# @zipline on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/B5mk5OBgkwg
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/70713034-zipline-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/b378be24e3.jpg
- **Posted:** 2019-12-03T07:59:14.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Zipline (@zipline) — https://gondola.cc/zipline

## Caption

#HumansOfZipline

CJ Smith is on our awesome Embedded Systems team. Embedded Systems is the layer of software that works with the devices on the plane. It is the nervous system connecting the skin, muscles, and bones of the plane to the brain - like LED lights, airspeed sensors, and doors for package drop. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ”When I was a kid, I loved math and science but also music and medicine. In the end, I chose computer science. I worked on streaming videos on phones before smartphones existed. At some point, I realized I wanted to make sure I got into something where I could work hard but also help people. So I quit engineering entirely in 2008 and went to veterinary school. I was the only person as a kid to have a pet squirrel on the block, so it sort of made sense. Being an engineer and veterinarian aren’t too different. When an animal is doing something you don’t understand, you need to make inferences and  logical guesses based on current conditions. That being said, if you get it wrong, you can’t reboot and start over with an animal. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I decided to go back into engineering & found my way to Zipline through a former colleague, Lieven. At Zipline, I love the fact that we play with cool technology and that what we build makes a real impact on the world. The patient stories we hear really mean something to me. We all have the same reliance on red blood cells, and I get a visceral feeling when we get treatment to the child with severe anemia and malaria or an at-risk newborn. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The other amazing part of Zipline is really the team. The more you talk to people, the more you realize everyone has an interesting story. We have fire-spinners and DJs and EMTs...We also have people who are truly respectful - even behind closed doors after uncomfortable situations with vendors or visitors or teammates. Our whole team pulls together in a big way. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Also - everyone is so darn good at what they do. The attitude is that if everyone else is giving 110% to their work and helping people, well that’s what I am going to do as well. And that’s pretty special, I think.”

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- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 185
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- **Comments:** 6

## Tags

humansofzipline

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