Meet The Washington Post
The Washington Post is no doubt an iconic fixture in the world of journalism. For over a century, it has been breaking news, setting journalistic standards and even sharing the silver screen with movie stars Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep.
One might ask oneself, “Where, oh, where might a technologist like me fit in?” The answer would be right smack dab in the middle of the newsroom.
To be on the tech team at The Post is to work at the pulse of breaking news directly alongside journalists and editors. Engineers have the unique opportunity to collaborate with content creators and invent new ways to captivate readers, whether it’s powering important election updates or finding clever, simple ways to help amateur chefs master a featured recipe.
Owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and led by one of AdWeek’s “Most Indispensible Executives,” CIO Shailesh Prakash, The Post has undergone a masterful transformation from formidable print newspaper to innovative media technology company. In fact, it landed eighth on Fast Company’s 2018 “The World’s Most Innovative Companies” list.
With a “build not buy” philosophy, Prakash has empowered engineers to invent industry-changing software that does everything from delivering breaking news alerts faster to telling stories through augmented reality. This has led The Post to pursue an entirely new line of business: selling its in-house content management system, Arc, as a service to companies across the globe.
The ongoing emphasis on innovation means that engineers get to dip their toes in a variety of projects. Every couple of weeks ushers in a new development opportunity, feature or update, eliminating the risk of the team’s motivation growing stale.
Though many employees enjoy the buzz of newsroom energy emanating throughout the office, most find The Post has a surprisingly flexible work style. Employees within the software engineering department are first and foremost motivated by the needs of The Post and its readers, but are trusted to work remotely or get their work done off-hours, if needed.
The culture is decidedly down to earth. Described as an ‘inspiring and transparent environment,’ even the conference rooms are filled with light and surrounded by glass. Additionally, it has been noted numerous times that one of the most active Slack channels around the organization is affectionately labeled ‘Leftovers,’ where people post whatever leftover food they have from meetings or events.
Whether you’re a junior software engineer or top political reporter, everyone is a part of the team. And, really, what’s a better way to get acquainted and produce some killer news content than sharing ideas over a cold dish of half-eaten mac and cheese?