Roy Y., a software engineer, follows his passions the way some people read maps. “Early on, I learned that listening to my gut was the best way to figure out where to go next," he remembers. Since then, his instincts have served as a compass — guiding Roy forward in his life and career.

Fascinated by computers as early as middle school, Roy arrived at a crossroads when deciding what to study in college: computer science or mechanical engineering. “My father was a mechanical engineer,” Roy explains. “While at first he encouraged me to pursue a career in manufacturing, he later told me I should follow my passions. That’s what inspired me to pursue software engineering.”

Roy took his father’s advice and never looked back. After college, he worked as a software engineer at companies across investment banking, real estate and insurance. Along the way, he heard another piece of wisdom that he’s never forgotten. “‘If you like something, go for it — because if you’re passionate about it, you’ll end up finding a way to pursue it anyway,’” Roy shares. “That made me reflect and realize: I wanted to find a product that motivated me to do my best work. That’s why I joined Meta.”

For Roy, the opportunity to solve complex technical problems at scale made his early days at Meta incredibly exciting. “There was so much flexibility right off the bat — I could choose between joining product-driven or technical teams and learn about different focus areas,” he shares. Within just three years, Roy has been part of three different orgs within Meta. He began on the Instagram Ads team, where he focused on branded content ads. “You might not notice the product I worked on, but it makes a big difference,” he explains. “Now, creators can jump through fewer hoops and use their free time to do more creative things. The impact goes way beyond the product.”

Next, Roy followed his interests to the Production Matrix team, which creates tools to evaluate how engineers are serving each org within Meta — from the “freshness” of product code to how quickly engineering teams can help address issues. “The tool began at an org-level, and we scaled it to become a company-wide tool that anyone can use to monitor products,” Roy shares proudly.

No matter the product or team, one thing about Roy is clear: he cares deeply about enabling other engineers to do their best work. This is a focus area for the service management team he is part of today, which provides private cloud solutions to many of the product teams at Meta. “We work on scaling infrastructure for AI and AI-led initiatives,” he says. “Our goal is to build the next-generation computing platform that supports more advanced computing requirements and empowers engineers to push the boundary even further.”

Roy defines innovation as aiming to make people's lives better and easier — an attitude he brings to all his work. “There are so many innovative initiatives at Meta that the possibilities for an engineer feel endless,” he shares. “I’m inspired by the scale of the problems we’re solving. I want to bring deep thinking to all the software I work on because these products touch so many people — whether creating AR glasses or building avatars and spaces in VR where people can come together.”

When Roy reflects on his father’s advice, he makes sure to lead with his heart in every aspect of his life, including beyond his career. “Feeling inspired at work feeds into all my creative hobbies — from interior design and renovation and to playing guitar,” he shares. “No matter what I’m doing, I love seeing how things work. If I let that passion guide me, I know it won’t steer me wrong.”