Abnormal Engineering Stories, Episode #10: Examining the UK Startup Ecosystem

In 2016, less than two years after co-founding Magic Pony, Zehan Wang and his partner found themselves signing an acquisition agreement with Twitter. Their machine learning-based visual processing technology caught Twitter’s eye during Nvidia GTC, and the rest, as they say, is history.

For the next five years, Zehan worked as a people manager at Twitter, first in charge of the machine learning software engineering team and then eventually as Head of Cortex Applied Research. In 2021, Zehan decided to change course and became an angel investor.

In part one of this two-part episode, David Hagar, Director of Engineering and Abnormal Head of UK Engineering, explores how Zehan started his career in tech and his entrepreneurship. They discuss:

• The founding (and eventual acquisition) of Magic Pony

• The startup ecosystem in the UK

• How to choose your next role

We hope you enjoy it! Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.