In the bustling tech landscape of Japan, we encounter Ken Hamada, affectionately known online as id:itchyny. His impressive career journey serves as an inspiration to many in the tech community. After earning a master's degree in electronic engineering from Kyoto University, he embarked on his professional journey at Hatena. At Hatena, he didn't just write code; he became an integral part of teams, contributing to projects like Mackerel and Bookmark, where collaboration and innovation thrived. His role as an application engineer was filled with challenges and learning opportunities. In 2021, seeking new horizons, Itchyny transitioned to Cybozu, where he now shines as a web application engineer on the kintone team. Here, he tackles significant infrastructure migrations—including a major shift to Kubernetes—transforming and enhancing how the company manages its technical capabilities.
Now, at Cybozu, Itchyny's responsibilities are both challenging and rewarding. As a member of the kintone team, which boasts a renowned cloud-based platform, he plays a critical role in enabling businesses to create tailored applications that suit their unique needs. One of his primary projects focuses on migrating their existing infrastructure—an endeavor that addresses problematic scalability issues from the past. The complexity of shifting from traditional on-premises systems to a flexible, cloud-native architecture cannot be understated; it significantly improves efficiency and fosters team autonomy. Development teams now confidently manage resources like Pods, making decisions faster than ever before. Moreover, Cybozu promotes a deeply collaborative culture, where regular synchronization meetings ensure seamless deployments and feature releases. This approach—coupled with an unwavering commitment to quality—showcases the modern engineering practices that are crucial to thriving in today’s tech ecosystem.
As he reflects on his experiences, Itchyny provides compelling insights into the cultural contrasts between Hatena and Cybozu. Both companies highlight a dynamic and open atmosphere that encourages effective communication and teamwork. For example, the informal 'division reports' at Hatena allow team members to share insights and seek help, similar to Cybozu's practice of promoting immediate feedback and open lines of communication. Despite the larger scale of Cybozu, which poses unique challenges, Itchyny appreciates its supportive culture. He recognizes that the consistent flow of communication helps bridge gaps between various development lanes. Furthermore, the focus on quality assurance and technical writing underscores each company's commitment to excellence. This nurturing environment is essential for fostering creativity, ultimately highlighting that a thriving company culture is critical in attracting and retaining top talent within the ever-evolving tech industry.
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