Phoebe Yang is one of our early engineers who joined Rutter at the start of this year. Phoebe was previously at Two Sigma and jumped right in to the startup world, making an immediate impact in helping Rutter build the best product in the Commerce API space.
Learn more about why Phoebe decided to join Rutter, her journey into the world of Software Engineering and what she enjoys doing outside of work as well.
1. Why did you decide to join Rutter?
It came down to two things for me. First, the learning opportunity of joining a seed-stage company was enormous. When I met the Rutter team only 5 people working full time but they were already generating millions in revenue. It’s very rare to find a company this early in its journey that already found a strong product-market fit. Rutter is at the stage where it’s rapidly growing and evolving - the chance of joining at this phase was just so exciting. I also recognized a lot of potential and possibilities in the problem space, the product, and the team. I knew this experience would accelerate my learning both at a professional and personal level.
The other reason is the people. My friend David introduced me to the Rutter team and it turned out to be a great culture fit. I want to work with people who inspire me - who are motivated, driven, and zesty. Everyone at Rutter is talented, genuine, and humble. When I was making the decision I felt most strongly about working with the people at Rutter.
2. What was your journey to being a Software Engineer?
I wanted to major in math going into college, but after taking an intro to computer science course freshman year I decided to switch. I found it super fun and empowering to turn thoughts into running programs. The community and culture around CS in school were very collaborative and supportive. When I was in school, I thought the future of technology excited me the most, and becoming a software engineer seemed like an immediate path to entering the tech world. So like most other students, I majored in CS, interned at a tech company, and started as a full-time Software Engineer after graduation.
3. What is it like working as a Software Engineer at Rutter?
Compared to bigger companies I’ve worked at, things move much faster at Rutter. Our engineering projects are closely aligned with the business priorities and what our customers want. Another big difference is that at Rutter you are not given an already-made solution or being told exactly what to do when solving a problem. We need to figure out a lot of things on our own, especially around scaling infra and adopting external technologies and tooling. Every day I learn something new. Overall, I think there is much more ownership around the engineering process at Rutter.
4. What do you love most about working at Rutter?
Working alongside people who are passionate about what they do. I get a lot of energy just by being in the same room with other Rutteristas. We can work hard and have fun together. I think it’s the synergies of people that make the day-to-day at Rutter exciting and fulfilling.
5. How would you describe the Rutter culture?
I find the culture to be highly transparent and collaborative. Everyone is open to feedback, has a growth mindset, and a team player. At Rutter, individuals are given a lot of trust. There are a lot of capable and talented individuals on the team while every single person is down to earth, humble, and ready to help.
6. What are you passionate about?
Growing up I’ve always been a very curious person. That makes me always excited about learning and exploring new things. My interests span everywhere from technology and finance to philosophy, art, and fitness. I’m also passionate about personal growth, and I feel the most fulfilled when I’m constantly getting better at what I do. The last one is just people - I love building meaningful connections with people in life. I think it’s beautiful how people can inspire each other by being unique in their own way.
7. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I like to be active and outdoors. Outside of work I like to practice yoga, lift, dance, go on ski trips, and bike around the city. I also love exploring ice cream shops and bakeries in different neighborhoods.
8. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
One piece of advice that helped me a lot when making a major decision in life - “if it’s not a hell yeah, it’s a no.”
When we are evaluating multiple options and possible courses of action, it’s easy to get trapped by analysis paralysis. Sticking to this principle has simplified my decision-making and taught me to focus on the most important opportunities in life.
We're hiring across functions. Come work with Phoebe. Join us!
