufalo has been leading teams of engineers in solving the most challenging problems in computing. Robert has worked on both ends of the computing spectrum delivering solutions for the 2nd largest search engine in the world and working on solutions for IoT and embedded computing. For more than 15 years he’s used his passion for technology to develop and grow businesses to improving lives.

Show Notes

  • Defi Pronounced Defy
  • What does Defi do? Provides lending services
  • The whole game was to help everyone in lending catch up in the technology world
  • Behind the partnerships of the lending companies, sits Defi
  • How did Rob get from Microsoft to Defy
  • Rob worked at a bank and quit the minute before Y2K hit
  • Worked at Microsoft for 14 years
  • What size was the company when you joined? 30 people?
  • Company has grown to 96 people
  • What are the challenges to keep a company small and family like when it's a huge enterprise?
  • Microsoft making advancements in Hololens
  • Really love what you can see in a hybrid VR world
  • Custom vehicle from Uber to fly
  • Talking about airplanes and flight paths
  • Hyperloop talk
  • Rob is an author - written some Sci-Fi books, Young Adult Romance
  • Spent some time in Asia - Always had an affinity for Japan - lived there
  • Joel finished up a Deepak Chopra book - First introduced by reading a Michael Singer Book
  • Thinking Fast and Slow
  • Slowing yourself down and thinking through
  • Hacking Neural links
  • What are some of the Challenges of working remotely
  • Embraced the idea of freedom and that they are going to become a company that is distributed
  • Central hub of Defi is located in Grapevine Texas
  • Development team is distributed
  • Spends one week a month in the central hub
  • Using Zoom and slack all the time
  • It's always about the people when it comes to making remote work
  • Allen Holub - writes and speaks about architecture - Agile methods
  • You always have to be a student
  • You have to go get yourself involved in things when working remote - 1 tip
  • What's on your leadership mind? Leadership in technology - The Phoenix Project
  • Need to get the DevOps handbook
  • The value that Modern CTO has added to Rob has been huge
  • Listing guests who he’s learned from
  • Came from a testing development background
  • Wants to get in to podcasting
  • Loves star wars and craft beer
  • Has an affinity for Subarus - How he got in to rally racing and building cars
  • Joel’s grandfather is a professional boat racer
  • Talking about the first podcast - Derek Johnson
  • Get everyone together for a round table
  • Throwback to time machine question
  • Invest in yourself and the people around you more than the company you’re apart of
  • People are what make the culture
  • Number one job is to empower developers and everyone who works for you
  • Resourcing the people who work for you - working in a scrum methodology

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