Paula:
I met Wojtek in 2001 at Motorola in Kraków. He caught my attention with his demeanor - his openness, directness, and deep engagement in conversations when he chose to have them. He couldn’t stand small talk. I had to persistently offer him help - he thought I shouldn’t waste my time organizing his business trips or handling formalities and always tried to manage these things himself. He was always equally embarrassed when I managed to take care of something for him.
In 2007, after returning from maternity leave and deciding it was time for a career change, I learned that Wojtek had become the Director of Google’s new engineering office in Kraków. I emailed him, offering my help. The timing was perfect - he was just drafting a job posting for an administrative position. After a series of interviews, I joined Wojtek’s team. For years afterward, he joked that I came to the interview clearly stating I didn’t intend to stay in the position I was applying for because I wanted to grow, and I also made it clear that serving coffee at meetings would not be part of my duties. It turned out I struck a chord with him - he valued ambition and the desire to learn, and he considered using anyone for simple administrative tasks, or any menial tasks, as akin to slavery. Developing the people he worked with was always crucial for him. As a manager, he did everything to ensure we could train and advance in our careers. As for coffee - he made it himself for his guests and expected the same from the entire team.
Wojtek lived and breathed technology. He was proud of the projects we developed in Kraków, enjoyed working with the brilliant people he hired, and always repeated Google’s principle of hiring smarter people than oneself - meaning, as he often joked, that he was the dumbest person in the office.
Wojtek was a charismatic leader. People followed him, admired him, and respected him. He readily engaged in deep, substantive discussions, possessed an incredible knowledge of many fields, and had what he called a “pathological memory.” He also had a great sense of humor and self-awareness. He didn’t compromise on critical matters. When he found out that headquarters planned layoffs in the Kraków office, he boarded a plane to California the same day to put a stop to it. This happened more than once, and eventually, they had to let him go to carry out the layoffs.
Of the many new job offers, Wojtek chose Allegro, where he became the head of technology. When he assessed the workload, he asked me to join him to help build the company’s technological image and attract talented engineers. It took us two years. We met many amazing people during that time, with whom we remain friends to this day. However, Wojtek already had an idea for his own business. Back in the 1990s, while working at CERN, DESY, and MIT with the biggest names in quantum computing, he had developed methods to accelerate the utility of quantum computers. He shared this vision with me and Witek Jarnicki during our time at Google. Wojtek and Witek had a ritual: Wojtek would explain a method to Witek, who, as a mathematician, would work on a proof. If the method failed, Wojtek paid for sushi. In 2016, Witek paid for the first time. That’s when Wojtek applied for a grant for an R&D project based on this idea and invited Witek and me to join him. This marked the beginning of our adventure with BEIT, which continues to this day.
Everyone who knew Wojtek knows he was a remarkable person. He demanded a lot from himself and others. He didn’t waste time on superficial relationships. When something piqued his interest, he gave it 120%. He often saw what others couldn’t and had a way of inspiring others with his vision. He believed that growth only came from stepping out of one’s comfort zone, and since I told him I wanted to grow, I practically stopped returning to mine. It was a challenging experience, but I’m incredibly grateful for it because it shaped me. Importantly, I could always count on his support.
Since I found it easy to thank him for his help but hard to apologize when I made mistakes, he would laugh and say he preferred to hear “one apology for ten thank-yous.” So, stepping out of my comfort zone once more, I’ll say: Wojtuś, I’m sorry for everything I should have done but didn’t, for everything I said but shouldn’t have. And I’ll also say thank you - for believing in me, for everything you taught me, and for your friendship over the past 23 years. See you someday, on the better side.
Paula:
I met Wojtek in 2001 at Motorola in Kraków. He caught my attention with his demeanor - his openness, directness, and deep engagement in conversations when he chose to have them. He couldn’t stand small talk. I had to persistently offer him help - he thought I shouldn’t waste my time organizing his business trips or handling formalities and always tried to manage these things himself. He was always equally embarrassed when I managed to take care of something for him.
In 2007, after returning from maternity leave and deciding it was time for a career change, I learned that Wojtek had become the Director of Google’s new engineering office in Kraków. I emailed him, offering my help. The timing was perfect - he was just drafting a job posting for an administrative position. After a series of interviews, I joined Wojtek’s team. For years afterward, he joked that I came to the interview clearly stating I didn’t intend to stay in the position I was applying for because I wanted to grow, and I also made it clear that serving coffee at meetings would not be part of my duties. It turned out I struck a chord with him - he valued ambition and the desire to learn, and he considered using anyone for simple administrative tasks, or any menial tasks, as akin to slavery. Developing the people he worked with was always crucial for him. As a manager, he did everything to ensure we could train and advance in our careers. As for coffee - he made it himself for his guests and expected the same from the entire team.
Wojtek lived and breathed technology. He was proud of the projects we developed in Kraków, enjoyed working with the brilliant people he hired, and always repeated Google’s principle of hiring smarter people than oneself - meaning, as he often joked, that he was the dumbest person in the office.
Wojtek was a charismatic leader. People followed him, admired him, and respected him. He readily engaged in deep, substantive discussions, possessed an incredible knowledge of many fields, and had what he called a “pathological memory.” He also had a great sense of humor and self-awareness. He didn’t compromise on critical matters. When he found out that headquarters planned layoffs in the Kraków office, he boarded a plane to California the same day to put a stop to it. This happened more than once, and eventually, they had to let him go to carry out the layoffs.
Of the many new job offers, Wojtek chose Allegro, where he became the head of technology. When he assessed the workload, he asked me to join him to help build the company’s technological image and attract talented engineers. It took us two years. We met many amazing people during that time, with whom we remain friends to this day. However, Wojtek already had an idea for his own business. Back in the 1990s, while working at CERN, DESY, and MIT with the biggest names in quantum computing, he had developed methods to accelerate the utility of quantum computers. He shared this vision with me and Witek Jarnicki during our time at Google. Wojtek and Witek had a ritual: Wojtek would explain a method to Witek, who, as a mathematician, would work on a proof. If the method failed, Wojtek paid for sushi. In 2016, Witek paid for the first time. That’s when Wojtek applied for a grant for an R&D project based on this idea and invited Witek and me to join him. This marked the beginning of our adventure with BEIT, which continues to this day.
Everyone who knew Wojtek knows he was a remarkable person. He demanded a lot from himself and others. He didn’t waste time on superficial relationships. When something piqued his interest, he gave it 120%. He often saw what others couldn’t and had a way of inspiring others with his vision. He believed that growth only came from stepping out of one’s comfort zone, and since I told him I wanted to grow, I practically stopped returning to mine. It was a challenging experience, but I’m incredibly grateful for it because it shaped me. Importantly, I could always count on his support.
Since I found it easy to thank him for his help but hard to apologize when I made mistakes, he would laugh and say he preferred to hear “one apology for ten thank-yous.” So, stepping out of my comfort zone once more, I’ll say: Wojtuś, I’m sorry for everything I should have done but didn’t, for everything I said but shouldn’t have. And I’ll also say thank you - for believing in me, for everything you taught me, and for your friendship over the past 23 years. See you someday, on the better side.
Paula:
I met Wojtek in 2001 at Motorola in Kraków. He caught my attention with his demeanor - his openness, directness, and deep engagement in conversations when he chose to have them. He couldn’t stand small talk. I had to persistently offer him help - he thought I shouldn’t waste my time organizing his business trips or handling formalities and always tried to manage these things himself. He was always equally embarrassed when I managed to take care of something for him.
In 2007, after returning from maternity leave and deciding it was time for a career change, I learned that Wojtek had become the Director of Google’s new engineering office in Kraków. I emailed him, offering my help. The timing was perfect - he was just drafting a job posting for an administrative position. After a series of interviews, I joined Wojtek’s team. For years afterward, he joked that I came to the interview clearly stating I didn’t intend to stay in the position I was applying for because I wanted to grow, and I also made it clear that serving coffee at meetings would not be part of my duties. It turned out I struck a chord with him - he valued ambition and the desire to learn, and he considered using anyone for simple administrative tasks, or any menial tasks, as akin to slavery. Developing the people he worked with was always crucial for him. As a manager, he did everything to ensure we could train and advance in our careers. As for coffee - he made it himself for his guests and expected the same from the entire team.
Wojtek lived and breathed technology. He was proud of the projects we developed in Kraków, enjoyed working with the brilliant people he hired, and always repeated Google’s principle of hiring smarter people than oneself - meaning, as he often joked, that he was the dumbest person in the office.
Wojtek was a charismatic leader. People followed him, admired him, and respected him. He readily engaged in deep, substantive discussions, possessed an incredible knowledge of many fields, and had what he called a “pathological memory.” He also had a great sense of humor and self-awareness. He didn’t compromise on critical matters. When he found out that headquarters planned layoffs in the Kraków office, he boarded a plane to California the same day to put a stop to it. This happened more than once, and eventually, they had to let him go to carry out the layoffs.
Of the many new job offers, Wojtek chose Allegro, where he became the head of technology. When he assessed the workload, he asked me to join him to help build the company’s technological image and attract talented engineers. It took us two years. We met many amazing people during that time, with whom we remain friends to this day. However, Wojtek already had an idea for his own business. Back in the 1990s, while working at CERN, DESY, and MIT with the biggest names in quantum computing, he had developed methods to accelerate the utility of quantum computers. He shared this vision with me and Witek Jarnicki during our time at Google. Wojtek and Witek had a ritual: Wojtek would explain a method to Witek, who, as a mathematician, would work on a proof. If the method failed, Wojtek paid for sushi. In 2016, Witek paid for the first time. That’s when Wojtek applied for a grant for an R&D project based on this idea and invited Witek and me to join him. This marked the beginning of our adventure with BEIT, which continues to this day.
Everyone who knew Wojtek knows he was a remarkable person. He demanded a lot from himself and others. He didn’t waste time on superficial relationships. When something piqued his interest, he gave it 120%. He often saw what others couldn’t and had a way of inspiring others with his vision. He believed that growth only came from stepping out of one’s comfort zone, and since I told him I wanted to grow, I practically stopped returning to mine. It was a challenging experience, but I’m incredibly grateful for it because it shaped me. Importantly, I could always count on his support.
Since I found it easy to thank him for his help but hard to apologize when I made mistakes, he would laugh and say he preferred to hear “one apology for ten thank-yous.” So, stepping out of my comfort zone once more, I’ll say: Wojtuś, I’m sorry for everything I should have done but didn’t, for everything I said but shouldn’t have. And I’ll also say thank you - for believing in me, for everything you taught me, and for your friendship over the past 23 years. See you someday, on the better side.
Witek:
Paula mentioned that Wojtek couldn’t stand conversations about trivial matters. I’ll go even further: he also couldn’t tolerate it when I told him the same thing twice or forgot what he had once said. Wojtek made it a point to ensure that every statement - whether his or someone else’s - and every action had meaning and contributed something new. Even now, I find myself uncovering new ideas that Wojtek, one might say, “smuggled” under the guise of seemingly trivial behaviors. This kind of “subliminal communication” was a hallmark of Wojtek, and I miss it dearly. On the other hand, I hold on to the hope that in the future, I’ll continue to discover new messages hidden in his past actions, preserved in my memory.
Witek:
Paula mentioned that Wojtek couldn’t stand conversations about trivial matters. I’ll go even further: he also couldn’t tolerate it when I told him the same thing twice or forgot what he had once said. Wojtek made it a point to ensure that every statement - whether his or someone else’s - and every action had meaning and contributed something new. Even now, I find myself uncovering new ideas that Wojtek, one might say, “smuggled” under the guise of seemingly trivial behaviors. This kind of “subliminal communication” was a hallmark of Wojtek, and I miss it dearly. On the other hand, I hold on to the hope that in the future, I’ll continue to discover new messages hidden in his past actions, preserved in my memory.
Witek:
Paula mentioned that Wojtek couldn’t stand conversations about trivial matters. I’ll go even further: he also couldn’t tolerate it when I told him the same thing twice or forgot what he had once said. Wojtek made it a point to ensure that every statement - whether his or someone else’s - and every action had meaning and contributed something new. Even now, I find myself uncovering new ideas that Wojtek, one might say, “smuggled” under the guise of seemingly trivial behaviors. This kind of “subliminal communication” was a hallmark of Wojtek, and I miss it dearly. On the other hand, I hold on to the hope that in the future, I’ll continue to discover new messages hidden in his past actions, preserved in my memory.
