BlogCulture September 22, 2021

Team Member Spotlight: Telmo Cruz

Telmo Cruz

Senior Software Engineer

At GYANT, our mission is to make people better. We value diverse perspectives, candid feedback, and we’re excited to show off the people who work passionately toward our mission and embody our values.

GYANT is a nimble, multi-cultural, and cross-disciplinary team where each member is an expert in their discipline.

Telmo Cruz joined GYANT in 2020 as a Senior Software Engineer. His experience as a software engineer building applications in the telecommunications and fashion industries helps our team continue to make people better.

Let’s get to know Telmo a little bit more, shall we?

What attracted you to GYANT? What do you love about working at GYANT?

I first got in touch with GYANT thanks to a friend who applied to an opening there, before me. He told me something along the lines of “this seems to be right up your alley, you should really check them out” and I had wanted to work on healthcare technology for quite some time. I didn’t even know the company existed before then, so I was a little skeptical about the whole thing at first. But once I met the team and learned more about their vision and where I would fit in the puzzle, it became clear that the technical challenge matched what I was looking for. So I took the chance and joined GYANT.

What made me stay in the company since then was, above all, its mission and its people. To be completely honest, GYANT does not fit in the world I would like to envision. It is baffling how some of the problems we try to help solve even exist in the first place. But the fact is that unfortunately they do, they do not seem to be getting away and they have the potential to hinder a lot of people’s access to healthcare-related services, literally putting their lives at risk. I am grateful for the opportunity to use my time and knowledge to help tackle this issue, even if it is just a tiny contribution in the grand scheme of things. And being able to collaborate, learn and laugh with talented and easy-going colleagues makes the journey fun.

What’s your favorite GYANT value and why?

That would definitely be Meritocracy of Ideas. Mostly because throughout my career, unilateral and unexplained/unsupported decisions forced down on everyone were probably the biggest catalyst for the loss of engagement (and often resignation) by the smartest and brightest people around me.

At GYANT, we are making a big effort to build a team of individuals with relevant experience in different areas and distinct ways of looking into challenges. It would be completely counter-productive and counter-intuitive for us to then disregard their ideas based on any personal metric (seniority, department, time at the company, etc.) and simply ask the team to passively follow orders.

Where are you from?

Although I don’t live there anymore, I was born and raised in Aveiro, a smallish coastal city in the north region of Portugal. It is mostly famous for its canals and boats and for the colorful houses of one of its towns. If you go on a ride there try the local pastry called “Ovos Moles” and, one of my favorite desserts in the world, “Tripa.” It’s totally normal to remember the places you visit/live in by their local food delicacies, right?

What’s your favorite snack while working from home?

Since I started working from home more often, I got slightly addicted to cereal bars in general. They are tasty, they allow me to keep focus on whatever else I’m doing while I eat them, and… most of them are not a particularly healthy option. Do not follow my footsteps on this, please.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?

Growing up, I loved playing and even creating games of almost any kind. So, a few years ago when I discovered the world of designer boardgames, it naturally became the go-to activity to have fun with friends and family. I also enjoy walking a lot, especially in cool places I am visiting for the first time and/or when I have someone to chat with along the way.

If you weren’t in your current role, what do you think you’d be doing?

I would be working on another computer-science-based field, as I have yet to find any other area with the same mix of freedom and potential for impact. If you are referring to the “what if there were no computers?” scenario… maybe something related with Psychology or Mathematics? Either that or I would just be personally and clumsily trying to invent some kind of computer.

Have you picked up any new hobbies or interests during the pandemic?

I joined GYANT during the first wave of the pandemic in southern Europe, so I already had a lot to keep me entertained at the time. We were also able to keep doing most of our hobbies indoors, so they did not change that much either. Our cat must have been very happy with the amount of time we spent playing with her during the lockdown period, but I guess that counts as her hobby, not mine.

What’s something cool that you’ve read, watched, or listened to recently?

The topic I most recently remember finding really cool (you mileage may vary on its “coolness level”) is the Peto’s Paradox. I would probably do a poor job trying to explain it, but there’s a pretty good (albeit a bit controversial) YouTube video from the German studio Kurzgesagt, called “Why Blue Whales Don’t Get Cancer”, that is a good starting point if you want to know more about the topic.