Instagram Principal Eng (IC8) On Building IG Stories, 1 Promo Per Half, Small Teams
Instagram Principal Eng (IC8) On Building IG Stories, 1 Promo Per Half, Small Teams  
Podcast: The Peterman Pod
Published On: Mon Feb 02 2026
Description: Ryan Olson grew from mid-level engineer (IC4) to a principal engineer (IC8) at Instagram through a series of famous projects. The most notable was when he was the lead iOS developer that built Instagram Stories. We discuss his career journey and learnings.𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀:• Transcript: https://www.developing.dev/p/instagram-principal-eng-ic8-on-building• Spotify: Episode link from Spotify after scheduling• YouTube: https://youtu.be/gpVETZnY9Y0• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-peterman-pod/id1777363835• Zuckerberg emails I mentioned:Twitter link: https://x.com/TechEmails/status/1944451283236303184Threads link: https://www.threads.com/@techemails/post/DMDi5IWpPyC𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:31 - Failing his FB interview00:03:27 - Interning /w future billionaires00:14:08 - Interview nerves tip00:16:37 - Early Instagram experiences00:34:08 - Building Instagram Stories00:45:03 - 1 promo per half to Staff (IC6)00:49:51 - Senior staff promo project (IC7)00:57:37 - IG labs & his principal promo (IC8)01:08:19 - Starting Retro and leaving big tech01:21:33 - Small teams hypothetical01:25:17 - Examples of talented individuals01:31:16 - Advice to his younger self01:34:45 - Outro𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝘆𝗮𝗻:• Retro (his company): https://retro.app/• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanolsonk/• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ryanolsonk• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanolsonk/ • Threads: https://www.threads.com/@ryanolsonk𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝘆𝗮𝗻:• Newsletter: https://www.developing.dev/• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ryanlpeterman• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlpeterman/• Threads: https://www.threads.com/@ryanlpeterman• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanlpeterman• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryanlpeterman