The Peterman Pod Instagram Staff (IC6) Promo Despite 10 Team Switches in 9 Years (Career Story)
Aug 8, 2025
Sash Zats, a Staff Engineer (IC6) at Instagram, has an exciting background in iOS, hardware, blockchain, and AI prototyping. He discusses the unique experience of switching teams 10 times in 9 years, revealing how it fueled his career growth. Sash shares insights about Instagram's blockchain initiative and his work on Threads before its launch. He emphasizes the value of prototyping and effective collaboration between engineers and designers, highlighting how these experiences shaped his innovative approach within tech.
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Early Fun in News Feed Delight
- Sash joined the News Feed Delight team to build fun, design-focused prototypes without immediate metrics.
- The team created joy-inducing features like visual Easter eggs, embracing experimentation rather than impact.
Effective Engineer-Designer Collaboration
- Collaborate closely with designers, constantly exchanging ideas and real-world constraints.
- Use technical capabilities to inspire design and keep iteration loops tight for stronger products.
Hardware Team Switch Experience
- Sash switched from iOS to a hardware team working on Android-based prototypes despite zero experience.
- He spent six months mainly sourcing hardware and reverse engineering Apple's messaging stack, committing only two diffs.