827: Career Development with Topher Martini

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 Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads