Kacper Gazda: The first question, a little surprising - how long have you been working in Milo?
Michał Iskierko: I started in 2011, so that's nine years.
How did you find the job in Milo?
- As you know, we knew each other before that, and we worked together in Lublin. Then, we parted ways. I went to Warsaw first, then you. One day you called me because you were starting your own business. And I decided to cooperate.
Don't you regret it?
- As you can see, no, I don't.
What position did you start with?
- Frankly, I don't remember. Maybe, it was a programmer?
But was it a junior or a mid?
- It seems to me there were no positions like these at that time.
Yes, I was happy not to be the only person working here.
- I guess it was a Qt developer, then Software developer, and later, Senior Software Developer.
The first project you did for Milo?
- It was a project of an electronic menu for one of the companies from the US. It was our first project we worked together on.
It was kind of facing remote work, right?
- Yes, it was like jumping in at the deep end - remote work - that was a totally different system compared to what I had known. I didn't know the people I was working with. They were from the US, and that meant a time shift.
9 hours, that was California, if I remember correctly.
- Communication was a big challenge.
I still remember a few things. This company changed its name, and I'm not going to advertise it, but they were trying a kind of bullying, some sort of Silicon Valley. Something like: 'you need to be at the meetings,' which they didn't arrange for 4 pm their time, but at 8 am so that they could prove that we, a foreign company wouldn't deal with that. There were situations when during the meetings at 4 am I kept telling them that it didn't matter who took part in the meetings, but what we delivered.
- That's all true. Nevertheless, working for a company from Silicon Valley is some kind of prestige.
That's right. It is what it sounds like, and that's how it started.
If it weren't IT, then what?
- I'd always wanted to be a carpenter and make furniture. However, I chose programming.
Do you try to make furniture for your home?
- No, but I like tinkering around wood. I've always been passionate about it.
The funniest story from concerts?
- While I was playing the drums at Zemborzyce Lake in Lublin, suddenly a huge mutated bee started to attack me. I had to stop playing and kill it, but the guys from the band kept playing, and I re-joined them after a while.
No problems with re-joining?
- No, rock-n-roll is simple music.
Do you still play?
- Unfortunately, I don't. I don't have time and the equipment, and the drums are a demanding instrument. Besides, it's kind of impossible in a flat.
Children, family?
- I don't take it this way.
So, you left music and took up sport. A question about that.
Swimming, running, or cycling - which of the triathlon discipline is the hardest for you?
- The hardest? Swimming, definitely. It is very technical, and technique needs to be practiced all your life, trying to improve it, sometimes literally by a single second. It is the most difficult for me, taking into account the fact that I had no swimming history. If somebody swam as a child, it is much easier for them.
And his colleague, who is 56-57 years old, won the IronMan in his age group and fainted immediately after crossing the finish line. It is also a question for you - isn't triathlon too exhausting?
- I believe that at some stage, almost at a professional level, sport can be a bit harmful. At the amateur level, this effort is acceptable. If the athlete is well handled, it is for the benefit of his physical and mental health.
If your opponent in a competition passed out just before the finish line, would you keep running or help him? And I've got a video for you.
- I think it's a natural, human instinct to help someone on the road, but I don't see such cases very often. Sometimes someone falls off the bike, but gets up on his own and goes on.
Have you ever played StarCraft? If so, who sensible with?
- The first I played StarCraft was with Kacper Gazda.
Do you remember that instead of working, we played StarCraft?
- Yyy, no? We played after work!
And we accidentally played with the owner of this company where we worked within working hours, and it was always "free for all" and basically all "free for one". First, we beat the president, then he came up nervous and said that we were playing again.
- It was so!
What do you associate 'cedula' with?
- It was the first commercial project we collaborated on. In our first job in a small company from Lublin.
It was the radio? Software for the radio?
- It was a software for managing the guide of Radio Lublin.
And it was about 12-15 years ago?
- I could be so.
