My Journey at Safe: Unlocking My True Potential

By Kartikey Kumar

It all started during campus placements when I first came across Safe. What caught my eye was the fascinating work they were doing, and after a bit of research, I knew this was a company that could challenge me. The interview process? Tough, but exactly the kind of challenge I needed. It pushed me to think creatively and sharpen my problem-solving skills.

I officially joined Safe in June 2022 as part of Team Shield under Devesh’s leadership. From day one, I felt the push to step out of my comfort zone. I was fortunate to have an amazing mentor who guided me, helping me tackle backend, frontend, and automation tasks. Whether my questions were big or small, my mentor was always there to offer support.

Stepping into Bigger Challenges: Project ROSI

A few months in, I found myself diving into Project ROSI, a major revamp of Safe’s product. This was a huge milestone, not only for Safe but for me personally. Working with multiple teams on tight deadlines gave me a crash course in cross-functional collaboration. Completing ROSI gave me the confidence to take on projects from the ground up and made me realize how much I was capable of.

Regular bi-weekly sync-ups with my manager, and monthly meetings with my tribe lead, Hitesh (Our Director of Engineering today), proved to be extremely valuable. These check-ins weren’t just meetings but opportunities for me to reflect and improve.

Building Momentum: Avengers Project Endgame & Project Wave

Just when I thought I might catch my breath after ROSI, I was entrusted with two more massive projects—Avengers Project Endgame and Project Wave. These were high-stakes initiatives with even tighter deadlines, and I was entrusted with bigger responsibilities. The intensity of these projects pushed me to improve my decision-making and work more collaboratively under pressure.

The success of these projects wasn’t just a win for Safe—it played a key role in securing $50 million in our Series B funding round! To top it all off, Safe celebrated this milestone with an incredible week-long retreat at a resort in Sohna. It was a time to recharge, reflect, and celebrate our fantastic work, capped off with the thrilling announcement of the funding.

Adapting and Growing with New Teams

Soon after, I transitioned to a new team under Zubair, where I faced even more high-pressure, short-deadline tasks. The fast-paced environment ensured that I was more efficient, and this period turned out to be one of the most productive phases of my career. I was also humbled to receive the Superstar of the Quarter Award, a recognition that fueled my drive even further.

During this time, Safe was evolving too. Our culture transformed into what we now call Xtreme Engineering. Our CEO even stepped in as the acting CTO, empowering us with greater ownership over projects. I found myself handling entire epics, from start to finish, working directly with product managers and key stakeholders. This experience gave me the confidence to take full responsibility for critical projects.

The Hackathon and Hyper Mode X

Before diving into our next big phase, we had a company-wide Hackathon in Bangalore. It was an adrenaline-fueled, two-day sprint of creativity and innovation, where my team took home the 2nd runner-up position! 🏆 The experience was both intense and incredibly fun, followed by a much-needed day at a resort to unwind and connect with colleagues.

Then came Hyper Mode X, where we kicked into high gear to deliver another major project for the Fair Con Demo. The fast-paced nature of this phase was both challenging and exhilarating. Wrapping it up with a celebratory team dinner made the accomplishment even sweeter.

Major Contributions and Learning

One of my proudest individual achievements has been moving our team’s Air-Service out of the cluster and establishing it as a standalone service. This initiative reduced deployment times and gave me a deeper understanding of Safe’s system architecture. It was a rewarding challenge that solidified my technical knowledge.

Reflecting on My Journey

Looking back, my journey at Safe has been nothing short of transformative. Sure, there were moments when the workload felt overwhelming, but with the incredible support of my team, I rose above every challenge. Safe has been the perfect platform for me to unlock my true potential, and I’m genuinely excited about the road ahead.