After Hours: Alan Mamedi, CEO and Co-founder, Truecaller

One thing I look forward to is working closely with our teams, sharing my thoughts and ideas, says Mamedi

The Job

When we first started out 11 years ago, we just wanted to solve one communication problem: being able to know who was calling you. Eventually, we realised that every phone number represents a person or a business in that communication matter. But, since there’s no identity connected to a phone number at least beforehand, there was a lot of mistrust in communication. We started small with ‘Bidding.se’ in 2006, and never looked back.

The Weekdays

I begin my work day by checking important emails and messages (we use Slack a lot, apart from other workplace tools). Then I usually have meetings throughout the day: critical and the usual. One thing I look forward to is working closely with our teams, sharing my thoughts and ideas. We have a very diverse and vibrant group, and I get to learn something new every day. I particularly enjoy learning words from the 18 or 20 different languages our family speaks.

I use the term ‘Truecaller family’ a lot because that’s what we are. We have a flat organisational structure that encourages collaboration and communication. If you give people trust, a clear mandate, and spend time sharing ideas, you will reap the benefits. It’s one way of showing gratitude.

The Weekend

I like to catch up on superhero movies that I might have missed or rewatch some of my favourites. When I’m not at the office, I’m usually home taking care of my garden, spending time with my wife and children, and close friends. I know many people like to read in their downtime or while travelling (which I should try to do), but I find it more relaxing to catch up on some really good TV series.

The Toys

I love cutting-edge tech stuff. For instance, the phone I’m currently using is the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2. I was lucky to get it very early, and it’s probably the best smartphone I’ve ever owned with its fantastic folding screen.

The Logos

I like to try new things and break the logo myth, but it’s usually true that certain brands that stand for something important are always superior in their domain — Volvo, for instance, is a really safe car with its high tech and engineering. Having that said, I try to keep things minimalistic and don’t consume what I don’t need. I think twice before buying a new set of headphones, for example.

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