The Greatest Engineers Want to Build Things That Solve the Toughest Problems

The #1 thing the best engineers are motivated by is a CHALLENGE. And the bigger the challenge, the more motivated the engineer. So, it’s safe to say that engineers like to build things to solve problems.

It’s also important to note that “coders” (I hate this term, btw) are not engineers, but engineers are coders. This is like paralegals and lawyers. Or pharmacists and doctors. Pharmacists fill orders. Doctors listen to problems, diagnose problems, and then prescribe solutions.

At Rubicon Project, we attract the best engineers because:

(a) We’re solving a very complex challenge – automating the entire advertising market, something that’s never been done before.

(b) Everything we do is at such massive scale – millions of transactions per second and trillions per month, for example.

(c) Innovation is a priority for us; we’re building new technologies in new ways that no one has ever attempted.

So, if you want to attract the best and brightest engineers – motivate them with a giant challenge.