LinkedIn wouldn't be the company it is today without the engineers who built it. We have no shortage of talented individuals in technical roles across the company. They are the ones who create, build, and maintain our platform, tools, and features—as well as write posts for this blog. In this series, we feature some of the people and personalities that make LinkedIn great.
Lauren Caponong is a Software Engineer working on LinkedIn's flagship iOS application in New York City. Her team works to bring video onto LinkedIn for web and mobile and is responsible for allowing users to create and consume video content.
Before joining LinkedIn, Lauren was a designer at Forbes Magazine, working on web, graphic, and user experience design. She then transitioned into software engineering as LinkedIn’s first engineering apprentice. Under the guidance of her mentors, she became a full-time software engineer in early 2017.
Prior to working in design and engineering, she obtained a degree in fine arts, with concentrations in painting, drawing, and digital art.
Why are you so passionate about video?
Bringing video to LinkedIn is rather exciting for me because video truly has transformed the way people receive, process, and internalize information. It enables people to connect in much more engaging ways—spurring creativity, new ideas, and action.
On a professional network such as LinkedIn, there are endless possibilities of what can be done with video. Our goals are to assist professionals in their career ambitions and connect them to opportunities—opportunities they may not be aware of otherwise. When you combine those intentions with a burgeoning source of media like video, the number of lives you can transform increases exponentially.
It's been an extraordinary experience so far—especially joining as an apprentice. I've learned so much about iOS, in addition to understanding the process of building a full-fledged product. It takes a whole village!
What do you love most about software engineering, and what tools do you use every day at LinkedIn?
I love the constant challenge that comes from being a software engineer. There's always so much information to dig into!
Additionally, being a mobile engineer is gratifying because I'm able to see, rather quickly, the impact my work has on users. It could be entirely possible that someone will be using a feature I worked on just a week after I finish it. While we normally encourage constant iteration within our teams, it's also satisfying to get feedback from actual users of the product.
Tools that I use regularly are: Git, Xcode, Trello, JIRA, SourceTree, Google Docs, Slack, and a lightweight text editor of choice.
What are your favorite things to do when you’re not at the office?
Outside the office, I have a variety of things I love to do. Lately, I have been tailoring my own clothing, learning more songs on the guitar, trying out new recipes, and getting back to my roots of oil painting. While I believe in working hard, it's also imperative to relax and indulge in things like creative endeavors, athletic hobbies, and traveling—soul-enriching activities!
What is something about you not found on your LinkedIn profile?
I have an odd memory for music; I can recall melodies and recite lyrics in other languages.