Meet Can Zhang, Software Engineering Lead – User Experience. Read more to learn about his time at Nextdoor.
Why did you join Nextdoor?
After building software in the financial industry for a few years, I was excited for the opportunity to assemble a team from the ground up at a fast-paced, community-driven company. During my interviews, I met some of the smartest people so I was eager to work with them and continue building a product that improves the lives of neighbors.
What has been one of your favorite projects to work on?
My favorite project has been redesigning Nextdoor’s landing page as a part of the rebrand project for Finds, our marketplace feature where neighbors can buy, sell, and trade items. It’s a feature that my friends and family use regularly, and I am proud to see the impact of my work for people around me and members of Nextdoor.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I have two young children so I enjoy spending time with them, which involves mostly going to the parks nowadays. I also enjoy playing video games and I look forward to playing with my kids when they are old enough. I’d like to say that I like reading books, but in reality I collect more books than actually read them!
Most memorable moment at Nextdoor?
My favorite time at Nextdoor has been Q1 2021 where our team ran various experiments that brought over 800 daily organic signups to the platform. We had the chance to operate like a startup within Nextdoor – we came up with creative ideas ranging from new product features to external partnerships (one conversation almost led to an acquisition). It was fun to have total autonomy over the experiments and it was a great opportunity to Think Big, which happens to be one of our company values.
Best career advice?
Put your hand up whenever a challenge comes up, especially if it scares you!
Where is your favorite place in the world?
Wherever my family is – preferably somewhere with good air conditioning!
What is your favorite way to give back to your local community?
I find tutoring to be very rewarding and enjoyable, so I love to provide mentorship to friends and professional connections.
Interested in joining #TeamNextdoor? Check out our open roles here!
