As the founder and original head of product of Scuba Analytics in San Francisco, Lior Abraham provides an advanced data visualization engine for the leading tech companies. Patenting key database algorithms while he was a filesystem and distributed system engineer at Veritas and Facebook, Lior Abraham is experienced in building innovative data management applications.
Working for six years at Facebook in its early days, Mr. Abraham built the site’s first real-time news feed. In addition, he lead its first “off-site” product in conjunction with CNN, the inauguration of President Barack Obama. He also created the Scuba tool for in-house use, which remains one of Facebook’s most popular internal data applications. Mr. Abraham wrote a widely cited paper, Diving Into Data at Facebook. Earlier he worked as a file system engineer for the enterprise company Veritas, and built the database and product for the DeltaClick online marketing firm in San Francisco.
Mr. Abraham graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a BS in electrical engineering and computer systems. He won programming competitions at the school and placed highly in Association for Computing Machinery regional and World programming competition finals in every year eligible.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I love to run, especially up hills like at the Stanford Dish or Coit Tower in San Francisco. Running gives me energy. I make it productive by keeping focus, avoiding distractions, and looking for problems I love to work on. As an engineer, I looked for some of the hardest problems to solve, so I was always motivated. I followed this at my three jobs. Working as a low-level operating systems engineer at Veritas (one of the hardest things you can do as an engineer/coder). Working at early Facebook, and trying to be a top engineer there, looking for the hardest projects and performance mysteries to solve. And at my own company Scuba Analytics, trying to make data which is inherently “hard” easy. Which is ironically a hard thing to do!
How do you bring ideas to life?
I try to get people excited about a problem. Being excited is what drives motivation. I also try to simplify problems. Always simplify. How can we make hard things easy? For example, what is the best way to visualize complex data such that it’s easy to understand? I always try to model and engender enthusiasm and a positive atmosphere when working in a team environment.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Using data to understand real problems. We live in a new complex world. While our technical world creates a lot of problems, it also creates a lot of opportunities to truly understand problems and build creative solutions. I am excited by the potential of data to bring more truth to the world.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Exercise and art. Exercise gives me energy. Music (especially guitar) and art help me relax.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t be afraid to tackle the hardest problems. Don’t be afraid to question others. And go against the crowd. That’s where the most interesting engineering and product opportunities lie.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
Data analysis is easy or can be easy.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Learn an instrument. Start early and often.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
Play music. Or if you truly want to take your mind of things – true crime!
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
The strategy that helped me the most is going to where the problems were hardest. Never hesitate to ask. Usually, people working on the hardest things in an organization welcome help. Watch Steve Jobs’ “Connect the Dots” commencement speech at Stanford.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
Doing a startup is a constant up and down of success and failure. We have had many of these. Figure out what your goals actually need to be. Don’t let the ups and downs pull you away or distract from those goals. Keep your head down. Take both highs and lows with a grain of salt. If you don’t need to regroup, keep focused. If you do, figure out how your goals change and go back to step one and focus.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Amazon store for enterprise products (business products)! Nothing exists today to connect business users to the best products out there. Right now, we are in the dark ages – sales people still having to go going door to door trying to convince people with words! We are not using data, like what products actually help and what are their ROI in an organization. We are not matching organizations to the products they need. People are missing out on some excellent products, and startups are missing a link to get good products into the right hands!
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Minimalist Phone and similar apps are life-changing. Don’t rely on your free will and willpower! Change your home screen to be as basic as possible, especially when you need to achieve.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
The Hard Thing About Hard Things is the best business book ever written. You’re Wrong About is one of the best podcasts exploring how moral panics, myths, and narratives win (over data, base rates, and truth) and constantly trump how we perceive the world.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
True crime documentary series are the best distraction you can have after a hard day of work.
Key learnings
- Pursue problems you are actually interested in. A job you like isn’t a job. This is one key to a happy life and should be your main professional goal in life.
- Don’t get caught up in trends. Don’t follow crowds. Look for a unique way you can contribute. This is both the key to standing out in your career and happens to also be the key to a successful product.
- Learn an instrument. Doing a hard thing that uses a different part of your brain is one of the most rewarding, encouraging things you can do, no matter what your career.