Do you ever think about switching industries? After working his way up to a senior engineering leader role on Wall Street in the early 2000s, Gedaliah F., director of engineering, had no plans of leaving his role. Up to that point, Gedaliah had centered his career on pursuing the most interesting engineering challenges he could find in finance. But when a recruiter from Meta reached out to him in 2018, he began to wonder what uncharted technical challenges were out there.

Curious about the opportunity, Gedaliah connected with a former colleague who moved from finance to a role at Meta. “They told me Meta is an engineer’s ideal workplace — I would love it there,” Gedaliah remembers. “As the tech industry grew, I saw companies like Meta pushing the boundary and felt inspired to be part of it. I asked myself: Should I make an exciting change, even if it means navigating a new industry?” He saw the puzzles waiting to be solved and the chance to learn and grow.

When Gedaliah joined Meta, he embraced bringing deep experience to uncharted territory. “Leaving Wall Street meant finding a new way to apply my expertise, but I quickly realized everyone at Meta is on a learning journey. No one has done what we’re doing — building technologies for billions of people and solving complex problems at this scale — and we talk about our challenges openly. From learning new systems to navigating the vastness of Meta technologies, we support one another.”

Thrilled to learn something new, Gedaliah initially joined a team at Meta that focused on AI. While a new area, Gedaliah was able to lend his technical problem-solving skills to the team right away. “I welcomed the opportunity to dive into technologies shaping the world around us — and the future — bringing my experience on Wall Street to this space full of unknowns," he smiles.

After four years, he transitioned to the privacy team for yet another fresh challenge. Now, as a lead for privacy engineering, Gedaliah focuses on how Meta responds to major regulatory challenges, such as the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a European Union regulation for tech companies. “Innovating at the intersection of tech and regulation is incredibly complicated — which is why I love it,” he shares. “It’s a unique opportunity to operate in a space where Meta doesn’t create the requirements or the timeline for delivery. You never know what will pop up around the corner.”

In addition to fast-paced problem-solving, Gedaliah is motivated by the real-world impact of his team’s initiatives. “We get to preserve the experiences that people love while satisfying regulator expectations. These challenges can feel other-worldly — knowing they influence all engineering across Meta and everyone using our technologies.”

Gedaliah’s impact across Meta expands beyond engineering as he continuously looks for ways to build community. Known as “the blood drive guy,” he started quarterly blood donations at the New York office in 2019. “If there’s something we’re passionate about that doesn’t exist, we’re encouraged to find like-minded people and make it happen,” he shares. “From serving as global co-head of the Jewish employee resource group to starting the ‘embrace the climb’ initiative inspiring people to increase their daily movement by using the stairs at New York’s 15-story office, I love having the opportunity to lead and grow outside my core role.”

For people looking for adventure in their careers, Gedaliah offers a piece of advice: “Challenge yourself to make a bold move,” he says. “Your career is a couple of decades long — make the most of it! If you try something and it doesn’t work out, you can always return to the things you know.”