As I was reflecting on my time at Tesla and the various projects I've been a part of, I realized I've made almost 12,000 code contributions since 2012 to tesla.com 🤯
Taking international teammates to experience the Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, CA, 2015)
While each contribution has an interesting story to tell, what stands out to me most are the people I've met and worked with along the way, from all over the world, and the impact we've made together - it's been a real treat to say the least.
#- Get your own code contribution count #- from a git repo by running this command in your terminal git shortlog -sn --all --author="{YourName}" #- Replace {YourName} with, you guessed it: #- your name that you use to sign your commits (e.g. Manny, mbecerra, etc.) #- Learn more about initializing a git project at #- https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/quickstart/set-up-git
Manny is adaptable and a leader. This combination enables him to effectively navigate his team and business partners through evolving business requirements.
For the curious...
In 2012, and the few years after, we were a lot smaller than we are today, so the few of us who worked on tesla(motors).com wore lots of hats; it was a blast, and it's still a thrill to this day; it's just a different time with similar and unique challenges, along with some incredible, new and familiar people.
All Our Patent Are Belong To You (Tesla, Palo Alto, CA)
My DGN Bike In Front of Tesla (Palo Alto, CA, 2014)
With that, we've evolved as a department or division to meet the changing needs of the team itself, the company and our product line offerings, which are all anchored on our mission. Plus, our growth has let us specialize and focus more on our individual roles and responsibilities, which has been great for the team and the company.
Manny has gone above and beyond the call of duty more times than I can count, always delivering on impossibly tight deadlines yet always managing to keep a positive attitude despite the relentless pressure.
As I alluded to above, I've been fortunate to work with some of the most talented and passionate people in the industry, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to have learned (and continue to learn) from them along the way. Together, we've built a world-class team and digital product ecosystem that has made an impact on advancing the mission of sustainable energy — hot diggity!
While not a complete list, the following are some memorable projects and moments that I've been a part of, led and supported at Tesla since 2012:
- Hiring with an emphasize on heart and potential not just function
- Scaling our Web team abroad and establishing SOPs
- Launching the Model X Configurator
- Celebrating the wins: going out for tacos and Indian food with the team
- Launching the Dual Motor w/Autopilot Configurators
- Learning how to say simple greetings in colleagues' native languages
- Launching the Model 3 Reservation System
- Supporting others across the company through mentorship, coaching and removing barriers to success
- Launching the P100D Configurator — I still feel the ludicrous rush from this one! :P
- Supporting the Tesla Gigafactory 1 Opening Fiesta and Investor Relations event
- That one time, when we worked out of the "back 40" of the Fremont Factory for a hot minute or two
- Riding my bike to Palo Alto headquarters (a custom bike from the 80s with deep ties to the famous Deux Gros Nez cafe in Reno, NV)
- Uplifting Employee Resource Groups (ERG) and the DEI Initiative
- Supporting and leading tesla.com production releases both on-site and from Reno
- Helping identify mission-aligned community partnerships
- Supporting and representing at community STEAM festivals
- Shepherding company-wide initiatives with other passionate people, like the JS Working Group, Frontend Meetup Series and the Tesla Design System crew
- Driving from Reno to Palo Alto to work on the "next big thing" with the team
- Fostering a culture of inclusion, belonging and collaboration amongst my teams and groups
- Supporting the Battery Swap event (an oldie but goodie)
- Picking up international teammates from the airport and showing them around the Bay Area (in which we found some amazing ramen noodles in Oakland/Berkeley)
- Celebrating Diwali and other holidays with the team
- Taking in the sunrises and sunsets while driving home through the Nevada desert on I-80 🌄
There's so many more moments and experiences that I cherish, especially with others, but I'll save those for another time.
Manny has been a servant leader for the many years that I’ve known him: kind above all else, thoughtful of his peers and creative in his approach to problem solving.
Here's to the next round of contributions, experiences, impact and beyond!