Mentor: Andre Bires, Staff Software Engineer
Mentee: Meika Farias de Oliveira, Software Engineering Intern
1. The Dynamic Duo
Meet Staff Engineer Andre Bires and intern Meika Farias de Oliveira—a mentor and mentee pair in Brazil. Over the course of three months, they transformed a finance feature from concept to production, collaborating through code reviews and rapid-fire check-ins. Their mentorship evolved into a full-throttle growth sprint, packed with lessons in decisive shipping, ruthless simplicity, and Uber’s “Go Get It” mentality. Keep reading to see how mentorship at Uber accelerated both engineers’ careers.
2. Mentorship? Make It a Two-Way Street
“Interns bring a fresh perspective, a ton of energy, and huge potential,” Andre says. “Mentorship has always been a two-way street—I learn something new right alongside them.”
It’s that exchange that hooked him years ago, and at Uber, the benefit is amplified: interns ship real code that moves money, maps, and millions of trips.
3. A Proud Moment (with Extra Impact)
When Uber prepped a launch in a brand-new country, one critical finance feature still needed love. Andre handed Meika the keys:
She owned the design.
She ran the cross-team calls.
She even spotted optimizations that improved another team’s service, beyond her own requirements.
“Watching her confidently navigate that complexity was incredibly fulfilling,” Andre beams.
4. Leadership Lessons on Empathy & Simplicity
Mentoring has stretched Andre’s empathy muscles and sharpened his communication skills. His evergreen advice:
- Ask questions. Always.
- Keep it simple. A clean design: scales, survives production traffic, and stays kind to the next dev who touches it.
5. Classroom ➜ Corporate, Fast-Track Edition
At Uber, an “intern project” is not synonymous with a test project. Every feature immediately ripples to Uber users worldwide. This learn-by-doing mentality accelerates growth like nothing you’ll find in CS 101.
6. Mentee’s POV: Built-in Mentor, Built-in Boost
Meika didn’t hunt for a mentor—Uber assigned Andre on day one, guiding her through onboarding and team culture. The pairing paid off the first time she froze, seeking the “perfect” solution.
Andre’s mantra: “Any decision is better than no decision.”
Move, learn, iterate.
Result: Meika now trusts her judgment and treats each choice as a learning checkpoint, not a minefield.
7. Surprising Truth: Great Engineers Aren’t Oracles
“They don’t know everything off the top of their head,” Meika laughs.
“They know how to find the right info, ask the right questions, and learn fast.”
Another myth busted—and another confidence boost.
8. Beyond Code: Crafting a Career Vision
Regular chats with a senior engineer revealed that success isn’t just algorithms; it’s cross-team diplomacy, long-term impact, trade-off savvy, and crisp communication. The experience has nudged Meika to chart her own intentional growth path—and to pay it forward as a future mentor.
9. Pro Tips for Interns/Mentees (Straight from the Source)
Meika’s playbook
Be endlessly curious—the drive is yours to steer.
Schedule recurring syncs with your mentor.
Set clear goals and ask for feedback regularly.
Step outside your comfort zone.
10. Values That Spark
Andre: Go Get It—spot the problem, own it, fix it.
Meika: Great Minds Don’t Think Alike—diverse perspectives breed bold solutions.
11. Closing the Loop
From shipping a finance feature in record time to trading wisdom on empathy and decisiveness, Andre and Meika prove that mentorship isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s a career accelerant for mentor and mentee alike. If you’re eyeing an internship where your code matters on day one and guidance comes baked in, Brazil’s Uber office might just be calling your name.
Ready to “Go Get It”? 🚀
Join Uber today ->
Posted by Stephani Domako