Sumayyah Ahmed

Android Tech Lead at Square

Sumayyah has been building Android apps since 2013, and still loves it! She likes digging deep into how Android works, and how to keep production codebases flexible, scalable, and clean. In fact, she spends a lot of time building talks around those exact topics. She currently works at Square, leading engineering teams and thinking about architecture.

Handling Skill Specialization as an Engineering Leader

Join this unconference-style session designed for interactive group discussion. Whether you want to share your insights or simply learn from others, everyone is welcome in this community-driven learning experience. As mobile teams scale, specialization becomes essential, but striking the right balance between deep expertise and cross-functional flexibility is challenging. This session will explore different specialization paths in mobile engineering and how leaders can structure teams, hiring, and career growth to maximize both innovation and long-term success. > What are the key specialization tracks in mobile engineering? > How can engineering leaders ensure specialization doesn’t create silos within a mobile org? > What strategies help balance hiring and training across specialized and generalist roles? > How does a specialist career track impact long-term growth, leadership opportunities, and adaptability? > What are best practices for integrating specialists into cross-functional product teams?