Anatomy and mindset of the data army at Gojek

During my time at Gojek, I had the privilege of building and leading a team of engineers who were more than just developers; they were problem-solvers, creators, and passionate advocates for the power of data. Gojek’s mission was ambitious—to make everyday life easier for millions across Southeast Asia. What started as a motorcycle ride-hailing service grew into a multi-faceted platform supporting services like logistics, food delivery, and payments. With this expansion, the role of data became pivotal, and our team took on the responsibility of creating a data platform to power it all.

Purpose: Data-first organization

In a company as dynamic as Gojek, data drives every decision, from product enhancements to business strategies. Our team set out to create a data infrastructure that wasn’t just accessible but transformative. We envisioned a platform where every team—product managers, analysts, data scientists—could tap into data insights independently, enabling faster and more impactful decision-making.

Our mission was simple but bold: to make Gojek a data-first company, empowering teams to leverage data intuitively and effectively.

Team: Engineers with product mindset

Data Platform team was a unique blend of full-stack engineers with an ownership mindset. We didn’t just write code; we crafted products with purpose. Each member understood that their contributions were integral to the platform’s success, from user adoption and experience to long-term reliability. We built this culture intentionally—giving each engineer a sense of responsibility not only to the code but also to the people who would rely on it.

Approach: A philosophy of product thinking

We embraced a product-centric mindset, measuring success through business outcomes such as user adoption, retention, and cost savings. Here’s how we approached our work:

Customer-centricity

We placed user needs at the core. Our “customers” were our colleagues—PMs, developers, analysts—whose satisfaction defined our platform’s success. By understanding their challenges and improving their experiences, we made data more valuable across Gojek.

Self-service enablement

We made it our mission to reduce reliance on data engineers by enabling teams to interact directly with data. Self-service tools meant that data could be accessed when needed, speeding up workflows and ensuring security and privacy in data usage.

Frameworks, not pipelines

Instead of building rigid data pipelines, we developed frameworks allowing teams to build workflows that fit their unique needs. This approach scaled with the company, avoiding bottlenecks and empowering users to drive their data processes.

Efficiency, automation, and modularity

Efficiency was a core pillar of our culture. By automating deployment and infrastructure, we pushed features at a faster pace without disrupting production. Modular components gave teams the flexibility to customize workflows, creating cost-effective solutions tailored to their specific requirements.

Reliability and observability

Trust was key. Observability wasn’t an afterthought; it was built into the platform, allowing teams to monitor system performance and data quality in real-time. Idempotent workflows enabled safe re-execution, speeding up development and enhancing reliability.

Scalability to meet exponential growth

Data at Gojek didn’t just grow with the business—it grew exponentially. Our platform handled billions of events daily, and we built it to scale with this demand, setting the stage for future growth.

Vision: Building a data-driven future for Gojek

We aspired to make Gojek truly data-driven, bridging collaboration between product, business leaders, and data teams. Our long-term vision was to decentralize data ownership, enabling domain experts to manage and share their data as products. This approach wouldn’t just support Gojek’s current needs but also fuel innovation, creating a competitive advantage for years to come.

Reflections on Building a data-driven culture

Looking back, building the Data Platform at Gojek was more than just a technical challenge; it was about shaping a culture. We fostered an environment where data was not only accessible but meaningful—a tool to drive better outcomes, foster collaboration, and inspire innovation. It’s a model that I believe can elevate any organization ready to harness data’s transformative potential.