Meet Shoaib Ahmed, Senior Software Engineer
Shoaib Ahmed leads the Config Platform team in India with a focus on both technical precision and big-picture thinking. His role has grown from building configuration systems to architecting platforms that process 30,000 queries per second while mentoring engineers. Read more to learn how he’s shaping engineering at Abnormal.
August 9, 2025
The Challenge That Changed Everything
Shoaib's journey at Abnormal took a defining turn when his team faced what seemed like an impossible technical challenge. They needed to design a settings management system supporting tens of millions of employees across all customers with single-digit millisecond latency at 30,000 QPS. The numbers alone were staggering, but the real challenge was making it work reliably at scale.
"We had to support tens of millions of employees across all customers with single-digit millisecond latency and 30,000 QPS," Shoaib explains. "Our initial approach used PostgreSQL, but performance bottlenecks emerged as we scaled."
The solution required multiple iterations. First came Redis caching to improve response times. Then they introduced a denormalized lookup table to enable single-query access and consistent reads. The final architecture combined PostgreSQL, Redis, and the denormalized table to deliver the scale and predictability their customers needed.
From Tool to Partner
While Shoaib tackles complex infrastructure challenges, he's equally fascinated by how AI transforms the engineering process itself. His relationship with AI started simple but evolved into something much more sophisticated.
"Initially, I used AI primarily for looking up answers, like an advanced search tool," he reflects. "But over time, AI has evolved into an essential partner in almost every aspect of my work."
The transformation became clear when he was building a new service. He provided a detailed prompt expecting basic assistance, but AI generated the entire service aligned with Abnormal's best practices, including infrastructure files. "What would have taken hours was done in minutes. That moment completely changed how I think about development."
His team now uses Cursor rules that automate manual engineering workflows, cutting code review time from days to minutes. But Shoaib is careful about the balance: "Most of my time is spent on designing solutions, problem-solving, and enabling the team to execute effectively."
Building Engineers, Not Just Systems
Beyond technical leadership, Shoaib has become something of a force multiplier for engineering growth at Abnormal. Joining as the second engineer in the India office, he's watched it grow from three people in a small room to an office with capacity for 125 engineers.
"My role involves designing and implementing scalable solutions, driving technical excellence, and mentoring engineers to grow a strong and high-impact team," he says. This philosophy extends to how he thinks about engineering culture: "Engineers have ownership and autonomy to identify and fix bottlenecks in a way that scales across teams."
The mentoring aspect reflects Abnormal's deeper culture of ownership. Engineers don't just follow specifications; they challenge assumptions, propose improvements, and take responsibility for outcomes.
"I have a high degree of flexibility, which allows me to balance deep focus with collaboration. Our async-first culture, powered by documentation, minimizes sync meetings and context-switching. This results in better quality output and a more sustainable work-life balance."
Learning Velocity Over Perfection
Two years at Abnormal taught Shoaib a crucial lesson about engineering velocity. "One of the biggest things I've learned at Abnormal is the power of Velocity embracing 'Good today is better than perfect next week' and focusing on progress over perfection."
This mindset shift changed how he approaches problems. "Before joining, I often found myself optimizing too early or aiming for the perfect solution upfront. But here, I've learned the value of iterating quickly, delivering impact incrementally, and refining as we go."
That philosophy has shaped his career trajectory from Software Engineer 2 to leading a platform team, with goals of becoming an architect for APAC teams. The combination of complex technical challenges, ownership culture, and AI-native innovation keeps him energized.
"What motivates me to come to work each day is the opportunity to solve complex technical challenges at scale while learning from some of the most talented engineers I've ever worked with," he says. "Abnormal's culture of Ownership and Excellence pushes me to grow and deliver high-quality systems every day."
