Stride empowers self-employed people to build lives they love. This week, we chatted with Ram, our first iOS Software Engineer, about his love for the Stride team, the impact that his work has on our members, and his obsession with Taylor Swift.

Can you introduce yourself and your position?

My name is Ram Bhaskar, and I’m a Software Engineer here at Stride.

When it’s a beautiful weekend in the San Francisco Bay Area, where can we expect to find you?

I’m a classic millennial, so I’m likely drinking hipster coffee and eating avocado toast that I can’t afford. I also love running through Golden Gate Park or just relaxing and dog-watching at Dolores Park!

What’s the most rewarding part about working at Stride?

As a software engineer, I get to see the direct impact of my work on the product and our members. I work on a product called Stride Tax, a mileage and expense tracking tax app. Whenever we release a new feature, I love that we get immediate feedback from our members about how Stride Tax addressed a need they had, as well as suggestions for how we can make the product better. It’s incredibly rewarding to know that I have the power to architect and build solutions that improve our members’ everyday lives. Knowing that people rely on our products every day to save money fuels my daily work and motivates me to make the product better with each iteration.

What makes you excited to get up and come to work every morning?

Whether it’s freshly baked bread in the morning, cake and donuts in the afternoon or the random Doughbies deliveries, there’s always a chance that you’ll satisfy your sweet tooth. At the end of the day, it’s all about the people here. The people at Stride are some of the most empathetic, thoughtful, creative, and hard-working people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. They make it possible to get through the really tough days and make sure you enjoy the good ones!

Also, the dogs. 100% the dogs.

Why do you think the work Stride does is so important?

Our members are self-employed because they're really, really good at what they do. They should be focusing on their careers and developing their businesses, and spending less time worrying about finding affordable benefits. Finding benefits for yourself can be really messy, and the last thing we want is for someone to go without because the system is too complicated. I love that Stride gets to provide that safety net for our members.

What’s on your Spotify playlist right now?

I grew up in Detroit, so my music tastes were heavily influenced by hip hop and rap. There’s a lot of Yeezy, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Rihanna, Papi, etc. on my Spotify playlist. Oh, and Taylor Swift. A LOT of Taylor Swift. Tay tay definitely knows the way to my heart. Also, my most played song in the last 6 months is “Pocketful of Sunshine,” so take that as you will.