You might say Simeon has always had an eye for visual art. On the weekends, Simeon is all about soaking up time with his 3-year-old son. Together, you’ll find them taking pictures — Simeon with his DSLR and his son with his point and shoot.
Simeon is the brilliant imaging engineer behind Matterport’s hardware. While he spends most of his day building the future of Matterport’s hardware, he’s also highly engaged in the here and now. He goes out of his way to make connections with his colleagues and recognize fellow team members. He also recently co-founded the Asian American and Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group.
“At first, I didn’t feel like I could be a leader, but I realized it’s not really about me, It's about organizing people and getting them together.”
Simeon has an impressive background in imaging expertise. As an engineering major in college, he started his career researching how to make a brighter LED and later worked for an image sensor company, where he discovered his appreciation for the DSLR camera. When he came to Matterport, it was with a deep interest in the technology, a connection to the leadership style, and most importantly, a new perspective on what really matters to him.
Simeon is no stranger to hard work. He admits to spending most of his early career working 70-80 hours in working cultures that applauded that commitment. One day, in the midst of a work marathon, his heart literally forced him to slow down. After a few minutes of unconsciousness, he found himself on the floor with a racing heart. He was immediately grateful that he woke up at all, and overcome by thoughts of his wife and son. After being diagnosed with a heart condition and spending time in the hospital, Simeon had a change in perspective.
“My values shifted. It helped me change my life habits, to spend more time with my family, and focus on what really matters in life. This experience really helped me to not just focus on work.”
He brought this mindset with him to Matterport and has found a culture that supports and celebrates the importance of finding balance.
“It was so different when I came here. In other jobs, they would watch me work 70 hours a week and say, ‘good job.’ When people saw me doing that here, they told me to go home. And that really had a lot of impact on me . . . I felt like Matterport really cared about me.”
Favorite Matterport Space:
https://matterport.com/en-gb/node/2193