Ryan Cooke

Enigma
DISC Type : idc

Director of Engineering at Pinterest

Bothell, Washington, United States

Overview

Ryan Cooke is the Director of Engineering at Pinterest, managing the Client Fundamentals organization. His teams focus on core infrastructure for the Pinterest apps, owning areas like build speed, crash rates, and metric accuracy. He holds both Bachelors and Masters degrees in Computer Science from Clemson University.

Outside of work, Ryan is a creator who always has side projects. He enjoys experimenting with AI tools, playing video games, and skiing. He has also authored a short story and a publication about the hacktivist group Anonymous, showcasing his interest in creative writing and technology culture.

Interesting fact: He once built a custom mobile app, written in Flutter, specifically to propose to his now-wife.

Personality Overview

Persuasive & Assertive

Fast Follower

Challenger

They are generally strong communicators and are not easy to convince.  They are likely to ask many questions and look heavily for supporting proof as well as information. They can sound friendly and charming but can quickly change gears to become inquisitive and probing

Topics They Care About

Mobile Dev Experience
Manages teams focused on mobile tooling and has spoken on podcasts about the unique challenges of mobile development, release cycles, and improving developer workflows.
Generative AI
He actively experiments with LLMs and image generation tools for personal projects, including building an Android app for ChatGPT and using AI to summarize RPG sessions.
Metric Accuracy
Previously managed the Metric Quality team at Pinterest and has spoken about the importance of preventing metrics from being misleading to ensure data-driven decisions.

Media Appearances

Mobile Developer Experience at Pinterest with Ryan Cooke. Featured in YouTube

See Now

Work History

3-2025
Director of Engineering at Pinterest
2-2022 - 3-2025
Senior Engineering Manager at Pinterest
5-2019 - 2-2022
Engineering Manager at Pinterest
4-2018 - 5-2019
Technical Lead at Pinterest
8-2016 - 2-2022
Software Engineer - Android at Pinterest

Education

2011 - 2012
Master's degree from Clemson University
2007 - 2011
Bachelors from Clemson University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 17 Location : Bothell, Washington, United States Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Director of Engineering at Pinterest
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Insights For Selling To Ryan

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Use a combination of data as well as stories for your pitch, a ppt might not be necessary
  • Leverage 'negging', or the art of asking negative questions like "you must not be convinced yet..."
  • Be prepared for a mix of questions and inquisitiveness, answer them in the tone in which they have been asked

DONT's

  • Avoid making offhand commitments, understand the root of their concerns first
  • Don’t rely excessively on your relationship with them to win the deal even if you come to form one
  • Don’t try to rush them into a decision, provide all necessary information first

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Ryan is

  • Proven value, strong objective evidence are important for them, rapport can impact decisions a little.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Ryan

  • They are practical and friendly, but can give a clear response with a little prodding

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Ryan move?

  • They like to be detailed, so unless they develop strong conviction, they can take their time to arrive at decisions
  • Can Ryan take some risk or not?

  • They evaluate their decisions systematically and do not take risks that often, unless you can get them to develop strong conviction

You And Ryan

Personality Compatibility


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