Sphere

Sphere redefined group communication by creating intimate, purposeful micro-communities where meaningful conversations could flourish. As a pivotal early-stage engineer, I architected and scaled the iOS application through explosive growth, ultimately contributing to a successful $30M+ funding journey and acquisition by Twitter.

I led the complete iOS development lifecycle, from foundational architecture to production-scale infrastructure. The app featured real-time messaging with sophisticated push notification systems, intelligent group discovery algorithms, and seamless media sharing capabilities. My work included implementing GraphQL-based networking layers, Firestore integration for real-time synchronization, and protobuf optimization that reduced network traffic by 35%.

Beyond core development, I spearheaded critical infrastructure improvements including automated testing frameworks that achieved 99.99% crash-free rates, CI/CD pipelines that accelerated deployment cycles by 70%, and performance optimizations that supported millions of active users. I also developed an innovative in-app advertising platform that delivered 200% higher click-through rates compared to traditional social media ads.

The technical stack encompassed cutting-edge iOS technologies: Swift with MVVM architecture, real-time Pusher integration, comprehensive GraphQL APIs, and robust fastlane automation. This project demonstrated how thoughtful engineering at scale can transform a simple group chat concept into a platform valuable enough to attract acquisition from one of the world's largest social media companies.

Sphere's acquisition by Twitter validated our vision of fostering deeper, more meaningful digital connections—proving that quality engineering and user-centric design can create lasting impact in the competitive social media landscape.