Empreguei
Tinder for jobs. A friend from Utyl and I were brought in as freelancers to build it. When Utyl dissolved, we both went full time there.
For most of the run I was the only engineer. At the time that felt normal. In retrospect, it was a lot to put on a junior.
War Stories
The Actress Effect
A famous actress became an investor and ambassador. Great for the company, stressful for the lone engineer. User numbers spiked hard. I scaled everything up on the fly and kept the lights on, but some of the choices I made under pressure are not what I’d reach for today. Junior me was figuring it out in real time.
Empreguito
I created the company mascot. Originally named Jobot, which turned out to be taken. We renamed it Empreguito as a nod to Chesperito (everyone at the office was a fan). Did the design, the animations, and integrated the character into the UI.
The PostgreSQL Bug
Spent a week hunting a bug that turned out to be an actual PostgreSQL issue. Not our code. A long week.
What I Shipped
- The entire Android app, including the Tinder-like swipe interface
- Test-taking system on both web and Android: companies could set up written interview questions and candidates would answer in-app
- Video interview upload area: async video responses, no scheduling needed
- Empreguito: mascot design, animations, UI integration
Team size ranged from just me to a peak of three engineers total.
Stats
- 100k+ Play Store downloads
- 1000+ companies actively hiring
- Near zero crash and error rate on Firebase throughout
- Cloud costs consistently the lowest in the company’s history
- Endorsed by one of Brazil’s largest mall groups
- Backed by Endeavor Brasil
- Covered by TecMundo and Consumidor Moderno
The Ending
I left. Sometime after, the company was acquired and eventually shut down. Good product, real traction, still didn’t make it. That’s startups.
Related
- empreguei.com.br - Technical breakdown
- Utyl - Where the story started
- React - First professional use
- Django - Backend framework
- Firebase - Real-time infrastructure