Trever Pietsch, Lead Software Engineer

6:00 a.m. (PST) – Wake up

Before my alarm or dog, Buster, can wake me up, I’m out of bed. I need to feed Buster first or else he’ll give me serious “puppy dog eyes,” which I can’t ignore.

After Buster is fed, I make myself an espresso, the first of many I will likely have throughout the day.

I then do my morning cardio on a stationary bike. Some days, I take Buster on a walk, but since he weighs 150 pounds, we never get too far.

Like most days, I make myself a breakfast of eggs and oats. From there, I begin my workday, making the 10-second trek from my kitchen to my desk. Living in Los Angeles, I can say without hesitation that my commute is among the best in the city.  

7:00 a.m. – Attend Meeting

I have my first meeting of the day, called a “Standup,” to connect with one of Red Cell’s many incubations.  Sometimes it seems like each day brings a different meeting with a different incubation!

8:30 a.m. – Attend Red Cell Standup

Tuesdays through Thursdays, we have our “Red Cell Standup” so we can maintain a shared consciousness about what’s going on throughout the organization and its incubations. Given that the incubations are all at various stages of maturity, daily knowledge sharing is extremely helpful.

9:00 a.m. –  2:00 p.m. – Get In Some Keyboard Time Between Meetings

This portion of my workday varies a lot and entails a combination of incubation sync and product meetings and peer-interviews with people we’re seeking to hire.

I’m able to get the most hands-on keyboard time in between meetings. I use these intervals to carry out dev work. With the new advent in artificial intelligence and large language models, I can spend hours researching new ways to perform a task, looking at existing tools, and finding where gaps exist. Depending on the cost for proof of concept, I will build out a first version of a product to demo to internal teams, investors, or even prospective customers. A good portion of dev work at the early stage involves setting up the infrastructure in a way that enables future iterations to be more streamlined. Often, that means choosing tech that can improve security and compliance practices.

2:30 p.m. – Head to the Gym

I hit the gym for a weightlifting session. This is the perfect time for a workout. Given most of my colleagues are on the east coast and about to begin their commutes or parental duties, I get to hit the gym at a lull and avoid the crowds.

4:30 – 6:45 p.m. – Go Back to Work

After the gym, I return home to finish up a couple more tasks for work.  This is my uninterrupted time to really buckle down and concentrate. I respond to some late Slack messages before calling it a day.

6:45 p.m. – Spend Quality Time with Buster

Buster and I enjoy going to a nearby park for a short walk and a game of fetch. The park isn’t busy and we have ample  space for him to run. Even though our yard is pretty big, he seems to enjoy playing fetch at the park more. He’s not very good at fetching, but he still likes to play (and he can use the exercise).  

8:00 p.m. – Have Dinner and Watch a Movie

I drive into town (Hollywood) to meet up and have dinner with a friend and check out a movie. At this hour, the LA commute is bearable.  

10:00 p.m. – Go to Bed

I try to be in bed around this time every night so I’m well-rested for my early start time the next day.