#260 - From Lead Engineer at MongoDB to Fashion Tech: On Hiring, Remote Teams, and Start-Up Life

Harish, former lead engineer at MongoDB and current co-founder of Flaire, takes us on a journey through his unusual career path—one that didn’t involve grinding LeetCode or chasing FAANG.Instead, he got deep into cybersecurity, built large-scale systems, and eventually started his own company that’s redefining how small businesses use software.We talk about:What it’s actually like to work on database internals and secure infrastructureWhy most engineers shouldn’t become founders—and why he did anywayHow to use AI for real business workflows (not just ChatGPT hacks)The rise of “cybersecurity as product” and how ops teams still run on spreadsheets and WhatsAppWhy learning to code isn’t just about DSA and bootcamps—it’s about solving real problems“A lot of tools are built for enterprises, but most businesses are duct-taping together spreadsheets. We built for them.”“You need to understand how your workflows actually function before throwing AI at them.”“Don’t overbuild. Build just enough to learn something, then improve.”If you’re newer to tech and want to understand what actual engineering careers can look like—this episode will open your eyes to what’s possible.Connect with Harish here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scharish/Send us a textShameless Plugs 🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course to go from HTML to AI 🤔 Got a question you want answered on the pod? Drop it here Apply for 1 of 12 spots at Parsity - Learn to build complex software with AI integrations. AI Bootcamp - for software developers who want to be the expert on their team when it comes to AI