Around this time each year, it seems that our thoughts naturally tend turn toward the things we’re thankful for. Whether it’s the holiday season, the end of another trip around the sun, or something else entirely, we spend a little more time than usual reflecting on the good we’ve been lucky enough to experience.

This year, one of the things I’m thankful for is the time we spent together at the 2023 TUNE Retreat.

After the buzz of last year’s retreat, we knew that getting our team together annually was an important part of TUNE culture. For 2023’s event, we decided to get out of the PNW and venture south to the desert of Palm Springs for some warmer weather and much-needed vitamin D.

As we have continued to refine our remote-first workplace, the need for a unified TUNE culture has only intensified. These annual retreats offer a unique setting for team members to interact, share best practices, and get in-person time with the people we work with every day. There is no replacement for being able to meet face-to-face and solve real problems together.

I’m grateful that we had the opportunity to create this experience for a second year, and I’m happy to be able to share a few thoughts and photographs from our time together.

Why We Make Time for a Yearly Retreat

“It’s great to put your daily ‘work life’ on hold for a week to have everyone stop everything and have intensely rewarding breakout sessions that provided 360* feedback. We also got to reflect on our massive achievements over the past year, as well as a peek into the game-changing projects we will be bringing to the market in 2024 and beyond!”
—Dan Buontempone, Business Development Specialist

“Touching down in sunny Palm Springs for the annual TUNE retreat brought a week filled with delicious food, fun activities, and even better company. Nothing compares to hanging out with your team in person. From the hilarious dinnertime stories to the morning brainstorms over a cup of coffee, I left feeling refreshed and excited for the future of TUNE!”
—Shandi Michno, Head of Onboarding and Training Programs

“The retreat to me meant a time for all TUNErs to gather together in an environment that facilitates collaboration and appreciation amongst peers, as well as relaxation and reflection on where we have come while focusing on where we are going.”
—Kyle Holderness, Senior Customer Success Manager

“The pre-travel jitters left immediately as soon as I got off the plane in Palm Springs and started reuniting with peers at the retreat. The energy was electric, and it was great to get together and discuss TUNE’s VisionType and review focus areas that will best support an ever-evolving industry. Super excited for what’s to come!”
—Emily Ersbak, Senior Onboarding Manager

“My favorite moment was all the speeches during the closing dinner. There was both some laughter and some happy tears, and it really showed how much folks from across the company cared about TUNE and the group of people that make this such a special place to work.”
—Nate Ivie, VP of Business Development

“The retreat in Palm Springs was my favorite TUNE event yet. It was a perfect mix of productive conversations and fun team building. I got to spend time with colleagues I rarely interact with over Zoom.”
—Lyndsey Fish, Director of Partnerships

“My favorite moment was the happy hour and dinner on the first night. There were soooo many people I have been wanting to meet and chat with, and the room allowed for great mingling and exposure to everyone.”
—Kyle Holderness, Senior Customer Success Manager

Takeaways from Connecting in Person

“While I value the flexibility of remote work, the significance of interacting with my colleagues in person cannot be overstated. The joy of sharing laughter, personal anecdotes, and engaging in work-related discussions amid the backdrop of swaying palm trees and the stunning scenery of Palm Springs is truly unparalleled. What more could one ask for?”
—Iana Starostovich, Head of Customer Success, EMEA

“Since TUNE is a remote-first company, it’s always exciting to get out from behind the camera and have a chance to meet up face-to-face. Connecting on a more personal level is great, but it also opens up opportunities for conversation and new ideas between people that almost certainly wouldn’t have had a reason to connect online otherwise.”
—Cale Mooth, Senior Product Manager

“Being on the commercial team, I’m able to see folks from sales, marketing, and partnerships semi-regularly at events and shows through the year, but getting to interact face-to-face with the rest of the company is another level of gratification. I got to hang out and bounce ideas off of engineers, product managers, and international employees, and it just reinforces the fact that we have some of the best people working here. You can sometimes forget that sitting behind screens all the time.”
—Nate Ivie, VP of Business Development

“It was great connecting with teammates that I speak to every day virtually, but IRL! From our ‘conference crew,’ there were a handful of people that I’ve seen not once, not twice, but thrice this year — in three different states!”
—Dan Buontempone, Business Development Specialist

“Having just joined TUNE two months prior to the retreat, I really had no idea what to expect. Over the next two to three days, the in-person interactions, conversations, energy, and impromptu moments were aspects I don’t think could have been replicated anywhere else. I’m grateful to work with such incredibly talented and supportive people. A huge shout-out to the team that helped make this event a reality, and excited for what’s to come!”
—Rachel Tu, Integrated Marketing Manager

“With being remote since starting at TUNE, it was so great to meet so many people that I work with both on a daily basis, as well as in one-off situations. Fostering IRL relationships with teammates makes for a much more personalized experience when working with colleagues going forward and serves as a reminder that we are all human beings, not just bots behind a screen.”
—Kyle Holderness, Senior Customer Success Manager

Thoughts on TUNE’s VisionType

“It’s so important for an organization to be looking ahead and trying to anticipate what customers will require not just in the next few months, but three to five years from now. It signals that TUNE is a leader with staying power and not just following trends.”
—Cale Mooth, Senior Product Manager

“I’ve been at TUNE for over six years now, and I think this is by far the most exciting time to be at TUNE! We are questioning and re-evaluating everything we know and not afraid to take on big challenges. We’re recognizing the changing partnership landscape, understanding what our clients need to run successful programs, and diligently working towards those solutions. It’s exciting to see the vision we have for the future and what impact that could have for our clients — and I’m thrilled to be part of the changes that are about to come!”
—Soyoon Bach, Director of Customer Success

“We are making some big bets at TUNE, and seeing the VisionType got me extremely excited for our future. It’s obvious the product team has taken insights from current clients, employees, prospects, and industry leaders to develop a really intriguing road ahead for us.”
—Nate Ivie, VP of Business Development

“The future is bright for TUNE! The VisionType is great exposure to where we want to be, but also is a reminder of the work ahead to get there.”
—Kyle Holderness, Senior Customer Success Manager

”It’s amazing to see what came to fruition from our 2022 VisionType presentation, and I can’t wait to see our 2023 VisionType come to life!”
—Dan Buontempone, Business Development Specialist

To the Season Ahead

Thanks to everyone who makes TUNE a special place to work every day. I’d also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our customers, who make it possible for us to continue to build great things with great people.

The past couple years have been interesting, to say the least.

Ever since TUNE went fully remote in 2020, as a company we’ve been more focused, more productive, and more successful than ever. But as individuals, we all agree there are times where we’ve missed coming into the office, seeing our coworkers, and hanging out in shared spaces. Our solution? TUNE Retreat 2022!

Hosted in beautiful Port Ludlow, Washington, TUNE’s 2022 company retreat brought together more than 40 individuals from all over the world. The October weather could not have been better, despite the looming forest fires and Seattle’s reputation as a gloomy getaway. Over three days, we collaborated, we commiserated, and most importantly, we met and got to know our colleagues in person.

Below, we’ve collected some thoughts and images from retreat-goers to remember our time together and remind us of what makes TUNE, TUNE: its people. Enjoy!

What the Retreat Meant to You

“I have always valued in-person connections and interactions. Those experiences are critical to a company culture like TUNE’s which is built on empathy, mutual respect, cooperation, and problem solving. When TUNE transitioned to a remote workforce, I knew it would be difficult to maintain those cultural anchors and that those interactions which happened organically within our offices would require more intention and effort. The result of that intention and effort was our first TUNE Retreat, which I believe 100% of the attendees would agree was a success. The event meant so much to me. I was able to spend invaluable time with folks who have been committed to TUNE for over a decade, finally meet teammates in person that I have worked with for the past three years and have helped shape TUNE, along with those who have recently chosen TUNE as their new home over other employment options. This event reinforced what I believe is one of TUNE’s biggest competitive advantages, which is our people.”
—Cameron Stewart, General Manager

“I joined TUNE three months before the pandemic began. While I was able to connect with the local European team, I’ve never seen most of my overseas colleagues. What an amazing feeling it was to finally be able to meet everyone, give people a hug and just have a chat about anything.
The retreat was a great combination of work and fun. While we got a chance to see the future TUNE platform and have team-based masterminds, we also enjoyed kayaking, biking, playing golf and multiple happy hours. A tour of the local cidery was definitely a highlight of the trip.
My first time in the evergreen state of Washington was wonderful and I am looking forward to many more retreats like that.”
—Iana Starostovich, Head of Customer Success, EMEA

“I knew I needed this retreat, but I didn’t realize how much I needed it until I got there. I’ve been at TUNE for two years and this was my first time meeting everyone in person. There simply isn’t a replacement for in-person, human interaction. We all have an innate desire to be known by others, and it’s so easy to feel isolated when you’re staring at a screen all day. I think everyone who went on the retreat feels more known than before. You can’t put a price on that.” 
—Josiah Goff, Director of Product

“The retreat coincided with my one-year anniversary with TUNE and working remotely made it challenging to bond with some colleagues over technology-based interactions. Admittedly, I sometimes feel invisible to people outside of my immediate team and collaborating departments, so seeing everyone in person, hearing their voices, and sharing physical space made me feel like I was really part of the team. I also enjoyed the resort and planned activities. I desperately needed a break from the madness of New York City, and because I love being surrounded by nature, the location was perfect. I’m naturally introverted, but I challenged myself to be visible and present as much as possible. It was one of the best team retreats I’ve attended over the course of my career, and I’m looking forward to doing it all again next year in Mexico.” 
—Tie Davidson, Partnerships Manager

“The TUNE 2022 retreat in Seattle, Washington was amazing. I was attracted to TUNE by their company culture, ability to work with clients one-on-one and their robust platform tools. I was hired after the company went fully remote so meeting everyone in person, socializing, doing team building events and masterminding cross-departmentally was the icing that topped the cake. The venue was beautiful, food was amazing and great memories were made. I came back to work feeling much more unified with our amazing TUNE teams and pumped up for 2023!” 
—Amy Walsh, Customer Support Staff

“The retreat really reiterated to me how much this company values its people and its culture. Those two things are what drew me to TUNE in the first place, and they were the first things I missed after I went remote. Seeing the effort that so many individuals put in to make this event as fantastic as possible for their colleagues was reenergizing and uplifting in a way I didn’t expect. Sounds cheesy, but I had a blast hanging out with my coworkers for three days straight. When can we start planning the next one?”
—Becky Doles, Senior Content Marketing Manager

“I joined TUNE during the pandemic and met two people … that’s it. Future social gatherings expanded that circle to include local Seattle people but it made it tough to get a good picture of what TUNE was really like. Then came the retreat that changed all that! Meeting my colleagues in person was great. I made new friends and got a sense of what makes TUNE tick. The VisionType meeting reassured me that TUNE is looking to the future and I liked what I heard!”
—Steve Graham, Customer Success Manager

“Unlike a standard company retreat that is heavily focused on content, with a little team building mixed in, the reverse was the case at TUNE Retreat 2022. I think that this approach greatly enhanced the participation and engagement in the content piece, when the time came for that.” 
—John Dorais, VP of Customer Success

“The retreat week could not have been more perfect or timely. We’ve all endured so much change in the past few years, both personally and professionally. For me personally, this included becoming a first-time mom to my son Mercer. As the event neared, I knew I wouldn’t be able to attend unless he was able to attend with us. Instead of being treated as a nuisance, he was welcomed by the entire team. Many TUNE employees went out of their way to spend time with him and he ended up becoming the mascot of the week. That he would be embraced so openly is a testament to our culture and the bonds we’ve formed. I feel so lucky to be able to work with such a great group of people!” 
—Nessa Voigt, VP of Marketing

Building Relationships While Working Remotely

“Working remotely, it’s easy to forget how we can be supported and supportive. During this trip, I made some unexpected but great personal connections with people I don’t interact with a regular basis. Sometimes, all we need is a listening ear and motivation, especially for our dreams and goals outside of work.” 
—Tie Davidson, Partnerships Manager

“For a certified introvert who loves working remotely and never wants to darken the doors of an office again in my lifetime, it was great spending time with the team and confirming my suspicions that TUNE legit has put together some incredibly high-quality people. I’ve never been more convinced of what we can achieve. So many great conversations started, and I love seeing how they’re progressing. That said, I’m ready to not be around people for a bit.” 
—KC Jones, Senior Product Designer

“The TUNE retreat was amazing! I typically see the Sales and Partnerships teams at conferences throughout the year, and it was great to finally meet the rest of the team in such a beautiful location. I almost did not realize that there were certain people who I haven’t actually met in real life, which is testament to our tight-knit group!” 
—Dan Buontempone, Business Development Specialist

“One takeaway is that there is no substitute for the time spent in between presentations, team meetings and one-on-ones. Relationships are built in the margins of what we do every day and we were able to set aside time to allow those relationships to form and prosper. We started the retreat off with a review of what we have accomplished this year, acknowledged our shortcomings, and look forward into our biggest opportunities to improve our company, product and service for our clients for the remainder of 2022 and into the future.” 
—Cameron Stewart, General Manager

“My favorite moments came during those late nights around the bonfire and in the game room because I got to experience different sides of my teammates that would never come through in a Zoom call. Friendships were forged over s’mores and board games.” 
—Josiah Goff, Director of Product

Thoughts on the Future of TUNE 

“The VisionType presentation was extremely helpful to translate what we talk about on a regular basis into something more tangible to see how we might go about creating a product to address our customers’ challenges. It will also help us prioritize our roadmap and understand the sequence we should be developing in to get the right problems solved.” 
—Cameron Stewart, General Manager

“I knew that our team has been feverishly working on some amazing advancements to TUNE for the near future, but I was absolutely floored by our forward-looking VisionType presentation. TUNE will soon become the beacon in the industry for brands, agencies, networks, and publishers to substantially grow all of their performance marketing initiatives.” 
—Dan Buontempone, Business Development Specialist

“I’m excited about the VisionType and the future of TUNE. My only questions there are: When can we expect to see some of the new changes happen? Can we celebrate them in Mexico at the 2023 retreat? I’m calling for Puerto Vallarta.” 
—Tie Davidson, Partnerships Manager

Looking Ahead to 2023

Before leaving, we all agreed that planning for 2023’s retreat should start immediately. In the meantime, we have lots to be thankful for, plus plenty of exciting plans and product updates to keep us occupied. These memories don’t hurt, either.

If life at TUNE sounds like something you’re interested in, take a look at our Careers page to learn how to join the team.

There are two fundamental areas that are critical for long-term success when signing on with a new SaaS technology: a customized onboarding experience with a dedicated product manager, and a customer success manager who is right alongside you as you further adopt the technology into your day-to-day.  

As part of our onboarding blog series, we have written about A Quick Introduction to TUNE Onboarding, How to Determine If Customized Onboarding Is Right for Your Team, and A Peek Behind the Curtain – What to Expect During Your Month of TUNE Onboarding. The below shares insights on what you can expect from your onboarding and customer success managers at TUNE. This includes a deeper dive into the role of each team member and how these teams work together to ensure you are set up for ultimate success.  

Team Overview: Who’s Who?  

Soon after the contract is finalized and signed by all parties, you will be introduced to your onboarding manager and customer success manager. Just like the onboarding team, TUNE’s Customer Success team strives to provide a tailored experience from Day 1. With more than one team member available to you, what can you expect from your onboarding manager versus your customer success manager?  

Onboarding Manager 

Your onboarding manager is the main point of contact at launch, who is introducing you to the platform through various training sessions and will be leading tracking discussions. The onboarding team will work to understand your initial goals and program expectations to ensure success for account setup.  

Support includes but is not limited to:    

• Kick-off call  
• Review program goals and expectations 
• Program customization  

• Technical setup support 
• Training sessions based on program needs and focus areas 

Customer Success Manager (CSM) 

Your customer success manager is your primary point of contact when onboarding starts to step behind the scenes. Throughout onboarding and beyond, your CSM will answer questions, be involved in strategy discussions and will take deeper dives into the features reviewed during onboarding to ensure you are on track to hit your goals.  

Support includes but is not limited to: 

• Program plans, including management of milestones and program optimizations 
• New product introductions 
• Expansion and contractual conversations 
• Additional ad-hoc training for new employees and advanced features 
• Industry insights 
• Partner portfolio guidance 

Cross-Team Collaboration  

We have a proven process in place with multiple touchpoints to ensure both teams are well versed in your strategy as you complete onboarding and work to ramp up with your CSM. As such, when the onboarding team starts to take a step back, your CSM is ready for a seamless transition so that they can continue to support the forward momentum you have from onboarding.  

The Best Next Steps

If you have any questions or if you are interested in more information on how TUNE can help your business succeed, feel free to reach out to onboarding@tune.com. 

Read the rest of the TUNE Onboarding Series

A Quick Introduction
Is Customized Onboarding Right for You?
What to Expect During the First 30 Days
How to Get Ahead Before Onboarding Starts
Supporting Long-Term Success After Launch

 
We’re thrilled to announce the TUNE House scholars for the 2018-2019 academic year. TUNE House is a two-year scholarship program for female undergraduate students who demonstrate a passion for computer science or other tech-related degrees at the University of Washington (UW). As we enter the fourth year of the program, we are welcoming four new scholars and four returning scholars to this year’s cohort.

Over the years, the TUNE House has introduced new opportunities for scholars to increase their community involvement while also excelling academically and professionally. Last year’s highlights included a visit from Melinda Gates, attending the Grace Hopper Celebration, TUNE House Roadshows and an event for Women’s History Month that highlighted women Through the Generations.

What’s in Store for This Year?

During the beginning of each academic school year, the TUNE House team and scholars discuss plans for the year, brainstorm areas of interest for workshops, come up with new ideas for events and ways to give back to both the Seattle and UW community, and share individual goals.

For the 2018-2019 scholars, the TUNE House will include a formal mentorship program, visits from several influential women in tech, and technical and career development workshops with speakers from Amazon, Dreamhost and a number of other organizations. In addition, the scholars will visit several schools as part of the TUNE House Roadshow, volunteer with local organizations, host a community event to celebrate International Women’s Month, and organize WeHack – a 24-hour hackathon for middle school and high school students who identify as female.

Meet the Scholars

Without further delay, we’re pleased to announce this year’s TUNE House scholars. We believe they will become outstanding ambassadors of the program, and will positively contribute to the world with their inspirational ideas and technical expertise.

Mitali Palekar

Mitali is a senior pursuing Computer Science with Interdisciplinary Honors. She is interested in using technology to empower the voices of others and create products that benefit her community, especially through the lens of machine learning, natural language processing and computer security.  Over the last few years, she has worked towards her goal by interning at top Silicon Valley companies such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Stripe, Uber and NASA. Mitali is an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the UW CSE Security & Privacy Lab where she broadly works on addressing security & privacy needs of end users. She enjoys giving back to her community through her involvement as the Senior Adviser (and past President) of the UW Society of Women Engineers and as a CSE Peer Adviser.  In her free time, she loves dancing, traveling and gorging on tubs of guacamole (cause what’s life without guacamole!?).

Apars Walla

Apars is a senior pursuing Computer Science with Interdisciplinary Honors. She is passionate about using technology to solve problems, especially to democratize education and connect people. Within the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, she is an undergraduate research assistant at the Security and Privacy Lab, and has worked on projects that study the security concerns of 3rd party applications. Apars is passionate about increasing diversity in STEM and was recently a speaker at the Washington STEM Summit. She is the chair of ACM-W (The Association for Computing Machinery for Women) and is dedicated to cultivating a strong, supportive and inclusive community within the department. She loves programming on all levels, but has a special interest in low-level programming. She has gained industry experience through past internships at Microsoft and Bank of America, and is currently adding to her skillset at Facebook. Outside of academics, Apars is passionate about music and loves learning new instruments and languages!

Christine Betts

Christine found her passion for software engineering as a computer science student at the University of Washington. She loves solving problems, algorithmic thinking, listening, uplifting others, and finding intersections between art and computer science. Christine has been an Engineering Practicum intern at Google, a teaching assistant for the second introductory programming course at UW, a coordinator for ‘Exploration Sessions’ for UW’s intro courses, an Allen School peer adviser, and an undergraduate research assistant in the Molecular Information Systems Lab, and a software engineer intern in Facebook’s New York office. This fall she will be interning at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence. She was awarded the inaugural Allen AI Outstanding Engineer scholarship, named GeekWire’s Geek of the Week in January 2018, and was the token millennial in a clip about pay-phones with Stephen Colbert. Extracurricularly, Christine is an avid runner and enjoys creative pursuits like producing woven data visualizations. She also loves to mentor young women, and is currently a ‘Big’ with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Cherie Ruan

Cherie is completing her senior year at UW, pursuing degrees in both Computer Science and Informatics. With this combination of curriculums, she is able to study a broad spectrum of topics and build a diverse skill set, ranging from UI design, to database management, to lower-level C and assembly code. Cherie has interned at Facebook, where she worked on Android development, and Boeing, assisting the Information Security team. She is now in her 3rd year as a teaching assistant for the introductory programming courses at UW. She loves the challenge of communicating difficult concepts, and sharing her enthusiasm for programming with her students. She now holds a management-heavy role, where she interviews, hires, and trains new TAs (teacher assistants) each quarter, and ensures that the new TAs are teaching at a high standard. In her spare time, Cherie is an avid runner, a sunset enthusiast, and a mildly obsessed dog lover. She loves exploring quaint coffee shops, and going on long adventurous hikes.

Kat Wang

Kat is a junior at UW studying Computer Science, and has been exploring different aspects of the field through her role as a Teaching Assistant, involvement with research, helping found the CSE Student Advisory Council, and through her internship at Electronic Arts. She is constantly seeking new experiences and broadening her academic skill-set. Katherine is a puppy enthusiast, not-so-good photographer, detail-oriented caretaker, pretty good baker, and the girl who cried over Monsters, Inc. She is often guilty of ruining her friends’ diets, but her apple pies are just too good to miss.

Sophie Tian

Sophie is a dreamer and a doer. After losing her hearing at age 13, she started her “Deafhood” journey and never gave up her childhood dream to become a computer scientist. From 2013-2016, she learned English and American Sign Language, and found her Deaf identity at Gallaudet University, the world’s only liberal arts school for the Deaf and hard of hearing. Two years ago, she moved to Seattle for back-to-back internships at Microsoft as a software engineer, and started her journey studying CSE at UW. At Microsoft, she built software that empowers people with disabilities; at UW, she became a TA and worked with her teachers, students, and peers to build a more inclusive and welcoming learning environment. “I want to have the eyes to discover beautiful things, the hands to build useful products, and the heart to make the world a better place.”

Ramou Jallow

Ramou is a sophomore pursuing a degree in Informatics. She was raised in Gambia before she moved to the United States, and is the first person in her family to attend a 4-year university. She was amazed by the power of technology while interning at Microsoft as a software engineer, where she received an honorable mention from Satya Nadella during Microsoft’s annual world-wide Hackathon. Ramou continuously develops her technical skills by working on side projects and mastering new programming languages on her own. She hopes to intertwine her love for technology and her passion for social justice to spread the message that anyone, anywhere, can learn how to code! In her spare time she loves to travel, stay active, cook with friends, and dance.

Isabella Ceriale

Isabella is a Seattle native and incoming freshman at the University of Washington, where she plans to study computer science. Her curiosity for the subject arose after becoming a finalist in the 2014 Youth Apps Challenge for her fashion app, “FitMe.” Isabella was co-president for the “Girls Who Code” club at her high school and also organized a TUNE House Roadshow her senior year.  Isabella spent two summers during high school interning at Microsoft, focusing on computer science education, data visualization, and user experience design. When she’s not coding, she enjoys attempting to cook and relaxing by watching too much reality T.V.

Get Involved

The TUNE House welcomes partnerships and sponsorships! If you’re interested in receiving information about student mentoring, tech workshops, events, and additional programs, or if you would like to be notified when 2019-2020 scholarship applications open, visit our website or email us to learn more.

The fifth year of TUNE’s internal product and engineering retreat, Geeks on the Beach, brought a new set of challenges to complete, multiple locations, giant flamingos, LED leis, keynote speakers, a new name (!), an 8+ hour team scavenger hunt and the long-awaited Geeki Tiki.

Previously known as Geeks in the Woods, the teams participate in a two-day offsite in the Seattle area where they are encouraged to dive deeply into technical concepts, create new relationships and take advantage of abundant learning opportunities. Follow along as we dive in and unveil some of the highlights from this year’s big event.

Keynote Speakers

The retreat started off at the Mount Baker Rowing Center, overlooking Lake Washington. Breakfast was served and the retreat kicked off with opening remarks from our Chief Technology Officer, Dan Koch, and VP of Engineering, Steve McQuade. Shortly after, we welcomed three keynote speakers including Snowflake DB, Sunlink’s CTO Joseph Heck, and an estimation workshop by Construx.

“You wouldn’t necessarily expect a conference training on estimation to be highly engaging and filled with energy, but the presenter from Construx had the room laughing the entire time.”

Planning the Scavenger Hunt

Day Two kicked off with the biggest engineering scavenger hunt in Seattle, with puzzles ranging from sudoku, corn-hole, mazes, trivia, darts and steganography to clues that lead teams to Seattle landmarks like the Pike Place Market and Bell Street Pier.

With a scavenger hunt app specifically designed and tested for Geeks on the Beach by our Director of Engineering, Phillip Ratliff, participants used clues to guide their team to the finish, with more than 82 challenges to complete.

The scavenger hunt was created for teams to compete against each other, but it became evident early on that every team had to work together in order to unlock the buried treasure chest (and yes, there actually was a buried treasure chest). In total, teams had the opportunity to collect more than 18,000 points during the challenge and clues were awarded in increments of 5,000. Regardless of the team you were on, every clue was linked to unlocking the safe.

“There was a large variety of small puzzles and challenges, not just one big one. In addition, there were games to play with other teams, scavenger hunt activities, and the challenges had a lot more focus on working together.” – Engineer

“It was a good mix of challenges that were created for experienced senior coders, and people who don’t write code all day but enjoy other types of challenges.” – Engineer

The “Ultimate Scavenger Coding Challenge”

The scavenger hunt was definitely the top highlight of this year’s retreat and one engineer even compared it to last year’s Rainbow Road. Within those 82 challenges, there was something for just about everyone, whether you were an expert at darts or wanted to jump back on the laptop and code. Ultimately, it was a race to the Geeki Tiki at Golden Gardens, but there was a lot of fun to be had along the way.

“I really enjoyed the scavenger hunt. It was a nice balance of working with new colleagues on a specific set of tasks, and easier for introverts to have something to talk about with new people as a starting point, as compared to the more social mingling.” – Product Manager

Geeki Tiki

After hours of solving puzzles and adventuring around Seattle, the first place team was given the combination to the final safe at the Geeki Tiki. When they opened it, they found inside a treasure map, shovel, and key to another buried treasure chest.

Buried there, the winning team found a TUNE conch, and the teams celebrated their accomplishments and enjoyed the remainder of the night, which included limbo, hula dancers, a Hawaiian dinner, live band, giant flamingo floaties and the long awaited award ceremony.

Team Building

When you’re solving problems, jiving as a team becomes an essential part of being successful. Though teams were randomly assigned for the scavenger hunt, a strong sense of camaraderie developed during the retreat. Geeks on the Beach was deliberately created to not be equivalent to your average “hack day,” but rather to give engineers the opportunity to step away from their computer screen and interact outside the office.

“I really enjoyed the retreat because it gave me an opportunity to spend time with coworkers and talk to people I wouldn’t normally talk to in the course of a normal workday.” – Engineer

“Geeks on the Beach was a great way to connect with other engineers at TUNE.” – Engineer

What’s Next?

2018 was another successful retreat with no shortage of surprises. As TUNE’s CTO, Dan Koch, shared last year, “year after year there continues to be a highlighted focus on team building that is formed through connections and cohesiveness, and all in all, we come away as a stronger organization.” Who knows what surprises next year’s retreat will hold, another scavenger hunt, coding challenge or perhaps something new? Join the team to find out.

After several years in a South Tel Aviv location, the TUNE Tel Aviv team made the leap and moved to a new office uptown. It was a busy, exhilarating experience for everyone to box up their computer screens, wrap up their laptops and set the GPS to their new home, knowing there were new adventures, exciting challenges and victories ahead.

After researching a number of new office spaces, the team quickly realized this space was the perfect match (not to mention it’s in the heart of start-up land). Below are a few of the team’s favorite features in the new office:

Office Events

There are a number of joint events for building members and guests to partake in including developer evenings, industry meet-ups, entrepreneur / CEO lectures, overviews of new international markets, and cross-company happy hours.

Beautiful Facilities

Located in the heart of Tel Aviv start-up land, the office boasts a large outdoor porch where members and guests can chat, eat lunch, or enjoy coffee. In true TUNE fashion, there is also a well-stocked kitchen on each floor where employees can sit, enjoy the view, or eat lunch from one of the nearby restaurants.

The space is designed in a minimalist modern style with wrought-iron sliding doors, polished concrete floors, and plentiful floor-to-ceiling windows for natural light. Our support and sales teams each have their own room in addition to two shared rooms that serve for meetings and get-togethers. As one TUNEr shared, “The vibe in the office could best be described as a tech-hive: many small rooms interacting, talking, eating together, sharing ideas and inspiration with each other.”

Fantastic Location

Just blocks from the main business district of Tel Aviv, the office is right near public transportation, the Azrieli Mall, and the 19th-century landmark Sarona Complex, an easily accessible location for clients to visit. In fact, the team has already welcomed several visitors to the new space, and are looking forward to many more!

To celebrate the new office and exciting chapter ahead, the TUNE team spent a morning together on the northern beach of Tel Aviv, where they had fun attempting stand-up paddle boarding for the first time. One TUNEr shared the experience:, “Fresh fruit, coffee, yoga, teammates, good waves, a turquoise beach — can’t go wrong with that recipe.”

The team is very excited to start a new adventure together in their  new home away from home. They love visitors and look forward to welcoming fellow teammates to their new office! Interested in joining the Tel Aviv team in their new office? Explore open positions here.

The first half of 2018 was a busy time filled with TUNE Cares experiences all around the world. In this newsletter, catch the highlights from TUNErs making a difference in their communities, and stories about the TUNE House and TUNE Women. Don’t forget to check out what we have in store for the second half of the year!

Community

Pride Parade

TUNE came together as a community to celebrate Pride. During the week leading up to the big parade in Seattle, TUNE hosted a Civic Engagement speaker series focused on equal rights, and held a happy hour in the kitchen to celebrate pride with friends, family and coworkers. Check out photos and our favorite moments.

Cheers and Beers

In May, the TUNE London team hosted the “Cheers and Beers Open House” at German Kraft, London’s hottest craft brewery.  Rather than having a normal open house, the team wanted to add an extra touch to the evening through TUNE Cares, a philanthropic, employee-led initiative. Learn how they TUNE-ified the event and gave back to their local community.

Earth Week

From eliminating single use plastic items in our Seattle office to collecting (and recycling) several hundred pounds of electronics, TUNErs around the globe stepped up in honor of Earth Week to give back to our environment.

Leadership

Civic Engagement Speaker Series

Through the Civic Engagement Speaker Series, local policymakers and active citizens are invited to TUNE HQ in Seattle to present on topics of their choice and lead a discussion about each individual’s capacity to make change. Throughout the first half of 2018, TUNE welcomed the following individuals to participate in our Civic Engagement Speaker Series:

• Cyrus Habib, Lieutenant Governor
• Teresa Mosqueda, City Council Member
• Lisa Remlinger,  Evergreen Forest Program Director of Washington Environmental Council
• Amy Nelson, CEO and Founder of The Riveter
• Monisha Harrell, Owner and operator of  the small marketing firm, Rule Seven, Board Chair for Equal Rights Washington, and as a board member for the National LGBTQ Task Force.

Chick Tech Workshop

During the month of May, TUNErs volunteered with ChickTech during a 3D printer workshop with high school students.

“It was awesome to watch these young women create new things, whether with a 3D printer, laser cutter or by hand. I was there to help, but in most cases, they knew better than I did!”  – Phillip Ratliff, Director of Engineering

ChickTech was founded in 2012 to engage women and girls of all ages in the technology industry while working to create a better technology culture for all. ChickTech has made a direct impact on thousands of participants, including girls, women, and men. Our programs include summer camps, ChickTech: High School, Meetup groups for adults in tech, and ACT-W Conferences. And wherever possible, we partner with other organizations to expand our impact.

Industry

TUNE HOUSE

Women’s History Month: Through the Generations

On March 1st, the TUNE House called upon the Seattle tech community to gather and celebrate Women’s History Month and discuss the meaning of success throughout the generations with keynote speakers and a panel discussion. Speakers included the CEO of Moz, and a 4th-grade aspiring software engineer as the evening’s keynotes, as well as other influential panelists from The Riveter, Zillow, TUNE, University of Washington, and Microsoft who shared stories of success and challenges.

TUNE House Roadshows

Earlier this year, we were in the midst of our second year of the TUNE House Roadshow, a program where the TUNE House scholars visit high schools around the greater Seattle area and share their journey of discovering technology to young female students. Spreading awareness and educating young females about career opportunities in technology, while encouraging them to enroll in a technology class, is what the TUNE House Roadshow sets out to do

TUNE WOMEN
Throughout the month of March, TUNE Women organized several events in honor of Women’s History month. They collected dozens of clothing items to donate to “Dress for Success,”  held a lunchtime discussion on “Empowerment,” attended the University of Washington Women in Undergraduate Business Fundraiser Dinner and assisted in organizing the Raise ‘em up for REST event in the TUNE Kitchen.

Raise ‘em up for REST

TUNE hosted the annual Raise ‘Em For REST Poker tournament on International Women’s Day. Collectively between the 75 attendees including 12 TUNE employees, $12,480 was raised throughout the evening through donations, poker buy-ins and a silent auction. All proceeds from the event were donated to REST, who works to provides pathways to freedom, safety, and hope for victims of sex trafficking.

REST stands for Real Escape from the Sex Trade, and in an independent Washington State Charitable Nonprofit Organization. REST was founded in November 2009 by a small team of women with experience dealing with troubled youth and sexual abuse issues, and other members of the team with backgrounds in wraparound services and case management to develop relationships with people being commercially sexually exploited (trafficked), or otherwise engaged in the sex trade or are at risk to enter.

A note from the REST event organizers:

“By chipping in at Raise ‘em for REST, the evening raised $12,480 to bring freedom, safety, and hope to victims and survivors of trafficking. Thank you for your generous support, for coming to the table to play poker, taking a chance on the raffle, and tasting some fabulous whiskies.“

SPOTLIGHT TUNER

“Coalition on Homeless is an organization based next door to me in San Francisco. They work to organize and advocate for solutions to poverty, housing, and human rights issues in San Francisco

They also run a newspaper called “Street Sheet,” which is mostly written by staff and people experiencing homeless. It’s then distributed to unhoused people all over the city for free to sell and generate income. I’ve met their team at demonstrations and community meetings, and I also attended a training they hosted in their office to support survivors of sexual assault.

All of their desktop computers were much obsolete, they were sharing a MacBook between everyone in the office for presentations, and fundraising to purchase new laptops. I knew TUNE had a few laptops laying around, so I reached out internally to see if we could help them out. We were able to give them enough laptops for almost everyone in the office! I want to thank the TUNE Cares team, TUNE COO, Cameron Stewart and TUNE IT Manager, Dave Morgan.”  – Ryan Heath, Technical Program Manager

Thank you so much for helping support the Coalition on Homelessness with your generous donation of 10 MacBooks! Thanks to your contribution we will be able to continue our work and support the homeless and low-income communities in San Francisco. – Jack Rice, Development Director, Coalition on Homelessness

On behalf of TUNE and TUNE Cares, thank you, Ryan for organizing and making a difference in your community.

What’s next for TUNE Cares?

From our second annual charity boat party to November to Remember taking place later this year, be on the lookout for how TUNErs are making a difference in our communities.

Get Involved

While we’re helping mobile marketers, we’re also helping the communities in which we live and work. TUNE Cares is our community service program supporting thought leadership, education, the environment, diversity, and more. Employees are encouraged to share their passions, and a team of dedicated TUNErs helps identify opportunities to build awareness and engage with the community to support the causes that matter most to our employees.

If you have an idea and are looking to make a difference together, contact TUNEcares@tune.com

For the second year in a row, TUNE gave the entire company a summer break. Based off of the success from last year’s “TUNE Week,” employees were able to fully disconnect and step away from the office.

With the excitement building around our annual mobile conference, Postback, as well as our annual Geeks on the Beach retreat, this was a chance for employees to focus on their passions, check something off their bucket list, explore the outdoors, volunteer or have a staycation. There were even 60 TUNErs along with their family and friends who made the trek to Valdez, Alaska to spend Fourth Fest with Lucas and Lee, co-founders of TUNE who organized a getaway for TUNErs to experience Alaskan adventures and build new friendships with coworkers.

There’s no better way to see how TUNE week was spent, other than from hearing from TUNErs themselves!
    
“This year’s summer break started off with bang for me, down at my childhood home for the 4th of July. Our family did the burgers, brew and boom thing on the 4th, and then we all trekked up to beautiful Orcas Island to join about 18 of my aunts, uncles and cousins for an extended family reunion.  We camped out on my aunt and uncles property, and enjoyed a number of activities with our 4-year-old daughter, Chloe and 2-year-old son, Calvin: Sightseeing, deep thinking and meditation, camping (yes… we broke down and brought the iPads), golfing and of course… campfires!

All of that packed into a summer break allowed me, and my fellow co-workers, to take a step back from our regular routines and enjoy the things that are most important to us.  The Monday we all got back, we were refreshed and ready to tackle everything in front of us in the second half of 2018!” – Cameron Stewart, COO (SEA)

“I spent my vacation with my wife, and we learned how to surf waves! The TUNE week off was a strange thing for me last year. The ENTIRE company taking time off? Who will work? But after last year I realized how brilliant this idea is and how it sparkles creativity in everyone at the company at the same time. Taking time off when everyone is off, really takes the guilt factor away… I enjoyed it so much this year. I had 5 straight days of quality time with my wife and kids and felt like I was able to take a deep breath before summer.” – Ofir Brill, Managing Director – Tel Aviv Operations (TLV)

“I had a nice staycation and took the chance to venture just outside of Seattle during the holiday. We went to Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, where I rode a camel (for the first time!), fed some parakeets, and also fed some goats. We went furniture hunting and were able to find a nice bench and a sofa table to finally complete our living room layout 1.5 years after we moved in.  – Charmaine Kwong, Product Manager (SEA)

“Summer break for adults? How awesome is that! I recently started at TUNE, and what attracted me to the company beyond the awesome product, tech and people was the culture that I got to experience as part of my interview process. So it was no surprise when I heard that July 4th was a long weekend at TUNE and a summer break for adults! Love it! My family and I joined Lucas and Lee in Valdez Alaska. We had the opportunity to experience Glacier lake, ice caves, zip up and down the lake on seadoos, enjoy off-road biking on fat tires, go on a fishing expedition and see a pod of orcas in the wild, all while witnessing the natural beauty of Alaska. – Bhavana Mathur, VP of Product (SEA)

“I was in the Austrian Alps, doing some yoga, hiking, rock climbing and relaxing. I went climbing for the first time on a real rock, which was amazing and it definitely motivated me to take the sport a bit more seriously.”  – Fatima Aliyeva, Client Success Manager (Berlin)

“So, I’m a huge music fan and an avid concert goer. On the Tuesday night before the 4th of July, my fiancé and I went to a pretty private show of one of our favorite NorthWest artists, Sera Cahoone. The show was on Vashon Island randomly, so we headed over that evening with our dog to watch the show and stay for the night. Once the show concluded, Sera Cahoone and her crew ended up sticking around, hanging out and talking with us the entire night around a bonfire! This whole night basically made my year! Huge fan of her and I’ll never forget it! – Christine Johnson, User Experience Designer (SEA)

“The quarter final of the World Cup during TUNE week came as a blessing since I had the the whole day to build up excitement for the game with my London French friends. – JV Vincent, Sales Director, EMEA (London)

“Debbie and I took a trip up to Canada! We drove up to Yoho National Park (just west of Banff) and backpacked a circuit through the Iceline trail. It was such a beautiful trip and I’m feeling SO refreshed from so many days on the trail.”  – Jillian Greenaway, Software Support Engineer (SEA)

“Blake and I adventured north to Alaska to spend some time with my family. My parents, sister and her boyfriend, and Blake and I chartered a fishing boat for 3 days in the Prince William Sound to spend some good old-fashioned quality time. We kayaked around Surprise glacier, went shrimping, caught some halibut and rockfish, and relaxed in the sun. All in all, it was a super special time to have with family and we were very grateful to have a few extra days to make something like this happen.”  – Nessa Voigt, Global Director of Inside Sales (SEA)

We are all feeling refreshed and ready to take on Q3 as we head into the second half of the year. We’re grateful for our employees and teams around the globe for the energy they bring to the office each and every day. Learn more about life at TUNE and how you can join the team. 

For the second year in a row, TUNE came together as a community to celebrate Pride throughout the month of June. During the week leading up to the big parade, our TUNE Cares team organized a Civic Engagement speaker series focused on equal rights, and held a happy hour in the kitchen to celebrate Pride with friends, family and coworkers. See what TUNErs had to say about their favorite moments throughout the week.

I like to think of the Pride Parade and Pride Month as opportunities to open the door for more awareness about underrepresented groups and join in being an ally.  I feel proud to work for a company like TUNE who visibly makes an effort in Pride events all year round. From fundraising for LGBTQ youth to marching in the parade alongside our fellow teammates, I can’t help but feel over excited for the positivity we spread. When we Tuners come together, our outcome will be greater than the sum of all its parts. Pride is more than just a June event, it is a day to day fight for human equality and rights. I love being part of a team who is open to empowering individuals, strengthening the city, and working towards a better future.” – Jacki Yanamura, Sales Development Representative

Civic Engagement Speaker Series

TUNE recently welcomed Monisha Harrell as part of our speaker series. Monisha serves as Board Chair for Equal Rights Washington, is a board member for the National LGBTQ Task Force, and owns and operates  small marketing firm Rule Seven, which focuses on outreach strategies, brand development, and market research. TUNErs filled the conference room at HQ to learn about Equal Rights Washington, current issues facing the LGBTQ community, Monisha’s personal growth into LGBTQ activism, and various ways the community can get involved.

Happiest Hours for Lambert House

On the Thursday before the parade, TUNE held the “Happiest Hour for Lambert House” to raise awareness and funds for the local non-profit. Lambert House provides a safe space that empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth through the development of leadership, social, and life skills. The organization was chosen as our fundraiser recipient for  the second year in a row because of their mission to support LGBTQ youth. The TUNE kitchen was transformed into a colorful room filled with energy and excitement, accompanied by themed cocktail drinks, a tie-dye station, a DJ booth, and tasty bites from the kitchen team.

In previous years, TUNErs collected just over $200 for Lambert House, but this year we exceeded our goal of $1,000 and raised $1,151.77 through happy hour ticket sales and donations. Lambert House programs and operations are made possible by a large group of thoroughly vetted, highly trained, long-term volunteers, with “seventy-five percent of annual operating budget comes from ongoing individual donors and community contributors.”

“It’s great to see my fellow TUNErs putting in effort and participating in events that support the local community outside of our office.  I think fostering relationships with local charitable organizations and encouraging us to do some good for others is a win-win for everybody… and it always turns out to be pretty fun, too. :)” – Jesse Rinehart, Software Development Engineer

“Hosting experiences like ‘Happiest Hour for Lambert House’ are very impactful to me and fellow TUNErs because of the togetherness it creates within our employees and our community neighbors.”  – Hillary Robinson, Community Engagement Manager

Seattle Pride Parade

This year, more than 20 TUNErs, family, and friends made their way through the streets of downtown Seattle for the Pride Parade along with fellow companies, organizations and individuals who all shared the common goal of coming together as a community to support one another.

“It was powerful and uplifting to see all different orientations, races, and ages come out to support during the pride parade. It brought together our local community as well as our TUNE family. Walking in the pride parade with TUNE was electric. You could feel the positivity, acceptance, and energy of the crowd and other participants. I’m proud of TUNE for choosing to be a part to support and emphasize the value of diversity and inclusion.” – Christine Chow, Marketing Manager

“What I thought would be a fun parade was actually an amazing, roving, dance party as we twirled down 4th Avenue to the kicking bass. I’m so glad to work for a company that values and supports causes that recognize everyone’s right to be who they are.” – Phillip Ratliff, Director of Engineering

“Our Facilities Manager, Jay was our DJ on the TUNE Pride float. Before the parade even started, he pumped up the crowd all around us, from the crowds in the streets to the other participating parade groups. The energy from TUNE employees was really awesome to see, and we didn’t stop dancing down the streets until the finish line. Everyone fueled the crowds passion with music, dancing and smiles, while passing out pride themed TUNE stickers and flags.” – Chantelle Miller, Office Operations Manager

As June comes to an end, love and support for our communities continues to fill the office. From having special guest Monisha Harrell speak at TUNE, to reaching our fundraising goal for Lambert House, and sponsoring the Seattle Pride Parade, we encourage each TUNE employee to bring their full selves to work and continue to share their passions and interests.

In May, the TUNE London team hosted the “Cheers and Beers Open House” at German Kraft Brewery, London’s hottest craft brewery located in the vibrant Mercato Metropolitano. More than 65 guests packed the brewery to network and learn about TUNE. But rather than having a normal open house, the team wanted to add an extra touch to the evening through TUNE Cares, a philanthropic, employee-led initiative that’s vital to TUNE’s culture. Here’s how they TUNE-ified the event.

Giving Back

Giving back to our communities is a huge part of what TUNE is. It’s also a very meaningful experience for TUNErs around the globe.

For the London open house, it all started with the event location. We had recently visited German Kraft and learned about the brewery’s partnership with the Aquiva Foundation, which provides people in developing countries with the tools needed to create long-term, sustainable answers to their water needs. (Not to mention, the brewery is located in Mercato Metropolitano, which focuses on small-scale farmers, local producers, and community members.)

We quickly realized that TUNE Cares, German Kraft, and Mercato Metropolitano were becoming the perfect storm.

Hosting the open house at the brewery was a no-brainer after we realized our missions were closely aligned. But in addition to supporting the Aquiva Foundation, the team also wanted to find another local organization to support throughout the evening. Collectively, they decided to focus on Centrepoint, which provides housing and support for young people in London, Manchester, Yorkshire, and the North East, and through partnerships all over the UK.

TUNE Bier

The TUNE team and German Kraft came up with the idea of having a special TUNE beer for the evening. Any time an open house guest (or any customer) requested the TUNE beer that night, they were given a charity token, which could be donated to either the Aquiva Foundation or Centrepoint. For every charity token donated, German Kraft Brewery matched with a generous £1 donation to the organization of choice. Together, TUNE, guests, and German Kraft Brewery raised nearly £200 for both the Aquiva foundation and Centrepoint throughout the evening.

From networking with others in the industry, to mingling and meeting new friends, to grabbing TUNE swag and enjoying a beer for a good cause, it was a fun-filled evening. Guests dined on delicious food from Mercato Metropolitano with their beers, and German Kraft even took guests on tours throughout the brewery.

On behalf of the TUNE London team, we’d like to give a special thank you to German Kraft Brewery and Mercato Metropolitano for the fantastic hospitality. Find out how you can join the TUNE team by browsing our open positions.

My name is Matthew. I’m a software developer on the TUNE Marketing Console Data Core team. The Data Core team builds and runs the software services responsible for collection, attribution, aggregation, and availability of all advertising and app engagement data for Attribution Analytics, one of the products in the TUNE Marketing Console. The data that our software collects powers all of the notifications, graphs, and reports for the Attribution Analytics product.

For software developers, source code serves two main purposes: to express executable instructions to a computer, and to express an intent to other people. A single software project may include contributions by dozens of developers who need to understand the other developers’ intents so that they can work toward the same goal.

At TUNE, we have a set of company values that guide our interactions and aspirations and keep us mindful of what qualities make TUNE unique. We strive to demonstrate these values during our interactions with others and in our contributions, including our contributions to source code. When someone demonstrates one of the TUNE values in their interactions or contributions, we recognize them by giving them a Lego block with one of the TUNE values printed on the side. Let’s explore a few examples of source code written by developers on the Data Core team that earned them a TUNE values Lego block.

Be Excellent to Each Other

As humans who share common needs, we treat each other with care and respect. We value diversity of people and ideas. We have faith in each other’s ability to succeed and cultivate that potential by inspiring and nurturing growth. We recognize and express sincere gratitude for each other’s contributions.

As mentioned above, code is both an expression of instructions to a computer and an expression of intent to other people. Empathy is crucial to writing code that effectively expresses ideas and intents to people with different levels of technical understanding, software development backgrounds, or different understanding of the English language and local colloquialisms. Being excellent to each other means writing understandable code that empowers the people around us to effectively collaborate, independent of these different backgrounds.

The code above provides a comment that, in clear English, explains an otherwise incomprehensible boolean expression. Without that comment, any developer attempting to modify the boolean expression would be left trying to decipher the meaning, possibly drawing the wrong conclusion and spending unnecessary time and effort. A developer added this comment to existing code because they were having a hard time understanding the logic and wanted to share their understanding with others.

Be Confident and Coachable

We leverage our strengths, and pursue growth in areas where improvement is needed. When we make mistakes or don’t know something, we are not afraid to be vulnerable and admit it. We continuously pursue knowledge and are happy to share it with others.

The goal is not perfection, but to learn and improve. Understanding when a solution is good enough despite known issues, and understanding that “good enough” is a moving target that must sometimes be re-evaluated are powerful skills for a software developer. Being confident and coachable means having confidence that our code is good enough, even if it isn’t perfect, sharing code improvements with others, and accepting code improvements from others.

The code above demonstrates that the developer understands their code has issues, but that it’s good enough under the current circumstances. They also share when “good enough” should be re-evaluated, and suggest a possible improvement.

Start With Why

Our actions are inspired by our deep understanding of those we serve and support. We explore what is most meaningful to them and why. We earn connection and loyalty by anticipating and delivering what will delight them the most.

Developers serve and support a variety of different clients, but every developer on a team serves and supports the other developers on their team. We like to ask “Why?” source code is the way it is, and are delighted when the answer to our question is immediately available. Starting with Why means expressing the reasoning for our well-thought-out decisions in code when it may not be immediately obvious to someone else.

The code above explains the structure and reasoning of the log timestamp format, including reference material. Anyone who asks, “Why is that timestamp format used?” can immediately answer their own question by reading the comment above the timestamp format declaration.

Embrace 10x Thinking

We courageously strive for 10x advancements in pursuit of enormous opportunities. We think creatively about the future, navigate ambiguity, and deliver transformative change.

Solving only the immediate problem can leave you constantly chasing new problems. Great developers understand which problems will happen over and over as the business or team grows and deliver solutions that solve the immediate problem and the 10x problem. Embracing 10x thinking means understanding how our code performs now and when it needs to do 10x as much, re-evaluating our code if it doesn’t satisfy both the current and 10x larger problems.

The code above adds an attribute to a record stored in DynamoDB which, in conjunction with the DynamoDB time-to-live feature, facilitates processing and storing the current and foreseeable TMC Attribution Analytics data streams in DynamoDB. Using DynamoDB would otherwise be cost-prohibitive with the current data volume and completely untenable at 10x current data volume.

Conclusion

To accomplish something larger than we could alone, we must learn to interact and contribute with other people. We need to empower our coworkers with our knowledge, solve problems with extensible and scalable solutions, ask the right questions, and have confidence that our own solutions are sufficient. As software developers at TUNE, we strive to demonstrate these TUNE values in our in-person interactions and through our source code. When we do, we are rewarded with the satisfaction of working together on a team to build something great! Sometimes we also get colorful Lego blocks. Think TUNE sounds like a place you’d fit in? Let us know! Check out the current open positions on our careers page.

“Mom, Dad! We have class registration for next semester this Friday and I have no idea what to take. What should I do!?” As a parent or teacher you may have heard this exact statement from your middle or high school student over the years. Your response probably went along the lines of “Which of these classes interests you most? Are you taking all of the classes you need to prepare for college applications?”

What if you said: “Have you ever thought about computer science or looking into the technology classes that are offered? Have you taken a class like that before?” Bingo. What if your daughter knew taking technology classes now would present an array of opportunities in college and maybe even help her land that first career? Would you encourage her to try one? Probably, because seeing one’s child succeed after leaving home is a rewarding feeling for most parents.

Knowledge is power

We’re in the midst of our second year of the TUNE House Roadshow, a program where the TUNE House scholars visit high schools around the greater Seattle area and share their journey of discovering technology to young female students. Spreading awareness and educating young females about career opportunities in technology, while encouraging them to enroll in a technology class, is what the TUNE House Roadshow sets out to do. By showing them possible career trajectories in tech, paired with the stories and experiences of women currently majoring in and working in tech, the Roadshow helps break down any barriers between young women and their enrollment in computer sciences classes.

“I would recommend the Tune House Roadshow to any school. The lunch time presentation gained a lot of attention and had a great panel of future female leaders in the tech field. The presentation doubled the number of females taking programing classes and overall was a sublime experience for students.” — Keith, CSE Teacher at Kentwood High School

How the TUNE House Roadshow made an impact in 2017

Every TUNE House Roadshow includes a panel discussion with at least two TUNE House scholars. The scholars’ stories are relatable to middle and high schoolers because the panelists remember what it was like to be in the students’ shoes not long ago . Throughout the presentation, the scholars share stories of victories, challenges, mentors, internships, and opportunities that have helped them get to where they are today.  A coding demonstration given by the panelists gives the students insight into how programming works, what code looks like, and demonstrates the autonomy and ability to transform an idea into a working project.

“Even when I’m talking about a silly project, like my app “Holy Guacamole,” I can feel the excitement in the air as the gals imagine what they could do with technology.” –Olga Andreeva, TUNE House Scholar

Finding the path to technology  

One thing you’re guaranteed to hear during a roadshow is there isn’t a cookie cutter path when it comes to discovering a passion for technology. As the TUNE House scholars share, many of them didn’t discover their passion for tech until high school or college, or most learned about it because their friend encouraged them to take a class with them. Discovering and building one’s own path to technology is exactly the conversation Melinda Gates had with the scholars during her visit to the TUNE House in the summer of 2017.

“One really impactful moment that stuck with me from the roadshow was when a student came up to me after the event and told me that she wanted be like us when she grew up and thanked us for coming. At that moment, I truly felt like I belonged in this field  and I knew that we were making a difference.” — Aishwarya Manoharan, TUNE House Scholar

Capturing the excitement and instinctive curiosity

Timing can play an important role when discovering new opportunities. In this case, timing helps us measure the effectiveness of the TUNE House Roadshow by visiting the school right before class registration. Our ultimate goal is to encourage each and every student to register for one of the technology classes offered by their school.

“I enjoyed everything. It re-sparked my interest in coding and reminded me how much I loved being in the coding class I was in last year.” — 7th grade student and Roadshow attendee   

Just one piece of the puzzle

Next time your daughter asks you what class she should take, encourage her and her friends to try a computer science class. Share concrete examples on how technology can be applied to numerous fields.

“I liked how we got specific examples of what you can do with computer science to help improve things in the world.” — 10th grade student and Roadshow attendee

Better yet, encourage them to join a Girls Who Code program, attend an Ignite Worldwide class field trip, become a TEALS school, start a tech club or have the TUNE House Roadshow visit. These are just a few ways to encourage future female technologists to uncover hidden passions.

If you’re interested in having the TUNE House Roadshow visit your daughter’s school, please reach out to us at TUNEHouseteam@tune.com, or if you would like to learn more about the TUNE House, visit the TUNE House website.