Block's New CTO On Technology, Renovations, And Creating A Vibe

Despite his overwhelming modesty, Saigin has had a storied career in the tech world, being one of the founding members to launch Amazon’s Alexa, serving as CPO/ CTO at Tumblr, and most recently leading product for Meta’s AI Research efforts. He joins Block as its first CTO, bringing his insatiable curiosity to the world of renovation. We caught up with him to talk about his love of learning, the most exciting areas in technology right now, and all things vibes.

Thanks so much for taking the time to chat! I wanted to start by asking you about your career trajectory, which has taken you to some of the most interesting spaces in the tech world.?

My personal passions for learning and creating have always guided my career decisions, so it helps to start there. I love the challenge of learning something new and coming out the other side with a life-long skill, understanding, or perspective. As a result, I find myself frequently burying myself in new topics— this could mean learning how to paint, video edit, or play a new instrument, or just reading up on a new subject. Looking back, I also think it’s one of the reasons I’ve moved as frequently as I have. I grew up in South Africa and have since lived in three other continents. In a way, each move presented an invaluable opportunity to learn and develop new perspectives.?When it comes to creating, I really enjoy bringing together left-brain creative ideation with right-brain rigor and execution.?It’s at this intersection that amazing things happen.

As far as my career decisions go, I found myself taking on roles where the opportunities to learn were high, which often meant switching into completely new industries.?Similarly, I found myself gravitating towards product management and engineering roles, where the opportunity to create was equally high. My path to product management and engineering however, was gradual.?I studied nanotechnology at the University of Toronto, which was very academia-oriented, but realized after an industry internship that I really loved having an impact on end-users.?So I went down the industry path, starting off in strategy, and inched closer to the nuts and bolts of creating with product management, and then engineering management.

What about Block stood out to you?

First, I love the clarity of the user problem. There are some startups where I have to squint to understand what they're trying to solve for, but it's abundantly clear at Block.?In terms of how I operate as a leader, the user is front-and-center in how I make business decisions— if there isn’t a clear user problem, the rest of the equation just falls apart.?Renovations are new for me, but I did catch a bug for it when we purchased an old cabin upstate in the Catskills. I found myself really enjoying the process of creating a new space, but I also learnt first-hand about the sheer extent of the problems that renovating homeowners can encounter.?

Second, I love that Block’s product isn’t just software, it’s also physical. My past experiences— whether it was at Alexa, Meta AI, or Tumblr— were mostly software-oriented. So it’s fun to learn about the complexity that comes with materials, inventory, logistics and supply chain, and to problem-solve towards simplicity.?There’s also a level of gratification that comes with seeing something physical come together. If you think about it, it’s one of the most ancient of crafts: building a space or a shelter.

Lastly, there’s the people. I’m not that old, but I’m too old to not work with people I’m genuinely inspired by, that are good, kind people that I can call my friends and family— and I saw that consistently throughout my conversations with the folks at Block.

What do you see when you look at the landscape of technology and renovation?

A lot of interesting things are happening at a macro level. Homeowners are getting younger and have higher expectations around how easy and seamless renovations should be. Likewise, there's an evolving base of contractors and small business owners who want technology to enable their workflows. And so there’s a ton of opportunity in enabling this mutual symbiosis.

To get specific, on the homeowner side, there's a big user problem around mismatched expectations: on timing, cost, and the actual outcome of the renovation.?There's also a big challenge around manually organizing and project managing an end-to-end renovation— finding a contractor, designing a functional and beautiful space, acquiring permits and approvals, sourcing and delivering all the right materials, dealing with all the hiccups, and working with dozens of stakeholders.?Through tech, we have an opportunity to not only bring transparency on what to expect, but also automate a lot of the end-to-end process so that managing a renovation isn’t so painful.?I’m particularly excited about tech empowering homeowners to achieve things previously not possible— for example, could we introduce virtual reality for homeowners to view and iterate upon their designs?

On the contractor side, I’d like to think of how we can become the everything platform for contractors. At the end of the day, contractors are small business owners, so we need to think about how tech can power their daily needs as business owners. I would love to reach a point where contractors themselves are referring homeowners to Block, because a project executed via Block is so much easier for contractors than going at it alone.??

When it comes to the startup landscape as a whole, I really feel like we have a unique opportunity here.?Building a website or an app may have been difficult a long time ago, but it’s becoming easier to replicate. The thing that makes Block unique is its use of technology alongside really difficult, weighty operational problems. Two people in a basement can’t just create another Block. It’s this intricate dance between operations and technology that makes Block very resilient over the long term.

It’s interesting to hear you say that the tech space you find so interesting combines technology with operations. What makes it a “tech startup” at that point?

I think that it comes down to culture. Are we nimble and agile? Are we taking risks, failing quickly, and building quickly upon our successes? Are we being laser-focused on serving the user?? There is a common thread of energy, agility, speed, and user-centricity shared among tech companies. Obviously you actually have to invest in technology, but for me, it’s also the feeling you get when you step into the company’s culture. When you know, you know.

I’d love to hear more about your own cabin renovation project!

My wife wasn’t a huge fan of the cabin when we first viewed it, because it looked a bit dated. It was this horrible yellow color on the outside, and the interior finishes and furnishings were all very old (and not in a good way). But I thought we could change the vibe of it with a few simple changes. I like using the word “vibe” because at the end of the day you’re creating a feeling.? I think we pulled it off— it feels cozy, warm and peaceful, where you feel like reading a book or doing something creative.

Do you think that vibes are a way that you can think about products as well?

Definitely. I think that at the end of the day, products invoke a feeling within the user. Being a successful product leader requires empathy— understanding who the person is, what they’re feeling, and how they want to feel. For example, when we first launched Alexa, the product gave users the vibe or feeling of living in the future (alongside the convenience it offered), and that’s what got so many people excited about it. The same goes for Tumblr, which is all about vibes; this feeling of being part of a subculture or community that few others can relate to. Here at Block, we’re taking it even further by enabling people to create and exude vibes through their physical spaces.?Vibes change over time, and they’re very eclectic, so it’s important we build a resilient platform that caters to a wide range of differing and evolving vibes— one that is inclusive of the diverse tastes of our users.?

This interview was conducted in Block Renovation's Brooklyn office between Leo Kim & Saigin Govender, and has been edited for clarity.