Introducing Piotr Szymczyk, IT engineer focused on solving practical problems.

"My job? Solving problems has always been the best description. And with the shift that AI is bringing, I'm sure my role will look different in a year. I'm working to stay ahead of the curve and share what I'm building and learning with my teammates."

Origin

I've always been fascinated by computers. It all started for me with the first wave of 3D games, when they jumped from flat sprites to triangulated worlds. I was in awe when I discovered entire worlds could be modelled using just textured triangles. Since then, I've been driven by curiosity to understand how things work under the hood. I've never finished a computer science textbook - I've tried, but they're too dry for me. I prefer learning by doing: start with a real problem, look for the best solution, reaching for the textbooks only when I need them.

Joining The Information Factory

I joined five years ago thinking it was just another job. The fact I'm still here speaks for itself. The company is flexible, remote-first and genuinely human. There's a lot of trust and in return I can focus on doing the right thing for our clients and the company.

Until 2026 my biggest contribution was setting up our secure multi-account cloud environment. Moving from multiple servers to infrastructure that's ready for enterprise-grade clients. But that has been overshadowed by recent developments.

The AI Shift

I used to be a bit sceptical about Artificial Intelligence. Then I began experimenting with agentic AI workspaces and agent harnesses. The productivity boost I've experienced is incredible – I felt like being the main character in the movie Limitless. I'm now building an internal, secure AI platform and my focus is getting that platform into the hands of as many colleagues as possible. AI is not here to replace us and ignoring it would be wrong.

Work-Life Balance

Outside of work I try to get into nature as much as possible. Remote working enabled my relocation to the Italian Alps. With the Dolomites on the doorstep, I can enjoy treks and via ferratas in the summer and skiing in the winter, not to mention a lake just a 20-minute walk from home. I've been steadily burning through my bucket list; Great Walks in New Zealand, treks in South America and Vietnam plus a trip to the past: Kyrgyzstan, which matched my parents' stories of Poland 50 years ago. For now, with a one-year-old, we've tuned things down a bit, focusing on exploring Italy and the neighbourhood. Norway by campervan is next on the list.