Roblox Tech Talks

Nicky Jackson Colaco, Head of Public Policy at Roblox, brings over 20 years of tech policy expertise to the discussion. She dives into the intricacies of regulating Roblox, emphasizing the platform's unique safety measures and machine learning initiatives to protect young users. The conversation highlights the critical interplay between public policy and innovation, the importance of community feedback, and the challenges policymakers face with emerging technologies. Nicky also explores the future of creator rights in the AI landscape and the role of community engagement in shaping safety and education.

Senior Director of Engineering Kiran Bhat, Senior Director of Product Mahesh Ramasubramanian, and Principal Product Manager Effie Goenawan join CEO David Baszucki for a look into the future of immersive communication through avatars and the technical challenges we’re solving to power it. They’ll discuss in depth how expressive avatars not only allow us to express ourselves digitally, but also communicate more immersively through voice, facial expressions, and body language.

Zhen Fang, Head of International at Roblox, shares insights on localized experiences for global users. They discuss innovations in multilingual content, emphasizing automatic translations and culturally relevant designs. The conversation highlights user-generated avatars that resonate across cultures and the strategic adaptations made for markets like Japan. Fang also addresses expanding opportunities in emerging markets, focusing on performance enhancement for low-end devices, ensuring inclusive and engaging experiences for all.

Principal Software Engineer Jan Berktold joins CEO David Baszucki to discuss how we’re ensuring our infrastructure is fast and reliable all around the world. They’ll explore our vision for active/active architecture and the challenges we’re solving to enhance our data storage platform. 

Anupam Singh, VP of Engineering for the Growth Team at Roblox, sheds light on the exciting innovations driving user engagement. He discusses the balance between creativity and analytics in refining the platform's growth strategy. Anupam dives into enhancing search capabilities with machine learning, aiming for personalized user experiences. He also addresses the complexities of matchmaking and managing high-demand scenarios, sharing insights on real-time communication and the increasing role of AI in virtual environments. Get ready for a tech-savvy journey!

Matt Kaufman, Roblox’s Chief Safety Officer, and Naren Koneru, VP of Trust & Safety Engineering, join CEO Dave Baszucki to discuss our approach to safety and civility on the platform. Together they’ll explore the technical challenges that come along with keeping virtual environments safe at scale, our vision for civil online communities, and how we’re working to serve the needs of each individual who uses Roblox.

Rebecca Kantar, Vice President of Education Partnerships and founder of an ed-tech company, joins Roblox CEO Dave Baszucki to explore the future of education on the platform. They discuss innovative, game-based assessments that replace traditional testing, emphasizing problem-solving and cognitive skills. The conversation highlights Roblox's efforts to create immersive learning experiences, promote higher-order thinking, and support student preparedness for adulthood. They envision a digital landscape that fosters creativity, collaboration, and real-world skills.

Enrico D’Angelo, the VP of Product for Roblox's economy team, shares insights into the complexities of building a thriving virtual economy. He discusses how Roblox's economic model has evolved from simple advertising to a sophisticated virtual currency system that fosters creativity. The conversation touches on the uniqueness of digital asset scarcity, innovative immersive advertising methods, and the concept of digital identity. D’Angelo also envisions a future where payments in gaming seamlessly blend the digital and physical worlds.

Senior Director of Product for the Social Team, Garima Sinha, joins CEO Dave Baszucki to talk about the future of communication on Roblox. In this episode, they’ll discuss how we’ve been working to make communication more natural and expressive on the platform – including avatar facial animation, spatial audio, and more.

VP of Global Partnerships Christina Wootton sits down with CEO and host Dave Baszucki to talk about the incredible ways that brands have developed a presence on our platform. In this episode, they’ll share how we think about our relationship with other brands, what successful integrations look like, and how the foundation of our technology makes it all possible.