3 minute read
Two months in, one mission: grow Uber Eats and help build Uber’s Rio Tech hub from scratch. For this Senior Software Engineer, Bernard Alcouloumbre, joining Uber wasn’t just a new role. It was a chance to build at global scale with founding-team energy.
Bernard is a Senior Software Engineer passionate about backend development and product building, focused on designing robust, scalable systems that stand the test of scale.
Originally from Rio de Janeiro, he has also lived in Barcelona and São Paulo. Those experiences shaped how he thinks about collaboration, culture, and innovation.
When I’m not coding, I’m planning my next trip or experimenting with a new recipe. Traveling and discovering new cuisines are how I recharge.
Curiosity fuels both his life and his engineering mindset.
At Uber, Bernard joined the Growth team, with a clear focus:
My primary focus is expanding our Eats ecosystem by bringing in more riders.
His scope spans the full development lifecycle:
Continuous monitoring in production
My scope is inherently cross-functional and split across multiple domains.
That means real ownership. Not just writing code, but shaping outcomes.
Two months in, what has been the biggest challenge?
The onboarding was intense. I had to learn new tools and technologies I hadn’t used before.
Uber moves fast. Engineers are expected to ramp quickly, navigate complex systems, and contribute meaningfully early on.
For senior engineers who thrive in high-performance environments, that pace is motivating.
Before officially joining, Bernard participated in Ride to Lead, Uber’s hiring preparation program in partnership with Ada for senior engineers.
It was a great experience, with a mix of theory and practice that helped me a lot on the coding side.
He credits Rogerio and the team for raising the bar and helping engineers prepare for Uber’s technical expectations.
It is another example of Uber investing in engineering excellence from the start.
What makes Bernard’s role even more unique is that he is part of the Rio Tech Founding Team.
My expectation is to be a foundational part of building a new tech hub from scratch and helping its growth.
Rio is not just another office. It is a strategic expansion inside a global company.
That creates a powerful dual mindset:
Move with the speed and agility of a startup
Maintain strong ties with a world-class global engineering organization
We have the unique responsibility of establishing a smaller office while staying deeply connected to the rest of the company.
It means attracting top talent.
Building culture intentionally.
Setting a high technical bar from day one.
For senior engineers, this is impact that compounds.
At Uber, your systems power millions.
I expect to deliver high-quality work that operates on a massive global scale and see meaningful impact from it.
The problems are complex.
The architectures must be resilient.
Collaboration spans teams and geographies.
We solve complex engineering problems that require sophisticated solutions and close collaboration across multiple teams.
Diverse perspectives across cultures and backgrounds strengthen innovation and decision-making.
For engineers considering Uber, Bernard’s advice is clear.
Start with fundamentals:
Study data structures and algorithms, and practice solving interview questions.
For system design:
Designing Data-Intensive Applications is still one of the most relevant texts.
But technical preparation is only part of the equation.
There’s also a very important behavioral and leadership component. Reflect on your career and focus on the role and impact you had.
Uber looks for engineers who can articulate ownership, decision-making, and measurable impact.
Practice mock interviews.
Review your progress.
Sharpen both your technical depth and your leadership story.
In just 60 days, Bernard’s experience highlights what makes Uber Rio compelling:
For experienced engineers who want to build scalable systems that power millions while shaping the DNA of a new engineering hub, opportunities like this are rare.
If you are a senior backend or product engineer who wants to:
Uber Rio might be your next chapter. 💛🌎
