Q&A with Maggie Bai, software engineer at Persona
We recently announced our $200M Series D raise! Hear from one of our incredible engineers as they discuss what drew them to Persona and how they’ve grown alongside the company.
Can you tell us a little about your background and what brought you to Persona?
I went to the University of Waterloo, where I majored in Computer Science and minored in Music, specifically orchestral arrangement and composition. During college, I explored both data science and product engineering through internships, which ultimately led me into the fintech space.
After graduating, I moved to the Bay Area and started working as a product engineer, where I got to build user-facing features at scale. A close friend of mine who works on the fraud team at Persona shared an open role with me and encouraged me to apply. I was getting comfortable — maybe a little too comfortable — in my previous role, and Persona seemed like it would give me that challenge I was looking for to grow faster.
What piqued your interest in engineering here?
It was the combination of really complex technical problems and the opportunity to build foundational infrastructure. I was intrigued by how much autonomy engineers have at Persona — and how deeply they’re involved in the product and architecture decisions. The idea of being part of a team shaping something from the ground up was both exciting and motivating.
My team (Identity Data Products) is foundational in that we manage reports and database verifications, which means we’re used in other Persona product offerings. Reports enrich existing data, while database verifications act as a binary flag. Essentially, we help customers (like Reddit and OpenAI) catch fraud faster.
What stood out to you about the engineering team when you joined?
My team is so nerdy (in the best way)! We never shy away from hard problems, and trust me, they can be seriously challenging. Persona has over 100 engineers, but my specific team is a small but mighty group of five, and everyone is incredibly capable — we all get to contribute to the product roadmap. This makes tackling tough challenges feel exciting instead of intimidating.
I am always blown away by how motivated people are and how much care they have for the product. People at Persona genuinely care about doing things the right way — not just the fastest way.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone earlier in their career?
Don’t underestimate the value of asking questions. It’s easy to feel like you need to prove yourself by knowing everything, but the people who grow the fastest are the ones who stay curious, admit what they don’t know, and lean into learning.
How have you grown since you started here?
I’ve grown a lot since joining, both technically and in how I approach product development. One of the biggest shifts has been learning to think about our products from the customer’s perspective. Our product surface is huge and pretty complex, so really understanding how people use what we build, and why, has been a game changer for how I make decisions as an engineer.
I’ve also gotten better at how I frame problems, gather feedback, and align with cross-functional teams. That kind of collaboration is a big part of being effective here, and it’s taught me how to navigate ambiguity and work more intentionally with PMs, designers, and other engineers.
On the technical side, the work here has definitely pushed me. There’s a lot to wrap your head around, and that’s helped me become a more well-rounded engineer. You end up wearing a lot of hats, which means you pick up skills you’ll carry with you for the rest of your career — not just how to build something, but how to build the right thing.
What kinds of opportunities have helped support that growth?
Having real product ownership early on, getting mentored, and being pushed outside my comfort zone. I’ve been supported by my manager and team every step of the way, which makes it easier to take on challenges and grow from them.
What’s something you’ve taken ownership of recently that you’re proud of?
Every day, I get to own problems and a set of features within the Identity Data Products team, and that has been really rewarding. Beyond that, I recently had the chance to dig into our integration with a product vendor — one of the many that we use to power our product offerings. I was able to bring back learnings to the team, one of which was that we should take the time to really understand our vendor, just like we do for our customers. This felt important since we integrate with so many vendors. Choosing the right product vendor can really shape how well a product can perform. We’re a data team, so we need good data. I’m proud of how much I learned in the process.
What does ownership look like to you on the engineering team?
It means treating problems as your own and seeing them through to the end. It’s about being proactive, driving clarity when things are ambiguous, and thinking about the long-term health of what you build. Ownership here isn’t about control; it’s about care.
What excites you most about the company’s future — and your role in it?
The fraud space is rapidly changing, and Persona is one of the few companies in the identity verification space that is keeping up with the rate of change. Every day, there are new problems to tackle. They’re hard, but they’re meaningful. I love that we’re not afraid to rethink how things should work. I’m excited to keep building products that raise the bar for the industry.
My team is customer-facing, so many issues are coming directly from customer asks, which makes our work super fast-paced. We try to be at the forefront of the industry, looking at both our pain points and theirs so we can get ahead.
If Persona had a company pet, what would it be?
A frog. Everybody at this company loves Bufo. It’s wild. There’s a Bufo Slack emoji for every expression.
What's been your favorite social or offsite?
The Round 1 arcade night was a highlight — I spent way too much time trying to win plushies and learned I’m definitely not great at claw machines. We’re also big food people, so dinners like going to House of Prime Rib have been super fun.
