Another chapter begins — I'm joining Twilio

It's a bright Tuesday morning and I've just hung up the phone after agreeing to accept a role at Twilio on a permanent basis. Familiar conflicting feelings bubble to the surface as I'm sat in my lounge: excitement battling fear, extroversion tackling introversion, fight vs flight. I've grown accustomed to these classic imposter syndrome traits. After 6 years of freelancing and moving between companies frequently you get used to it.

I recall the decision to go freelance back in 2014, the anticipation to go and make it on my own, to choose my own projects and branch out in to the design industry. I can confidently say that I achieved most of that and was lucky enough to collaborate with some amazing people over that time too. But I have missed the long game. I've missed being able to consistently learn, iterate and deliver solutions for a product over a meaningful period of time.

I am, of course, very excited by this new step in my career. I'll be working with a small team in London on their 'Programmable Applications' initiative. I'm still struggling to understand the concept of a 'programmable application' but the promise of insight really interests me. My current understanding of Twilio is that they are a company made by developers, for developers. They provide API's to help businesses connect to their customers by bridging the gap between the internet and telecoms. You've ordered a Deliveroo and you want to talk to your rider? That's Twilio in play right there. They're hugely popular within the developer community and they seem to thrive within that space. I was told by various designers during the interview process that if you ask a random designer on the street "Who are Twilio?" you'll probably just get a funny look. If you ask the same question to a developer their eyes will light up with excitement.

I'll be starting at the end of this month where I'll be flying out to San Francisco to meet the extended team and go through training. Instead of wandering between projects every few months — there one minute and gone the next — I'll be staying put for a while and growing roots in a new place.