#016: From Startup to Global Brand: Scaling Engineering at reMarkable

In today’s Coredump Session, we sit down with Nico Comier, CTO of reMarkable, to explore the journey from early-stage startup to global brand. Nico shares insights on scaling engineering teams, balancing technical credibility with leadership responsibilities, and what it really takes to bring a hardware product to market. From the pressures of product launches to the importance of customer connection, this conversation dives into the realities of building impactful technology.

Key Takeaways:

• Nico Comier emphasizes the importance of customer impact in engineering roles.
• reMarkable's journey from startup to global brand involved scaling engineering teams.
• Cross-functional collaboration is key to successful product launches.
• Understanding customer needs is crucial for product development.
• reMarkable focuses on creating tools that help people think better.
• The Paper Pro Move was developed in response to user feedback.
• reMarkable values a hacker culture and allows device jailbreaking.
• Telemetry and customer feedback are vital for product improvement.
• reMarkable's leadership believes in maintaining technical credibility.
• Cross-functional teams enhance empathy and collaboration within organizations.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to reMarkable and Nico's Journey

04:21 The Path to CTO: Insights and Experiences

07:21 Technical Leadership and Staying Relevant

10:03 Understanding Customer Needs in Tech Leadership

13:00 The Launch of Paper Pro Move: A Major Achievement

15:17 Preparing for Product Launch: Challenges and Strategies

18:07 Balancing Agile and Waterfall in Product Development

21:04 Product Decision-Making: Insights from the Paper Pro Move

23:39 Navigating Challenges in Hardware Development

26:30 Final Thoughts on Product Launch and Future Directions

29:30 The Importance of Hypercare Post-Launch

35:44 Scaling a Startup: Lessons Learned

39:41 Building Cross-Functional Teams

47:13 The Role of Firmware in Product Development

50:48 Integrating Accessibility and Customer Feedback

57:02 Leadership and Team Dynamics

01:00:00 Outro

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