Scott Boring
Software Architect for Walmart Labs
Walmart Labs–the tech arm of the global conglomerate Walmart–generated significant press coverage when they expanded from a small office space to a 30,000 square foot office at the Make campus in Carlsbad. The San Diego Union Tribune write that the move may indicate a larger trend as the San Diego region looks to enhance its reputation as a top destination for tech talent.
Carlsbad continues to be a growing part of that story, as major tech businesses expand and startups build their roots here.
We had the chance to speak with Scott Boring, who has worked for the Walmart Labs in Carlsbad for the last six years. He’s seen Walmart Labs’ growth from a tiny group of ten, to its move into a new office as it hires over one hundred new employees.
Biography
“The office in Carlsbad is growing,” Scott said. “It handles things from the front end, like how customers deal with the website and handles infrastructure behind that allows the website to be performing.”
Boring is a software architect for the data foundation team. In his role, he stores data for the team and works on ways to access that data reliably.
“It’s a challenging role, data is becoming big and we’re storing more data than we ever have,” he said.
“It introduces challenges that companies the size of Walmart must handle. There aren’t many known solutions because people haven’t encountered these issues yet. It’s cool to be at the frontier of creating those solutions.”
In addition to enjoying the cutting-edge work he does, Scott said he likes working for Walmart Labs because the company promotes a work-life balance.
“I like the work-life balance,” Boring said. “I play soccer, beach volleyball and I also work with great people solving great problems.”
Boring began working for Walmart Labs about six years ago after the previous company he worked for, was bought.
“As a part of the acquisition, the company moved all the jobs to Texas,” Boring said. “So I needed to make a change. There was a small startup in Carlsbad, not even fifteen people working there at the time, and I got in when they were in a temporary office space,” he said referring to Walmart Labs’ early stages.
Walmart Labs promotes a positive and community oriented employee culture, according to Scott.
“Walmart Labs sponsors lots of meetups, particularly with the new office space,” he said. “There are after hour events, happy hour events to get people to work together and provide networking opportunities.”
The new office space has been a huge part of the company’s ability to get more involved in the community.
“We were at capacity in our previous office space,” Scott said. “Our new office is very open and bright. There are lots of spaces to collaborate. It’s a very attractive place to work for talent and it’s a great place in general to spend the day.”
Outside of work, Scott said he participates in wakeboarding meetups in Mission Bay, in addition to playing soccer and beach volleyball. As a resident of Carlsbad for the past ten years, Boring said he is a huge fan of the city.
“I like the beach community feel, like being close to the beach and the weather,” he said. “I grew up in Kansas and I’m not a huge fan of large towns. I like the community aspect, like walking around the neighborhood and knowing people, and feeling like a part of the community, not like I just live there.”
Scott said that as an Active Ambassador he hopes to promote Carlsbad as a great place to work and to connect Walmart Labs to the surrounding community more.
If you work in Carlsbad and want to become an Active Ambassador or know someone who demonstrates the Carlsbad spirit of Life in Action, learn more here.