Thiago Ghisi, Nubank — Scaling Mobile Platforms To Serve 100 Million Customers
02/19/25 • 49 min
On today’s episode, we’re joined by Thiago Ghisi, Director of Engineering at Nubank. With nearly two decades of experience in the software industry, Thiago has held roles such as Senior Software Engineering Manager at Apple, Engineering Director, Mobile Engineering at American Express and Senior Quality Assurance Consultant at Thoughtworks.
Thiago shares his evolution from hands-on engineering to leadership, insights into building Canonical platforms and the transformative journey of adopting server-driven UI at Nubank.
Key Takeaways:
(02:39) The importance of being a “glue person” in engineering teams.
(07:59) Lessons learned from effective delegation and giving actionable feedback.
(14:42) Nubank’s innovative adoption of Flutter to streamline mobile development.
(17:20) Gradual migration without overhauling the entire system immediately.
(20:46) Why server-driven UI took years to perfect and how it revolutionized Nubank’s processes.
(28:19) Server-driven UI enables continuous delivery for faster iteration cycles.
(35:07) End-to-end product ownership means solving problems, not forcing solutions.
(39:10) Company culture plays a critical role in driving success.
(43:49) Governance is critical for managing server-driven UI effectively.
(48:13) Avoiding attachment to technologies enables innovation and adaptability.
Resources Mentioned:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thiagoghisi/
Nubank | LinkedIn -
https://www.linkedin.com/company/nubank/
Nubank | Website -
https://www.nubank.com.br/
Apple -
https://www.linkedin.com/company/apple/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-express/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/thoughtworks/
Very Good Ventures designs and builds world-class digital experiences for any screen, with the best tools and engineering approaches for consistent, scalable results. Find out how VGV helps you hit the mark at: https://verygood.ventures/
#Apps #Flutter #AppDevelopment
On today’s episode, we’re joined by Thiago Ghisi, Director of Engineering at Nubank. With nearly two decades of experience in the software industry, Thiago has held roles such as Senior Software Engineering Manager at Apple, Engineering Director, Mobile Engineering at American Express and Senior Quality Assurance Consultant at Thoughtworks.
Thiago shares his evolution from hands-on engineering to leadership, insights into building Canonical platforms and the transformative journey of adopting server-driven UI at Nubank.
Key Takeaways:
(02:39) The importance of being a “glue person” in engineering teams.
(07:59) Lessons learned from effective delegation and giving actionable feedback.
(14:42) Nubank’s innovative adoption of Flutter to streamline mobile development.
(17:20) Gradual migration without overhauling the entire system immediately.
(20:46) Why server-driven UI took years to perfect and how it revolutionized Nubank’s processes.
(28:19) Server-driven UI enables continuous delivery for faster iteration cycles.
(35:07) End-to-end product ownership means solving problems, not forcing solutions.
(39:10) Company culture plays a critical role in driving success.
(43:49) Governance is critical for managing server-driven UI effectively.
(48:13) Avoiding attachment to technologies enables innovation and adaptability.
Resources Mentioned:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thiagoghisi/
Nubank | LinkedIn -
https://www.linkedin.com/company/nubank/
Nubank | Website -
https://www.nubank.com.br/
Apple -
https://www.linkedin.com/company/apple/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-express/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/thoughtworks/
Very Good Ventures designs and builds world-class digital experiences for any screen, with the best tools and engineering approaches for consistent, scalable results. Find out how VGV helps you hit the mark at: https://verygood.ventures/
#Apps #Flutter #AppDevelopment
Previous Episode
Jorge Coca, Very Good Ventures — Simple Solutions for Solving Complex Problems at Scale
On this episode, we’re joined by Jorge Coca, Head of Engineering at Very Good Ventures, whose career spans over a decade of innovative contributions to the Flutter ecosystem and mobile engineering. Jorge’s journey includes pivotal roles at BMW, where he spearheaded Android and Flutter development, and SPR, where he led impactful consulting projects.
Jorge discusses the evolution of scalable and user-friendly engineering practices, the importance of aligning technology with business goals and fostering innovation within engineering teams. He also shares insights into balancing complexity with simplicity in solutions, the role of Flutter in transforming mobile app development, and the emerging frontier of augmented reality and wearable technologies.
Key Takeaways:
(01:12) The parallels between cooking, music and coding.
(02:21) Jorge’s journey from Spain to the US through the Erasmus program.
(04:31) User experience clicked, inspiring interest in website development.
(08:19) First Android hire at BMW, tasked with rapid delivery.
(13:06) BMW apps serve multiple brands and regional variations globally.
(17:34) Past engineering mistakes taught lessons on balancing complexity.
(25:14) Data-driven decisions led to adopting Flutter across engineering.
(28:06) Engineering leaders must foster cultures where failure drives learning.
(31:34) Scalable solutions require critical, focused ideas with broad impact.
(34:21) Avoid over-engineering by focusing on practical, impactful changes.
(36:43) Success means delivering value without compromising business stability.
(42:26) Wearables may introduce new platforms complementing tools like Flutter.
Resources Mentioned:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorgecocaramos/
Very Good Ventures | LinkedIn -
https://www.linkedin.com/company/very-good-ventures
Very Good Ventures | Website -
https://verygood.ventures/
https://www.bmwgroup.com/
https://flutter.dev/
Firebase -
https://firebase.google.com/
Very Good Ventures designs and builds world-class digital experiences for any screen, with the best tools and engineering approaches for consistent, scalable results. Find out how VGV helps you hit the mark at: https://verygood.ventures/
#Apps #Flutter #AppDevelopment
Next Episode
Dan Hou, Eskridge — Driving High-Impact Solutions With AI-Native Workflows
Dan Hou, Founder and Partner at Eskridge, joins us to discuss how companies can effectively integrate AI into their operations and digital products. With a career spanning Microsoft, Motorola, Huge and Amazon, Dan has spent years identifying paradigm shifts in technology. Now, at Eskridge, he helps mid-market businesses deploy AI strategies that drive real impact.
Key Takeaways:
(07:08) AI in businesses falls into two categories: internal efficiency and product innovation.
(08:51) High-impact AI use cases are those that meaningfully affect cost, revenue or productivity.
(12:48) AI use cases vary — what works for one company may not fit another.
(17:01) It’s better to start with AI now than to over-optimize later.
(20:08) AI-native workflows drive more impact than simply adding AI to existing processes.
(24:39) A chat interface often leads to poor UX due to unclear user expectations.
(29:49) AI-powered search is reshaping how users find and interact with information.
(35:27) AI model selection is becoming more specialized, with different models excelling at different tasks.
(38:02) AI governance and legal concerns remain key barriers to enterprise adoption.
(42:23) AI isn’t going away — businesses must get comfortable with it.
Resources Mentioned:
Dan Hou -
https://www.linkedin.com/in/danhou/
Eskridge | LinkedIn -
https://www.linkedin.com/company/eskridge-ai/
Eskridge | Website -
https://eskridge.co
AI For Everyone -
https://www.deeplearning.ai/courses/ai-for-everyone/
Very Good Ventures designs and builds world-class digital experiences for any screen, with the best tools and engineering approaches for consistent, scalable results.
Find out how VGV helps you hit the mark at: https://verygood.ventures/.
#Apps #Flutter #AppDevelopment
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