Today we introduce our new series: “The I in IRIS.” Each month we will share the story of one of the members of our IRIS family, showing insight into their role and them as a person.
First up is Ariel Elkin, one of IRIS’ first employees and the man behind our macOS app.
What is your role at IRIS?
I’m the Lead iOS Developer. This means I’m responsible for writing the code behind our iOS apps, and I’m also the Lead Developer on our macOS apps.
My day is spent mostly on my code editor, writing new features for our apps, squashing bugs, and doing tests. I also spend time speaking with the other developers on the Machine Learning team and the Middleware team, and planning workloads. Sometimes I give small speeches.
I’ve been at IRIS for almost three years! Started in June 2019 as a contractor, a few months later we got along very well and decided to put a ring on it.
Tell us a bit more about your speeches. How do you come up with them?
It began in the middle of the first lockdown, with my decision to see if my beard would grow enough to reach the floor. People obviously commented about it during our weekly team meetings, and one day I was asked to say something wise because my beard demanded it. I managed to deliver, as the lockdown had given me plenty of things to muse about. This became something of a ritual, with an inspirational speech concluding many weekly meetings. Sometimes I improvise a speech based on a topic I’ve been mulling over in the past days, sometimes I draw and study a more careful outline.
How did you find being one of the first employees of the company?
The work you do during a startup’s early stage really shapes its identity. It’s great to be part of that, especially when you’re revolutionising audio technology. Seeing the company grow, welcoming new people to the team, and shaping our own culture are all very rewarding things.
Some quick-fire questions:
App you couldn’t live without
The weather app.
Least favourite noise?
Car brakes
Best recent movie/TV series?
Tear along the dotted lines, brought back good memories of my adolescence in Rome
Favourite thing about lockdown?
The silence
Something your colleagues don’t know about you.
I brush my teeth after lunch, but I somehow managed to never get caught in the act.
So there you go, now you know a bit more about Ariel, stay tuned to learn more about the awesome people we have working here at IRIS.