Meet Me in 5 (Questions): Maksim Likharev
Dec 21, 2022
Welcome to Autonomic’s Meet Me in 5 (Questions) series where we feature the passionate individuals who inspire our work. We met with Maksim Likharev to learn about his role and how it has grown since starting at Autonomic. Maksim joined our team as a Senior Software Engineer and has since been promoted to Principal Software Engineer. He works hard to design, implement, and optimize services for our customers.
1. What is your role at Autonomic and what does it entail?
I’m a Principal Software Engineer on our Device Connectivity team. My day-to-day responsibilities are to design, implement, and troubleshoot the services my team is responsible for. My role is very collaborative. I share knowledge and expertise with colleagues, help guide new engineers, and work with teams across our organization.
2. What initially drew you to Autonomic?
When searching for a new role, Silicon Valley engineers typically start by looking at FAANG companies (i.e., Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google). I was no exception. Deep in the interview process with larger tech companies, I was contacted by an Autonomic recruiter. I started reading about Autonomic, and I was intrigued. I liked the idea of a small organization where my individual contributions could make an impact. Once I got an offer to work here, that was it for me. I canceled all my other interviews.
3. Let’s talk about career growth. Did you start out as a Principal Software Engineer?
When I first joined Autonomic, I started as a Senior Software Engineer. I was an individual contributor on our Hydra team. (Fun fact, our team name was inspired by the Hydra constellation, with each constellation head representing a different connected device.) My teammates at the time were located in Detroit, Michigan, while I was in San Jose, California. Most teams at Autonomic are pretty flexible about working times, so I decided to align with Eastern Time because I liked being able to start and finish work early.
My team was extremely supportive and our unique emphasis on pair programming helped me tremendously during the onboarding process. I was able to hit the ground running. Service by service, problem by problem, I expanded my knowledge and grew in that role, and this year I was promoted to Principal Software Engineer.
4. What excites you most about the work you’re doing?
I’m excited about the future of Autonomic and how the work I’m doing can help improve connected experiences for years to come. In addition to vehicles, I envision all kinds of devices on our platform, including smart homes, robots, and manufacturing equipment.
5. What tips do you have for someone hoping to grow in their career?
Don’t assume you know everything. Make a habit of regularly communicating with your peers. If you keep an open mind and listen, there is a lot you can learn from the people around you. In addition, don’t be afraid to speak up and share your ideas. Even the ones that seem absurd could end up making a difference.
