Sayem Faruk

22/09/2024

Last week, we had our Lunch and Learn session at my place, where I invited the entire Airwork.ai team for lunch (catered by Alpha Catering of course!). Every team member shared something interesting for their colleagues to learn. We covered topics like philosophy, art, speed cubes, mental health, headhunting, AI, sales, and more.

A big part of my time goes into nurturing the team. I see myself as a coach whose main job is to help his team succeed.

Over the past 2 years, we've built a great culture (at least that's what our anonymous founder reviews say). Out of 9 team members, 7 have completed 2 years, and 1 has been with us for a year. Deepa, our frontend engineer, just joined us this month from Nepal. She's our first hire outside Bangladesh. This month, we're also hiring from Vietnam.

I’ve realized that building a truly global product requires a global mindset. That's why we’ve decided to make all future hires from outside Bangladesh for the time being.

Except for maybe two key roles that I’m hoping to close by the end of the year:

1. Head of Operations/COO/Chief of Staff (whatever you want to call it). This person will take over the operational reins so I can focus more on sales and fundraising.

2. Marketing Savant – someone who wants to join us in building a global brand and running a content machine.

If you want to help us build the best company to ever come out of Bangladesh, please refer your friends and family who might be open to joining an early-stage startup. We pay well, and there’s a good chance they’ll qualify for ESOP.

Tag them, DM me – anything works!

P.S. We’ll be broadcasting the Lunch and Learn on our page this week, so keep an eye out. Cheers! 🥂

08/09/2024

Tl;dr: AI assessments that save you days when hiring. DM me if you're a founder willing to test it out. Offering 1 year free subscription.

25/07/2024

Enough with the paranoia, guys.

No, there's no mass surveillance going on. Here's why:

1. ENCRYPTION: Your Messenger data is end-to-end encrypted. Encryption is like sending a locked treasure chest to your friend, where only you and your friend have the keys. No one else can open it—not even Facebook. On top of that, you're using a VPN, which makes it even trickier.

2. DATA VOLUME: Facebook has over 50 million (5 crore) users in Bangladesh. Imagine the volume of data we're generating every second. Capturing that raw internet traffic, ingesting it, storing it, analyzing it, and pattern-matching it with previous data would be an engineering marvel. Not to mention the enormous amount of computing power and cost the government would need to incur to achieve it. If you believe this to be true, then you're giving way too much credit to a group that can't even build a proper train ticketing platform or save its central bank from getting hacked and almost losing $2B. (BTW, Bangladesh Bank got hacked again today! 🤦‍♂️)

Now, there are scenarios where your information can be accessed by the government:

1. REQUEST INFO: The government can request your data from Facebook. This process can take a few weeks as the government will need to formally submit a legal warrant against you, which will then be reviewed by Facebook. Even then, Facebook can only give them metadata (timestamps, sender and recipient info, message size, etc.) but never the content itself. Furthermore, Facebook has been reluctant to open an office even after years of persuasion by the government. They couldn't care less about an unprofitable, low CPC (cost-per-click) market like Bangladesh.

2. SPYWARE: You can get targeted by Pegasus. Bangladesh is one of the 45 countries accused of purchasing the infamous Israeli spyware (source: The Daily Star). The spyware can install itself on your phone via a text message, image, or anything. No clicks required. It can then harvest your data and turn on your microphone or camera without you ever knowing about it. It's a true nightmare. The only catch? It costs anywhere from $25,000 to $50,000 per target. So unless you're a key opposition figure, it's likely that you're not even worth monitoring.

All in all, this deep-seated fear you have has been programmed into you through years of not being able to let your mind go out for a carefree jog.

But now that you know better, why not take your mind out for a spin tonight?

For once, let it speak freely. For once, let your fingers type without stopping. For once, don't be a coward.

04/07/2024

I’ve decided to 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 Airwork.ai 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰, and I’m inviting YOU to be a part of this crazy journey!

It doesn’t matter who you are: a fellow founder, a competitor, a potential investor, or someone who just wants to learn or support me in my journey.

I’ve been doing this low-key for almost two years now. Every month, I send out an update to my investors, friends, family, fellow founders, and teammates—over 200 people. This practice has helped me build new relationships and deepen existing ones.

Since our inception, I’ve tried to build Airwork as an organization where information flows freely. Every team member has access to our dashboards and all internal communication channels. Everyone knows how much money we make, what our margins are, and if we’re going to have a delay in meeting payroll. This insane level of transparency has built so much trust in our team that I can confidently share anything with them, without feeling the need to sugarcoat it. In turn, they have rewarded me with their trust and loyalty. Almost 90% of the current Airwork team is approaching their second work anniversary.

Now, I’ve decided to take it up a notch. I’ll be sharing the same updates I share with my investors (and more) with anyone who signs up for my newsletter. There are some obvious risks here, like competitors getting unobstructed access to our strategies and upcoming plans, but that’s okay. An idea is just 1% of the work; the other 99% is ex*****on. And I’m confident in our ability to execute better than most.

So, if you’d like to join me on this rollercoaster journey, sign up using the link in the comments. I’ll be sharing our Q2 updates in a couple of days.

P.S. I recently shifted my blog to Ghost, so it’s crickets for now, but I’ll migrate the content from my old blog soon.

30/05/2024

🎣+🦈=💸?

Yes, it’s true! Airwrk will be on Shark Tank Bangladesh tomorrow (Fri) at 10 PM. For the first time, we'll be sharing our journey on national TV.

Tune in on Deepto TV or stream on Bongo. Your support means everything!

01/04/2024

We just launched a new product! 🚀

🚀 NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH ALERT!

Our team has been working hard for the last hour to bring you the next frontier of innovation.

Today, we proudly present the Airwik Air Purifier – the latest addition to the Airwrk family.

Why Airwik?

Airwik isn’t just any air purifier; it's a testament to our sense of humor and our commitment to making the best out of every situation, including our name.

Here's what we've managed to cram into this unbelievable product:

Attention to Detail Boosting Scents: Elevate your focus with fragrances engineered to sharpen your attention to detail. Maybe you'll get our name right next time?

AI Voice Typo Corrector: The next time you call Airwrk anything other than "air-work," the built-in AI Voice Assistant will interject and correct you in real-time.

Laughter Noise Cancellation: Our patented chuckle-chucking technology ensures that no burst of laughter goes unchecked, including the ones on April 1.

Join our waitlist: https://awrk.io/airwik

12/02/2024

Most BUET grads usually opt to leave their homeland in search of a better life in the West - a place that resonates with their ambitions and appreciates their talents.

Here we are bringing the West to the East. Reversing the tides. Can't wait for stories that are gonna come out in the next few years. Gives me goosebumps NGL.

CC: IEEE Computer Society BUET Student Branch Chapter

"The personalized guidance provided a clear path, and thanks to Airwrk, I secured a fantastic opportunity.”

Another inspiring Airwrk Success Story coming through! 🥳

In the spotlight today is Esmotara's journey, a tale of personalized guidance transforming career paths. With a solid foundation from BUET, 6 years of experience under her belt, and a knack for creating engaging web experiences, Esmotara was on the lookout for a challenge that matched her ambition and skills.

When Esmotara saw Populate's Senior Frontend Developer role on the Airwrk platform, she didn't just see a job opening; she saw her next big leap. It was a match destined to happen, with the Airwrk Team facilitating every step of her journey.

Esmotara shares:
"Airwrk's assistance was a game-changer in my job search. From the initial screening to interview preparation, their support was not only precise but also made the process enjoyable. The personalized guidance provided a clear path, and thanks to Airwrk, I secured a fantastic opportunity. Highly recommend their professional and enjoyable approach to job hunting!"

🫵 YOU can be the next Esmotara! Your . Sign up, get vetted, and discover where your skills can take you as a global remote engineer.

👉 Ready to write your own success story? Sign up link in the comments.

11/02/2024

A founder should always be experimenting.

Today I decided to test the hypothesis that if you whip out your MacBook and wait long enough at a North End, a VC appears and writes you a check.

10/02/2024

Poll: I usually look for jobs during...

A: Weekends
B: Weekdays

If possible, lmk the time as well

29/01/2024

Making up for all the stories we haven't shared.

Keep 'em coming!

"I found Airwrk to be a useful tool for learning about potential remote job opportunities.”

👏Time for another Airwrk success story!

Today, we’ll dive into the success story of Awsaf Alam, a talented individual who embarked on a remarkable journey with us. His story is a testament to the power of patience, persistence, and the right opportunities.

Awsaf Alam, a BUET graduate, initially began his career as a junior software engineer. His passion for technology and his desire to work on larger, more challenging projects led him to seek better growth and learning opportunities. In his pursuit of excellence, he joined a social learning platform in Bangladesh as a Founding Software Engineer, but he knew that his potential was destined for even greater heights. It was during this time that Awsaf discovered Airwrk. He decided to explore the remote job opportunities Airwrk had to offer. From the moment we came across Awsaf's profile, we recognized his exceptional skills and potential. We understood that he deserved more than just a mediocre opportunity.

At Airwrk, we believe in matching our top 1% engineers with the right opportunity, even if it takes a little longer than usual. We worked closely with Awsaf, ensuring that we found the right match for his skills and aspirations. The personalized care and coaching proved to be invaluable in Awsaf's personal and professional development. Awsaf's patience, determination, and unwavering commitment paid off when he finally landed a solid opportunity with a Singapore-based AI-powered sourcing platform. He joined them as a full-time Software Engineer, where his skills and potential were recognized and nurtured.

Awsaf shared his experience with Airwrk:

"I found Airwrk to be a useful tool for learning about potential remote job opportunities. Airwrk’s vetting process can seem tedious and demotivating at times, but ultimately, they help sharpen your skills and find your weaker areas. Finding a job should never be a target but rather acquiring the right skill sets. And Airwrk helps in that area by exposing you to various companies you can interview in."

🫵 YOU can be the next Awsaf! All you have to do is sign up, get vetted, and access a lifetime of global remote opportunities!

Sign up link in the comments.

29/12/2023

On the last working day of 2023, we decided to take inspiration from Spotify and do our very own "Airwrk Wrapped".

NGL 2023 has been tough. It's been an incredible year of growth. We faced multiple setbacks, but each time we learned our lessons and bounced back stronger.

Building an end-to-end global recruitment product on a shoestring budget is perhaps one of the toughest challenges I've ever undertaken. Yet, every day a group of crazy ones and I give it a shot. Can't thank my team enough for this. 💙

Wanted to end with a good news: we locked a $125K round in the past 2 weeks which is more than what we raised in the last 2 years. It's a testament to the faith vested in us by our backers and the value we're creating.

Starting the new year with a lot of vigor. 2024 bring it on!

Happy new year, folks! 🥂