Ryan defines, designs, and develops product user interfaces

How did you get into programming?

By chance. During college I kept hearing about how my generation—Generation X, considered "slackers"—was going to be the first generation in the history of this country to do worse than its parents economically. I got disillusioned. It didn’t help that my classes were boring. I joined some friends of mine at a start-up in New York. That’s how I got started in programming as a profession.

When did you come out to Silicon Valley?

At the peak of the bubble—basically a year or two late. But I did make it out here.

How did you like Silicon Valley?

It was exciting to be out here at the peak of the dot.com bubble—to be part of something new and on the edge. That’s the type of guy I am. I pursue things that are more of a risk than others.

I was downsized out of a couple of companies. One company got nearly $30 MM in funding but lasted only a year. The business model didn’t make much sense, the vision changed every three months. They paid the programmers well, though, so we did what they told us to do. But we became cynics.

When did you get involved with Medallia?

After the last lay-off. I started by doing some project work for Medallia. That was about six years ago.

What do you like about Medallia?

There’s no hype. It’s a value-oriented company that makes a contribution to the customer. In one of my previous companies, we were not adding anything to the customer. It was more hype-oriented. At Medallia, the focus is on creating great products that have value instead of great marketing campaigns that have value.

Also, Medallia is focused on getting it right. They don’t take the chicken out of the oven before it’s done. That environment provides stability.

What excites you about technology?

I am excited about browsers becoming more standards compliant, about end users becoming more educated, and about JavaScript becoming more commonplace in applications (like Flickr and Google Maps). That allows us to create web-based applications that respond seamlessly, like desktop applications. The end user will have a more satisfying, less frustrating experience.

What do you do for extracurricular activities?

I enjoy helping troubled youth. I’ve had some success and some failures. For a lot of this stuff, you trust that you make a difference even though you don’t hear about the rewards. A lot of times you just feel like you’re changing diapers. I guess it’s like raising kids—you invest your life in your kids and you hope it makes a difference. I hope that if I just keep changing the diapers, someday it’s going to make a difference.