Not everyone is made to understand the nuances of programming, but Ali Ragimov has been working in the space for over a decade now, mastering new approaches, employing new programming languages, and creating impressive technologies. While the tech industry is constantly changing, Ali's desire to learn new skills and develop new products is a constant. His career has run the gamut, ranging from front-end development in large organizations, all the way to his own product development in his free time.
While pursuing a degree in Information Technology from Volzhsky University, Ali built products using PHP and jQuery. His passion for web development grew quickly, and after graduation, he went on to work as a developer at a small web studio. Here, Ali built websites, e-commerce capabilities, and some special projects. He got the opportunity to create a search engine similar to Google Maps on his own, getting his first taste of owning a larger project and building from the ground up.
Ali's next role meant a huge leap not only professionally, but mostly personally, as it enabled him to leave the small town where he grew up, and relocate to St. Petersburg. During this time, Ali did similar work, but in an effort to hone in on his more "un-developed" skills, he took on backend projects for an advertising-focused company. Ultimately, he found his way and switched fully into front-end development and took a job at the largest bank in Russia, Sberbank. Despite the great career exposure offered by Sberbank, Ali quickly realized that he missed working in smaller, leaner environments - large corporations just weren't his cup of tea.
Wanting to work for an organization that developed products, Ali moved to Okko, which is an online media company, similar to Netflix. When he got to Okko, he settled in and got to work. During his 5+ years there, Ali spent a lot of his time developing a media player, which is critical to any streaming platform's success. He loved being able to build out robust products and features to enhance each customer's experience.
One of Ali's greatest successes at Okko was when he implemented Shaka Player, a modern player instead of an old, legacy tool that used Adobe Flash technology. Shaka Player supported HD content instead of only SD content, could be used with every browser, and with the most popular DRM systems like Google Widevine, Microsoft PlayReady, and Apple FairPlay. This offering ensured that Okko's customers had the best playback experience and increased the organization's content sales by 30%. Though Ali had already made a major impact on his employer's success, it was only the starting point. Later, when Okko was launching a new business direction with live-streaming sports, Ali adapted the player to support live-broadcasting, and integrated an anti-grabbing solution, which was extremely important for keeping the English Premier League license. It also integrated a peer-to-peer broadcasting solution to users, allowing them to stream games with each other. Even further, this adaptation saved Okko money by circumventing the expensive AWS Elemental Servers.
Now, Ali works remotely as a front-end developer at Sphere Partners, a US-based outsourcing firm. Though he moved away from large corporations for a while, Ali is back to working on a big CRM project for a British Petroleum company. He also supports a system that distributes chargers for electric vehicles. The wide variety of projects that end up in Ali's queue keeps the job exciting. An ever-changing environment is critical for him, as it allows him to continue learning and seeking new challenges on a daily basis.
Ali has clearly proven himself as a valuable asset in every setting his career has thrown at him. He's adaptable, flexible, and a gifted programmer. He knows more developer technologies than most people have even heard of, and he continues to refine his skills by working on new projects outside of work. He truly loves being able to build, create, and test new products, and, luckily for Ali, that's exactly what he gets to do day in and day out.
With a focus on front-end development, Ali has always been in-tune with customer needs and wants. The ability to anticipate how users will interact with a new product doesn't come naturally to every developer, but for Ali, it's the reason he stays so passionate about what he does. Programming is a tool that can be used to solve problems, and developers - like Ali - that see that potential will help make the world a more efficient, better place.
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