Rick Branson

Rick Branson is a seasoned technology professional currently serving as the Vice President of Engineering (Systems Group) at PlanetScale.1 His career trajectory showcases extensive experience in software engineering, infrastructure scaling, and engineering management at prominent tech companies.

Career Highlights

PlanetScale: Rick joined PlanetScale in November 2020 as the Director of Software Engineering.1 His role has since evolved to Vice President of Engineering, focusing on the Systems Group.

Segment: Prior to PlanetScale, Rick held various positions at Segment from 2016 to 20201:

• Engineering Management (January 2020 - November 2020)
• Software Engineer (July 2017 - January 2020)
• Engineering Management (June 2016 - July 2017)

During his time at Segment, Rick made significant contributions to the company's infrastructure, including the development of Centrifuge, a critical messaging system, and ctlstore, a distributed data store for control data.1

Instagram: Rick worked at Instagram from 2012 to 2015, initially as a Software Engineer and later as an Engineering Manager.1 He was instrumental in scaling Instagram's backend services during a period of explosive user growth, from 20 million to over 400 million users worldwide.1

Earlier Career

Rick's earlier roles include:

• Solutions Architect at DataStax (2011-2012)
• Software Developer at Coroutine (2010-2011)
• Software Developer at Mosaik Solutions (2007-2010)
• Technical Analyst at FedEx (2002-2007)

Expertise

Rick Branson has demonstrated expertise in:

• Scaling infrastructure for high-growth companies
• Building and managing engineering teams
• Developing critical backend systems and architectures
• Improving system performance and reducing costs

His experience spans various technologies and domains, including distributed systems, data stores, and cloud infrastructure.1