Why "Superhero" Employees Are Ruining Your Company's Growth

Relying on "superhero" tech talent isn't a strategy—because superheroes don't scale. ❌

In this clip from Unplugged with iSolution, we dive into the operational realities of modern tech leadership. From the fallacy of thinking AI implementation is as simple as "installing ChatGPT" to building truly scalable, secure systems that don't depend on a single person to survive. 

We also explore the incredible momentum in Saudi Arabia, discussing how Riyadh has rapidly transformed into a global magnet for top-tier engineering talent, moving forward like a high-speed train toward Vision 2030, Vision 2040, and beyond.

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Transcript

Quick Intro And Welcome

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Yellow.

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Yellow.

SPEAKER_03 0:16

Joining us today is the leader of IT operations at Tabi, Daniel Shipilov. As an engineering manager, he leads the internal tech teams that manage the critical systems and tools powering the people behind a 4.5 billion fintech giant, ensuring that as the company scales to 10 billion plus in transactions, its internal operations remain seamless and bulletproof. Welcome, Daniel.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 0:41

Hi, Kevin. We're glad to have you

From Sysadmin To Department Lead

SPEAKER_03 0:43

here. So tell me a bit, uh, let's start off with who's Daniel. Um, where did you grow? Uh, what did you study, etc.?

SPEAKER_02 0:52

Yeah, sure. Uh so I came to Tab more than four years ago as a system administrator. Uh for that time in Tabi was two DevOps engineers and uh me. Only not not only, no, no, no. We we have we we had the developers, uh designers, I mean uh some infrastructure team. It's uh just uh three people and compared to now. Uh compared to now uh uh I'm managing the whole department of IT operations, where is 25 people for now?

SPEAKER_01 1:33

Oh nice.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

Uh so yeah. Uh Tabia grew up uh for this years and uh me with company as well, and uh challenging uh we faced with many challenges uh during this uh journey and uh from individual contributor as a system administrator to the managing the whole department. Uh my focus and daily tasks, knowledge, all all the things that I did before changed it, changed it significantly. And yeah.

Why Hiring Superheroes Fails

SPEAKER_02 2:19

I guess the most uh challenging for me it was uh during this uh transition from individual contributor to the uh team lead. Uh it was uh changing approach to to hire people. The the my first hiring we uh we trying with my colleague to find the the same superheroes as we and uh we it's it's a bit hard to replicate what you do actually. Exactly, exactly, and uh superheroes is not scalable in that sense. And uh hopefully we uh quickly understood this and uh you adapted and shifted approach, yes. So we start uh dividing our department to the small teams, sub-teams, uh start hiring the uh specific people specialists for certain areas.

Retention Through Trust And Recognition

SPEAKER_03 3:23

Okay. So since you mentioned hiring, how do you retain your team? Because I know like you said, you were two people and now you're like 25. How do you retain them? Like it's uh it's uh it's a huge market, the competition is huge as well, no?

SPEAKER_02 3:37

Yes, and uh we are we're good positions. We are Tabia. It's uh everyone wants to work with Tabia. Makes sense. Yeah, it's uh first, and it is important uh important point. Uh and uh people want to work with us and uh to be part of this uh big and great company. Uh for me personally, in my department, we are maintaining the huge ENPS level. And uh it's uh uh it's a result of the let's say the few things. First of all, uh we are all uh people, we all have friends, and uh we have all these relationships that I'm manager, you are employer, uh doing it.

SPEAKER_03 4:40

So you're good friends with your team as well.

SPEAKER_02 4:42

Yes, we have we uh have the some friends atmosphere in the team in department. Uh we are we have we're actually uh we're recognizing the results of the team and it's also important because um motivates uh it's it is motivating the people, it is uh it's very important for human itself. I mean it's everywhere. If you are not working in in the company, you also need some recognitions from your validation from your wife from the partner, correct anyway. And uh and I'm trying to use uh this approach in the department. Um what uh what else?

What Engineering Excellence Means

SPEAKER_03 5:33

No, no, because because you're talking about uh validation and actually celebrating uh the wins, how does uh or what does actually engineering excellence look like for someone like you?

SPEAKER_02 5:45

So uh if we're speaking about engineering excellence for me, on the first uh point here it is uh uh I when I say for me, it's for me you and my my department my team of course. It is uh the first point it is about discipline. It's uh it's not only about uh comes to work at the time that you you start you should start it, but it's also important in uh operations department. Uh it's uh going deeper and uh it's about following the rules, following the policies we are in our department, and uh in Tab itself, we have uh the healthier paranoia about uh safety, about security, and uh all things that we're uh doing, uh all workflow that we're building, we're trying to build it in the way that way that uh prevent any uh mistakes.

Security Paranoia And Automation

SPEAKER_02 6:52

Uh it's uh uh usually we're trying to build it without uh human in the process.

SPEAKER_03 7:01

And uh so you you try to automate everything?

SPEAKER_02 7:04

Yes, we're trying to automate it's it's became from the time when I was alone in department. And uh when you're alone and you're faced with uh uh 300 uh people, 400, you have to automate. Yeah, you you have no another another way. If or you you need to work 24 hours for seven days per week. Uh but if you want to sleep and you want to sleep well, uh it has to be automated. Tasks should be automated, yes.

SPEAKER_03 7:38

So, Daniel, how important is the work you and the team do behind the scenes to ensure that Tabby employees are capable of servicing the clients like without any cybersecurity risks or IT hurdles, etc.

SPEAKER_02 7:53

Yeah, as I said before, uh we're trying to automate everything that we can, and we're trying to exclude the human from the each uh process. The process regarding safety and security, it's uh most important process in our company with FinTech company. Yeah. Uh first of all, automation and uh designing this process uh in that way that uh prevent any mistakes. And also we are we are users of our products itself. Uh I mean me, my team, our top management, all of us who are using Tabia as application at all Tabby products. And uh when we're facing these issues in the products, it is directly flagged. We directly yes, exactly. We directly flag it and it is directly fixing. And uh we want to use uh the good product and uh makes sense. I mean, I mean we're building the product for ourselves.

SPEAKER_03 8:56

So you you are actually testing the uh the workflows, etc. by using the application.

SPEAKER_02 9:02

Yes, yes, makes sense. We also have a lot of testers who of course in the process, uh, but I mean we also uh uh use cust customers.

SPEAKER_03 9:10

Yeah, because I think uh if you do that you see it like from a different angle, you know, from without any bias uh for this.

Rapid Fire Preferences And Culture

SPEAKER_03 9:18

So, Daniel, I have here 15 questions, 15 rapid fire questions. Okay, okay. Um the first answer that comes to your mind you can directly uh in one word, two words. How many you want? Not more than three. Uh okay. Okay, ready?

SPEAKER_02 9:37

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03 9:38

Cool. Shopping, do you prefer online or in-store? Online speed or quality?

SPEAKER_02 9:46

You can't pick both.

SPEAKER_03 9:48

Quality Riyadh or Dubai for a weekend?

SPEAKER_02 9:52

Riyadh.

SPEAKER_03 9:54

AI, is it the ultimate coworker or just a tool?

SPEAKER_02 9:58

Uh it's ultimate tool. Uh I I I guess uh I I can explain my n my answer maybe uh in a few sentences. Uh we uh still not achieve the coworker stage of AI. It's uh now it's currently from my understanding it's a tool, but it's uh very fast going to the co-working phase.

SPEAKER_03 10:22

To the co-worker phase okay. We're gonna come back and discuss uh a bit more on AI. Okay. Credit cards or tabby? Tabby, of course. Are you a morning bird or a night owl? Uh morning bird. Remote work or office energy? Remote work. Are you uh data driven in your decisions or do you I didn't I didn't get I didn't reach a second part of it or got feeling? Uh data driven. What's the most used app on your phone? Not called tabby. Uh singularity. It's uh task management. One word for the tabby team culture. Move this urgency. Okay. Is 2026 the end of the physical wallet?

SPEAKER_02 11:09

Um I guess physical wallet already.

SPEAKER_03 11:15

No, isn't it? That makes sense. Coffee or tea? Coffee. Dark mode or light mode on your phone? Uh it's depends on the daylight. So it's automatic. It's automatic, yeah. Books or podcasts? Uh podcasts. Obviously. What's for dinner tonight? Uh hunger station. So those were 15 rapid fire

AI As Tool With A Roadmap

SPEAKER_03 11:41

questions. Uh, we're gonna stop on uh one thing we discussed, which is uh AI is it the ultimate co-worker or just a tool? So obviously, you said you automate a lot of things, obviously you utilize AI. So, how does it help in being more efficient? That's one. And how is it shifting from let's say a basic tool to a coworker, as you mentioned?

SPEAKER_02 12:02

Um it's not a simple shift. It's not that uh install chat GPT and uh some magic will happen. No, you need you you should work, uh you should use a smart approach for this. Uh, you you definitely need to understand what exactly are you doing, uh, which methods are you using, uh how are you doing the your tasks, and uh then only after this, after this understanding, you can move part of these tasks to some AI tools, and also need to need to find the suitable tools, need to learn how to use it. It's uh it's not a one-up, it's uh the whole approach, and uh yeah, it's definitely will help and helping already. Uh but if you uh uh let's say uh not so smart uh it will not help you to be smarter.

SPEAKER_03 13:10

Do you think we might uh let's say lose our grip on AI and lose control of it? No. This doesn't come to your mind, let's say, if let's say AI has developed a lot.

SPEAKER_02 13:27

Uh no, I don't think so. It's uh uh it's uh we we can start talking about AGI uh but uh we are still far away from it. And for me uh the uh maybe AGI um milestone already uh happens because uh we have such uh greatest tools that we can use now in our work that uh I can't imagine it uh maybe twenty years ago. So that's it.

Riyadh Energy And Vision 2030

SPEAKER_03 14:13

So Daniel, we were discussing a bit uh before we started about Riyadh. Yeah. And following the Saudi vision 2030, how did Riyadh become the global magnet, let's say, for engineering talent in the region?

SPEAKER_02 14:27

Um I I I say to you that I prefer Riyadh and Dubai and the Saudi. So uh here is uh I feeling uh I feel I feeling the energy in the is different uh is different and uh with this energy with Saudi vision of twenty uh two thousand twenty year uh it's uh also um I'm feeling it is in uh in the air. It's not about uh tech events or some sports events that uh happen here a lot. Back to back. Uh yes, back to back. But uh it's also uh I'm feeling that the country itself, uh the country moving forward like a high-speed train. Uh it's uh I I I guess uh I need to do some research to uh to point some specific uh projects in Saudi, but uh without research I I just had the the this feeling when I in Saudi. And uh it's uh uh regarding uh the vision 2030. I I have only one hope. It's after 2030, it's uh it's vision 2040. Yeah, it's gonna continue. They will do yes, they will develop some another vision for another 50 and more years.

SPEAKER_03 15:58

Like even if if if you go let's say for a couple of months and then come back, the country changes a lot. It's uh it's very dynamic now in the business as well and the investments, uh startups.

SPEAKER_02 16:08

Yes, yes, it's attracted a lot of talent people, and uh a lot of interesting, very interesting projects started here, and uh in more projects uh will start soon.

Super App Future Of FinTech

SPEAKER_03 16:20

So, Daniel, uh is the future of FinTech one, let's say, super app or is it multiple niche specialized customized apps?

SPEAKER_02 16:29

I believe it is one giant super app because uh it is uh more comfortable for user. It's uh as an end user, yes. For end user for the customer, uh you prefer to have one application on your smartphone. You need you you don't need the thousand of applications. Makes sense, but in this giant app, of course, will be thousands of services that uh Tiger can provide to the user. And then uh I'm absolutely uh sure that our designers will find a way how to make it more comfortable and uh user-friendly.

SPEAKER_03 17:06

Don't you think this method might let's say take us to a monopoly?

SPEAKER_02 17:11

Uh no, no.

SPEAKER_03 17:13

If you have let's say one huge mega company doing everything through one app, this huge mega company doing this because uh no one else can.

SPEAKER_02 17:24

Yes, exactly, no one else can. And uh if we are doing it, we're doing it uh great, and uh uh the only uh the only customers can decide what uh they need to use.

SPEAKER_03 17:38

Makes sense. So building a super app obviously is uh is very complex, but for you, how do you hire a team? Do you hire them let's say based on CV or do you hire them based on uh just discussion or uh do you look for th certain things? Because you need talented people to work on super apps.

SPEAKER_02 17:59

Uh yeah, but uh for super apps it's uh we need talented developers and uh it's it's also uh back to super app, it's not builded uh at once. Face by face. Yes, you you need years to build it and it's uh uh building uh for the years. For about the hiring, hiring

Hiring For Ownership Mindset

SPEAKER_02 18:22

to my team. I'm hiring only engineers. Uh um yes, of course it's not basically on the c on the CV. CV, uh some uh screening questions and uh maybe uh one to maybe three interview uh with different people in uh my team. And uh during this uh interview for me especially it's uh most important uh uh the ownership skills. When uh people can uh can look uh beyond all their scope. Uh if you are for example IT support specialist uh your task is not uh preparing laptop for the user, it's uh your task it is uh to help us to provide service to the Tabia customers. So I mean uh by by this I mean we have some uh the final system final uh scenario when customers in the shop for example and here is in Hayat Mall purchasing something with AB application, and uh this is our key product. And uh we as a team as IT operations we are behind this product very deeply, very deeply. We we don't uh working with customers, we don't uh but we're working with developers, with designers who are working directly with the customers. Who are working directly with the applications with the applications that the customers are using? Yes, in their experiment experience for us important. Uh they should work on the quick power machines. The people are working on the machines and uh they I mean they uh developed design, developed the application on the machine, and uh our department in charge of these machines and preparing this machine. This machine should be uh working perfectly working perfectly, and uh, internet in the office where this machine staying also should be working perfectly and should be high-speed internet and very uh safety.

SPEAKER_03 20:41

Uh we can say you're the most you and your team are the most essential part of this whole process because without you everything might fall apart.

SPEAKER_02 20:49

Yeah, for for my department, I said uh we had recently the some kind of strategic session for department, and uh I said uh that we are some fundament, fundamental foundation of the Tabby. It's uh usually it's our works is hidden from the others, but we uh met all employers during onboarding. We uh know everyone who is offboarded, we know the uh all their change requests, access requests, uh any support requests, and uh yes, as I said, our main goal it is uh to help them to do their job, them I mean type employees, other type employees to so you can serve as uh clients perfectly as well.

SPEAKER_03 21:41

Yes, yes.

2026 Goals And Success Metrics

SPEAKER_03 21:43

So speaking of goals, um what's one personal and one professional milestone you have for twenty twenty six that you want to achieve in twenty twenty six?

SPEAKER_02 21:53

Uh my uh personal, my professional milestones uh are the same. Yeah I uh I want to achieve in this year uh the new level of our department. I mean uh we should be more enterprise with uh more maturity uh in our process uh with uh by maturity I mean some metrics that uh we are following we monitoring should be expanded. We it's we already have a lot of things that we're monitoring, but uh for enterprise level we should uh expand our area of responsibility, area of monitoring, area that we are 100% under our control.

SPEAKER_03 22:46

And how do you how do you measure success, let's say if you're expanding? How do you measure success?

SPEAKER_02 22:52

Um the man man successful engineering teams. Um it is uh first of all, it is uptime of the systems that you're managing.

SPEAKER_03 23:05

Do you have a number?

SPEAKER_02 23:07

Uh like a percentage on it's not a one number, it's uh uh I mean uh maybe CTO of Tabby can say the number for the whole tabby. I am responsible for the small part of the the systems, and we have different numbers for different different systems, and uh most of uh this system have uh 100% uptime for now. Uh but also it's depends on the agreement with the business and uh which uptime we should maintain. And uh success uh it's not only about uptime, it's only it's also about uh career growing, and uh here is a you know in uh some big tech companies uh sometimes you can meet the people who are trying to hack the system. They uh they have the good relationship with the management, but uh not so good a relationship within the team. And they uh trying to show the good side of the good side and uh hide the bad side. And uh sometimes uh the success in it they they make it happen. Yes, they make it happen. Uh but uh for me it is uh it is a it is a red flag when I see the such kind of people because uh I'm from I'm I'm grew up from the engineer, all of my team leads in my department grew up from engineers. Uh we have no uh the let's say professional managers in our team and in in my department. I'm not talking about the entire tabi.

SPEAKER_03 25:10

Uh and uh this says a lot about uh the type of leader you are, by the way. In a very good way, in a very good manner, I hope.

SPEAKER_02 25:25

Uh so the the career growing can happen if you are maintaining everything with a good side, let's say. Within the team, within uh and uh with your management uh with all area of responsibilities that under your control. That's uh success. So engineering team. Uptime plus plus plus the healthy healthy grow career growing.

SPEAKER_03 26:02

That's I think this is uh more important uh sometimes than uptime.

SPEAKER_01 26:08

Um yeah. Yes.

Unplugging After High Pressure Days

SPEAKER_03 26:13

So and now let's talk about downtime. How do you unplug out of everything after a full day of work?

SPEAKER_02 26:20

Yeah, very important part of uh of my my routine. It is uh unplugging uh uh one one trick I did just yesterday. Just uh turn off my phone and read the paper book. It's it's important to read to read the paper book. To feel the the feel the actual thing uh for yeah, feel but uh for me it's uh not only about feeling, it's about uh when I'm reading something from the smartphone. Usually I'm reading it from smartphone. Yes, of course it's more useful way to reading. Uh but uh when you're reading from smartphone, you in the background your brain can uh can can feel that maybe some notification can appear on the screen. It's gonna distract you. Or you just maybe your your finger just want to move the swap and check the uh messenger, check the check the social networks. Uh uh about social networks I have no dis on my phone. I I removed it many a few years ago. Uh yeah, this trick. Uh also some deep conversations with uh closest friends, family members, uh and uh maintain some outside of the work the social activity. I mean uh meeting with friends, with relatives on the regular basis. Uh when I say regular basis, I I I I think it it should be planned. It should be it's it it can be uh time to time and randomly. It's uh uh you need to plan this.

SPEAKER_03 28:26

You have to insert it within your schedule.

SPEAKER_02 28:29

Yes, yes, exactly. Because uh scheduling is scheduled is very busy, at least uh for me.

SPEAKER_03 28:38

True. Okay,

The Legacy Tabby Should Leave

SPEAKER_03 28:41

Daniel. Uh I have one last question for you. Yes. What do you want the legacy of the engineering team at Tabby to be?

SPEAKER_02 28:49

Uh in the Middle East. I mean the one thing came to my mind it is uh game changer. Game changer in the approach how the people are working here, uh especially in tech companies and not and not only with the tech companies because we are working with uh a lot of different suppliers and uh uh yeah I want to I want to change approach to work uh for people here. Uh change approach I mean uh to more quicker way to work to replying on the mail the same day or at least on the next day.

SPEAKER_03 29:38

So it's like the word culture you want I want the culture that uh the operate the internal operations that your team actually does, like on-time response, uh yes, actually answering, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:51

Yes, and uh I want to uh I want to expand this this approach, it's the approach that we're maintaining in our team to be beyond the our team, the out of everyone to everyone uh here is in the region with whom we're uh working with all our partners.

SPEAKER_03 30:12

Makes sense.

Closing Thoughts And Goodbye

SPEAKER_03 30:13

So, Daniel, uh this was an amazing session. I hope you enjoyed it. Yep. Was this the first time for you uh in a podcast?

SPEAKER_02 30:24

Uh yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03 30:26

And how was the experience?

SPEAKER_02 30:29

Uh you very comfortable room, very uh kind people, and uh feeling myself uh very good.

SPEAKER_03 30:38

Thank you. It was a pleasure having you, and this was unplugged.

SPEAKER_02 30:42

Thanks.