Amelia Vu joined Rubrik 4 years ago as a software engineer for the SaaS Apps team. Rubrik is Amelia’s first full-time position after graduating and mentions the interviews were a large factor in joining Rubrik as they felt more like peer-to-peer conversations. It provided her a glimpse into how collaborative and passionate about problem-solving and architecting the Rubrik engineers are. Without further ado, let’s get to know Amelia and hear more of her story about her journey at Rubrik.
When you went through the interview process at Rubrik, what aspects of it stood out and influenced your decision to join the company?
My interviewers were a large factor in why I decided to join Rubrik. The interviews felt like peer-to-peer conversations, and I got a glimpse of how collaborative and passionate about problem-solving and architecting the engineers were. I wanted my first job to be one where I could learn and grow to be a technically strong engineer and felt that these were the people that could cultivate that kind of environment. At the offer stage, one of Rubrik's co-founders also reached out directly to answer any questions I had, which I didn't expect at the size Rubrik already was.
As a woman engineer, can you share some examples of how Rubrik has supported your professional growth and development?
I’ve participated in various mentorship and coaching programs offered by Rubrik over the years and built my community of mentors and peers from it. There is also a Women@Rubrik community that has been warm and welcoming with activities throughout the year that I enjoy. From making terrariums to casual lunches to inspiring fireside chats, being a part of this community has been beyond valuable for me! I’ve been able to draw from a diverse array of perspectives to get a sense of what kind of pace and form I want my career to take, rather than stress overfitting the one idea of success I had early in my career.
Over your four years at Rubrik, you must have worked on various exciting projects. How do you feel empowered to innovate, solve hard problems, and/or make an impact on our customers?
From day one as a new grad, I was given the agency to design and own solutions and take part in discussions outside of my domain, so I’ve been lucky to always have had a wealth of opportunities through the years. I’ve had the chance to help design and build solutions for OneDrive, Teams, and Atlassian Jira from the start. I’ve designed and implemented critical recovery features for Rubrik Security Cloud within the first 2 months of joining the company.
What keeps me feeling empowered to do so is that I know I have really strong engineers on my team who are always open and thoughtful in providing input and expertise.
We strive to foster a culture of flexibility and autonomy and encourage Rubrikans to take ownership of their work. Which RIVET value resonates with you the most and why?
Excellence. This one is a constant aspiration for me because there is always room to grow technically and higher bars that can be met, especially with the challenge of how to do so in balancing velocity, but high quality, well-tested, and performant code is always my shining goal post.
How does our mission of securing the world's data inspire you and/or how does the work you do impact our mission?
I've been on the same team for my 4+ years at Rubrik, and have watched our products grow from a handful of customers to a volume that is frankly still mind-boggling to me. I'm a head-down, focus-on-execution kind of person most of the time, but the moments when I do surface and get to hear first-hand customer feedback on how critical these ops are for their organizations and being able to meet those needs are some of the most fulfilling.
Rapid Fire Questions
Q: First job?
A: An internship at Sony PlayStation. Rubrik is my first full-time position.
Q: Favorite hobby?
A: Depending on the season – indoor climbing, snowboarding, learning languages
Q: Hidden talent?
A: Rock Band™ drums
Q: Favorite movie?
A: My favorite movie probably changes every year, but I always enjoy a rewatch of any of the Simon Pegg and Nick Frost movies (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead)
Q: Last vacation?
A: I went to France this October to visit my sister in Paris, and spent a couple of days driving around the stunning Dordogne River valley.