Employee spotlight: Bruno Lipovac

How did you first learn about Barrage, and what has kept you here?

I can’t remember if I first learned about Barrage by talking to Tibor Huđik, who was working here at the time, or Matej Žagar, who was applying for a job at Barrage. 

What keeps me here is the never-ending opportunity to learn and grow and the awesome people who work here.

What is your opinion on the characteristics of a good team leader? What do you value most about your team?

A good team leader is somebody who leads by example and is eager to share his knowledge and skills. 

What I value most about my team is that they’re responsible and self-reliant and that they like discussing and questioning ideas and approaches.

If you could switch your job with anyone else, whose job would you want and why?

If I weren’t a software engineer, I would like to be in the demolition business, but not with explosives or heavy machinery, but with tools like a concrete breaker or a sledgehammer because I enjoy smashing things very much. Besides, it’s a workout and stress therapy all in one!

What is the best career lesson you have learned so far?

Use the debugger.

What are your hopes or visions for our industry?

I hope that it will continue to evolve and grow, just as it has always done, maintaining its fun and interesting nature, and that AI won’t turn into Skynet.

What did you want to be when growing up?

I wanted to be a pilot in some science fiction universe, like a starfighter pilot or a giant robot pilot, or to have a suit of some kind of power armor.

How do you define success in life?

I’m a simple guy, so I’d say if you don’t have a lot of stress in your life, congratulations, you did it!

What app do you use regularly? What do you like about it: the overall look or specific features…?

Personally, I use Reddit because of the ability to start following topics I want to; Revolut because I can pretend that I’m an investor; YouTube to watch house, car, and bicycle maintenance DIY tutorials; and WhatsApp for messaging because of its responsiveness, picture-in-picture video player, stickers, and etc.

Pets often resemble their owners - is your pet you in a cat form? Tell us more about the furball.

Well, I guess we do have some common traits. We are both laid back and approachable, and we both have a big appetite. He’s much more cuddly and talkative than me, though.

We’ve heard that once you set something on fire…care to tell us what happened? :D

When I was 8 years old, I set my grandpa’s truck on fire by lighting the foam underneath the seats. 

My dad gave me two firecrackers, which I lit and threw, but I still had the lighter so I could have some more fun. I opened the truck cabin and first lit the seatbelt, which didn’t quite catch fire. Then I saw the foam underneath the seats, lit it, and it caught fire like crazy. 

I tried putting it out, and it seemed like I did, but moments later, I saw an orange glow inside the cabin from the balcony. Luckily, owing to the quick reaction from my uncle and a couple of people who had fire extinguishers in their cars, the fire was contained until the fire brigade came and put it out, and no one got harmed.

How long have you been playing the guitar? Tell us a bit more about the bend you are in.

I’ve been playing the guitar since I was 9. The band I play in is called Merrow, and a curious fact is that I replaced my best friend and co-worker Matej Žagar as the bass player there.

As an F1 fan, settle this debate for us: Red Bull or Mercedes?

I always like the underdog, so I’m hoping McLaren will be strong next season. Also, I like a good race and drama during the championship, so I’m hoping for a three or four-way battle between Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren.

Meet the rest of the team!

We love having people like Bruno in our collective. Driven individuals are the ones who build the motivational culture we nurture at Barrage.

If you would like to be a part of that culture and get to know the rest of our team, check out our open positions.