Ably

The Ably solution is a deep tech product providing fundamental infrastructure to real-time companies. It's both a deeply complex product itself, but also we often find that potential customers don't yet recognise that this is a solution they can acquire off-the-shelf (from Ably). Therefore it's a really interesting engagement model as we learn how to create deeper and deeper engagement with ably. Our customers then have some very interesting and deep tech use cases, which leads to technically demanding discussions and designs to ensure we can deliver.

Working in a fast moving start-up means there is always new things coming up. There are constant ideas – whether they are my own or raised by colleagues – that we quickly look into and often try. Everyone of these is a learning opportunity – when you see something that could be better, you get the opportunity to try it out and see how it works.

We have to come across as experts to our clients, in a very technically challenging space. Every person I've dealt with in the company is incredibly quick to understand the customer issues, and has a deep understanding of our technology. A very smart group of people.

Apart from a few reclusive or overly busy corners of Ably, most everyone in the company acts like we're all at the same level all working together toward a common goal, and everyone all the way up to C-suite is always available for an impromptu 10-minute 1:1 exchange of ideas. I have never encountered anyone pulling rank. It's wonderful.

I could *maybe* make more elsewhere, but not much more, and it would rarely be as good an experience. Total compensation in terms of money AND satisfaction is the best I've ever experienced (and I've had some good ones).

While egging each other on to do more and better, everyone approaches everyone else with a degree of kindness and respect and care I have rarely experienced before. Everyone works under the assumption that everyone else does the absolute best with what they have. A breath of fresh air.

Ably solves some of the hardest engineering challenges there are to solve. But because we're still early as technology and a solution, we have to figure out everything as we go. As a marketer, it makes my job more challenging because people don't necessarily know what it is we do - even developers. That's a great thing to try and solve everyday.

One of Ably's core values is "open for all" and it feels like we really live it. Each week at our all hands different Ablyans share their successes, frustrations, and insights - it's never just management. All of our meetings, notes, and wiki are open by default so everyone can see what's going on at a company level. The management team are also super transparent and communicative.

From the day I started at Ably I've felt truly autonomous. I've had the opportunity to really "own" certain elements of Ably, lead on countless projects, and implement new ideas.

It's very important to be able to organise your work as you want, especially when working remotely. Ably allows me to take my breaks when I need them. I can take a walk before it's dark in the winter, and come back to my desk afterwards. If I need to leave early to get to an appointment it's not an issue at all, I'll just stay a bit longer the following day. Ably trusts people, and that makes it an amazing company to work for.

I have always been impressed by the openness of Ably's management, since my very first interview with Matthew, the company's CEO. We had an informal chat in a café where he told me about the company's goals, the technical challenges they have had, but also the thinks that could be improved. This honesty made me choose Ably over other possible companies, and I have never had any regrets.

Ably is working on complex systems with a high level of reliability and many constraints. There is an important amount of knowledge that has to be acquired before being fully efficient. New features are often added and need a careful work of engineering and testing to be done. All those characteristics make working at Ably challenging, but rewarding.