Software Snack Bites

Nick Schrock (Founder, Dagster Labs & Co-Creator, GraphQL) - Facebook Eng Culture & Modern Data Stack Consolidation

Feb 6, 2024

Nick Schrock, Founder of Dagster Labs and previously Co-Creator of GraphQL at Facebook, discusses Facebook's culture of urgency and decentralization. He dives into the problem solved by GraphQL and its rollout within Facebook. The episode also covers the modern data stack and how Dagster Labs provides value to data engineering workflows. Nick's decision to transition from CEO to CTO is highlighted, along with advice for other founders in the Open Source space.

47:46

Creator website

Episode guests

Nick Schrock

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Choosing a small representative subset of users can help achieve product-market fit and scale quickly.

Clear product marketing and compelling communication are key to the success of projects like GraphQL.

Deep dives

Importance of Picking Early Customers

It is crucial to select early customers carefully as they play a pivotal role in achieving product-market fit. By choosing a small representative subset of users, a company can scale quickly and gain a better understanding of the larger target community.

Introduction

6min

Comparison of Facebook and Google's Open Source Projects

3min

Transitioning to Moving Fast with Stable Infrastructure

2min

Facebook's Transition to Mobile

22min

Evolution of the Go-to-Market Motion and the Role of Data Engineering

4min

Transitioning from CEO to CTO

10min

For those excited about Open Source, data, and understanding Facebook’s high performance culture, this is the episode for you!

Nick Schrock is the Founder of Dagster Labs and previously Co-Creator of GraphQL while at Facebook. In this episode, we discuss how Facebook maintained a culture of urgency and decentralization. Nick dives into the problem solved behind GraphQL’s creation and how the product rolled out within Facebook. We also cover the modern data stack and how Dagster Labs is moving beyond the orchestration layer to provide more value to data engineering workflows. Finally, we discuss Nick’s decision to transition from the CEO role and advice he has for other founders in the Open Source space.

Where to Find Nick:

· Twitter: https://twitter.com/schrockn

· LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schrockn/

Where to Find Shomik:

· Twitter: https://twitter.com/shomikghosh21

· LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shomik-ghosh-a5a71319/

· Newsletter: https://www.shomik.substack.com

· Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube.

In this episode, we cover:

(00:56) – Joining Facebook During “Move Fast & Break Things” Era in 2009

(06:06) – Why Facebook Open Source Has Proliferated So Well

(09:04) – How Facebook Culture Changed to “Move Fast With Stable Infrastructure”