Scaling Mobile Platforms: From Startup to Staff Engineer - Sachin Hiriyanna | Ep 130

Sachin Hiriyanna is a Staff Software Engineer at Navan, where he leads major platform initiatives for their Android app used by over 100,000 people. His career spans from co-founding his own startup to refactoring core systems at scale, operating at the intersection of deep technical work and strategic leadership.In this episode, Sachin recounts his journey from a curious childhood tinkerer to a staff engineer, including his early experiences with a startup and developing a life-saving app for opioid overdose victims. He dives into the realities of large-scale refactoring, sharing the detailed process of migrating Navan's Android app from the legacy Object Box database to modern solutions like Room. Sachin explains his methodical, four-phase approach to this complex migration, emphasizing the importance of planning, communication, and using end-to-end tests to ensure stability without disrupting feature development. He discusses the role of a Staff Engineer, highlighting that it's less about just writing brilliant code and more about proactive problem discovery, cross-team collaboration, and shaping technical strategy—illustrated by his team's proactive migration to support Android's new 16KB page size requirement.Sachin also reflects on his time as a startup founder and how that entrepreneurial mindset influences his work in corporate platform engineering. He defines innovation as the process of discovering a problem and creating an elegant, scalable, and applicable solution. Finally, he offers advice for engineers aspiring to reach staff level, stressing the need to look beyond well-defined tasks and take initiative in identifying and solving broader product challenges.In this episode, you’ll discover:· Sachin's journey from startup founder to Staff Software Engineer at Navan.· The process of large-scale refactoring and migrating legacy databases (Object Box to Room).· A four-phase approach to complex technical migrations without disrupting product delivery.· The role of a Staff Engineer: proactive problem discovery and cross-team strategy.· A real-world example of proactive engineering: migrating to Android's 16KB page size.· How an entrepreneurial background benefits corporate platform engineering.· Sachin's definition of innovation: elegant, scalable solutions to discovered problems.· Advice for senior engineers aspiring to reach the staff level.· The importance of end-to-end testing during major code refactoring.Connect With Sachin Hiriyanna:· LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hsachin/Chapters:00:00 Welcome Sachin Hiriyanna: Staff Software Engineer at Navan01:10 From Childhood Tinkerer to Startup Founder & Staff Engineer05:01 Tech for Good: Developing an App for Opioid Overdose Victims08:19 Startup Experience: Building a Fintech App for Price Protection11:26 Leading Large-Scale Refactoring: Migrating Databases at Navan16:47 A Four-Phase Approach to Complex Technical Migrations23:02 The Staff Engineer Role: Proactive Strategy vs. Just Brilliant Code26:46 Proactive Problem Solving: The Android 16KB Page Size Migration28:11 Innovation Defined: Elegant, Scalable Solutions to Discovered Problems31:10 Connect with Sachin Hiriyanna on LinkedInSupport the Show:· Fuel the podcast: https://iferia.nestuge.com/supportme· Subscribe and leave a review!· ShareWant to Be a Guest on The Iferia TechCast?· Reach out to Ezekiel on PodMatch· PodMatch Host Profile: https://podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/theiferiatechcast