Jeong Min-young, a technical leader, met at the Clova office in Seongnam, Gyeonggi on the 5th. Picture naver
It has been several years since the number of graduates from private coding academies has been pouring out, and there is still a competition to raise the salary, saying that there are still no developers to use in the field. What is an alternative developer, and what is the definition of a’good developer’?
I met Naver’s youngest developer executive and asked. Jung Min-young (35) is a technology leader at Clova, an artificial intelligence (AI) organization that is the pinnacle of Naver’s R&D. He entered the field at the age of 19 and graduated from high school. Dropped out of Hanyang University’s Computer Science Department. Currently, he is one of the’responsible leaders’ of only 90 executives in Naver.
He said that the ability of a developer is “the power to clearly define and solve problems”, and the virtue for growth is “a small courage to open and communicate their own code or knowledge.” The following is one question and one answer.
- What do you do in Clova
- “We create a platform for machine learning so that AI technology can be developed well, and we create application services that apply AI technology that was created. It is applied to various business fields of Naver such as news, shopping, and line.”
- I didn’t major in AI
- “Good service comes only when excellent engineers and excellent AI experts meet. I fill in the engineering part.”
- What skills do you need
- “When applying AI to services such as shopping and video, there aren’t many cases where you start with’Please do this with AI’. Talk with the service person in charge to define’what the problem is’ and decide which of our AI technologies will solve it. At this point, you have to think about the direction of service, not just the technology.”
- Specifically.
- “We are an AI organization, but we don’t insist that AI should do it all. I created an AI call counseling reservation service a while ago, and the AI chatbot doesn’t mean that customer satisfaction increases. It’s better to quickly connect to a human counselor without the AI answering some questions. Because AI technology is not an end, it is a means. You have to achieve that balance.”
Chief Leader Chung has been in college for 10 years (2005-2015), but has no degree. During that period, he created bold services such as’Me Today’, a blog service and’Beat’, a music app.
- How did you build your skills?
- “When I was in my second year of elementary school, I encountered computers and it was fun, so I started a PC communication club since I was 10 years old. There were many famous talented people, and it was an annoying place for not letting them know what they knew for free. I received both information and stimulation. Because I owe it, I was active in various developer communities when I grew up.”
- Why did you drop out of college?
- “I couldn’t do both work and study. When Me2day was in full swing, when there was a problem with the server, an automatic text message was sent to me, but while I was taking the midterm, a vibration rang. I couldn’t take my phone out because I was on the test, but I left the test because I wanted to be’Bonamada server’. It was usually this way, and when it was no longer possible to take a leave of absence, I dropped out.”
- “Because I wasn’t going to college, my family asked where I even entered.”
- Are there any regrets in your studies?
- “Most of my major classes were self-taught. Rather, the history of science, philosophy, and patent law are memorable. It doesn’t mean that studying your major is meaningless. You also need to know something like the operating system (OS).”
Jeong Min-young, a technical leader, met at the Clova office in Seongnam, Gyeonggi on the 5th. Picture naver
Developer, born vs. raised
- There is a raging about the lack of developers.
- “It’s true that it’s not enough, but the industry’s perspective is a bit different. Talented people usually don’t just do one thing well, they all do well. The key is whether they choose the’developer’. When there are many success stories of developers, people with good qualities come to this field. Success like Mark Zuckerberg, for example.”
- To be a good developer, you have to have a computer from an early age.
- “A case like me is not the right answer. Software developers have to deal with abstract concepts well. The ability to go back and forth between abstraction and concreteness, solving problems in reality with technology by modeling them well. This is why math study is so important to developers. Will the developer work and use calculus? However, in the regular curriculum, mathematics is one of the few subjects in which abstract and logical thinking can be learned.”
Engineer vs Manager
His Naver life is the second time. Naver acquired Me2day in 2009 and joined Naver, then returned to the start-up industry again after a year, and after that, he made Bits and rejoined Naver after closing due to a deficit at the end of 2016. He became an executive at the beginning of last year, three years after joining the Naver AI Task Force (TF).
- What made you different from being an executive?
- “I still think of myself as a working developer. However, if I had focused on good products before, now I have to worry about the structure of the team doing well.”
- Many people say that the work life of Korean developers is short.
- “I do not agree. It was in the mid-1980s that I first created the model of’developer’ in Korea, and now they work with me. There is no reason why my age will not be able to work in 30 years if I try. Technology has context, and technology that didn’t exist doesn’t pop out overnight.”
- How many years of development work and do you not become a manager?
- “There are many developers working in Clova for over 20 years. Seniors can contribute with unrivaled skills and solve problems that others cannot solve. Such a model has been established in foreign IT companies. Rather than saying,’Not in Korea,’ this generation, including myself, should make it.”
- Which developer would you like to work with?
- “If people in start-ups come to Clova, I think it will be fun to work. Technology is the preparation for work, and the real job is solving social problems. For developers who want to make an impact on the world, Clova is a great organization.”
Large companies vs startups
Naver achieved the highest performance last year, and is suffering from measles due to compensation for employees. Founder Lee Hae-jin directly explained it. Developers want immediate rewards as well as opportunities to grow. It is not just’dedication to the company’.
- Does Naver grow people?
- “When I interviewed a new employee, I asked,’Is there a way the developer is doing well?’ By the way, the company has its downsides, but its advantage is that it gives it a chance. If you show that you have something you want to do and you can do, you will continue to receive opportunities and become an executive by increasing your role. ‘Is that the power of this company?’ I also want to.”
- How do you help your members grow as an executive?
- “Usually, junior developers want to dig deeper into technology, and seniors want new challenges, such as creating scaled services. Luckily, Clova has a wide variety of tasks, so you can recommend it to suit your needs. I don’t believe in’study and work separately’. The self-development of office workers is directly related to their work.”
- Are you developing yourself?
- “I lead an organization that is different from when I was the start-up CTO. This in itself is a challenge. Being an executive isn’t just about growing a developer, but in the end, you need to know how to deal with scale in order to do something with impact. Coupang and Toss also go on a very large scale.”
Naver executives openly say, “It is the most difficult to enlist developers.” Silicon Valley tech companies are attracting talents from around the world, and’post-Korean’-level companies such as Coupang and Baedal’s people are coming out one after another. The options for competent developers are increasing.
- If you define Naver’s development culture.
- “Responsibility and craftsmanship. It’s slower than a startup, but once you get it right, it makes a lot more meaningful change.”
- Is there any company you want to work for?
- “There are a lot of acquaintances and colleagues on Facebook, Google, Apple, and Amazon. However, they said that the company is so big that the influence of individuals is relatively small. The feeling of creating something with my own hands is the source of the developer’s sense of accomplishment, and it can get away from it.”
- Do you have a hobby or exercise?
- “For people like me, work, rest, and play are all this (computer). I have to exercise… .”
Reporter Shim Seo-hyun [email protected]
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