Scott and Wes talk with Topher Martini, a former Engineering Program Manager at Apple, about his extensive experience over two decades in the tech industry. Topher shares his journey at Apple, from starting as an intern in 2001 to working on groundbreaking products like iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro.

Show Notes

• 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
• 00:40 What it was like working on the first iPhone
• 04:47 How Topher landed at Apple early in his career
• 08:40 How Apple’s culture has changed over time
• 11:03 What makes a great employee?
• 16:37 Tips for better communication
• 17:54 Are meetings a good means of communication?
• 20:05 What makes a bad employee?
• 22:21 What does it take to get hired at a company like Apple?
• 26:16 Brought to you by Sentry.io
• 26:55 The relationship between passion and career
• 29:08 Topher’s advice for growing in your career
• 31:50 What is a sabbatical?
• 33:36 Teaching tech to kids
• 35:49 Topher’s work on self-driving cars
  • Aurora
• 39:33 AI’s impact on tech and the future
• 41:22 What can developers do to stand out and be relevant in a world of AI?
• 43:30 Topher’s thoughts on career development
  • One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way
  • Paul Copplestone
• 44:47 What is a light field camera?
• 46:47 Spatial media and Vision Pro
• 48:10 The nifty stuff in Topher’s background
• 49:53 Something wild that happened while Topher was at Apple
• 51:34 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs

Sick Picks

• Topher:
  • Bambu Lab P1S 3D Printer
  • Bento 3D

Shameless Plugs

• Topher: Topher’s YouTube Channel

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