Tony Wu holds a master’s in Computer Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He was part of NewsBreak’s 2024 summer intern program before returning after graduation to take up a full-time role as a software engineer in January 2025. Based in Bellevue, WA, he enjoys hiking and pickle ball, as well as swimming in the lake in summer. Tony also loves exploring the city’s food scene.
Emily Okabe holds a master’s degree in Computer Science with an AI specialization from Stanford University, where she also earned her undergraduate degree. She joined NewsBreak’s Mountain View office in summer 2025 to support our natural language processing team. While at Stanford, she was an active member of the university’s Cardinal Ballet Company.
Andy Zhou is a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Master’s of Science in Information program. He joined NewsBreak’s Mountain View office in summer 2025 to bring his strong UX and design skills to a brand new product. Outside of work, Andy is into video games, frisbee, bouldering, and staying active in general.
Read on for what they had to say about their experience at NewsBreak: from key learnings to career advice for other young talents.
Why did you join Newsbreak?
Tony: The job projection within the Ad team – particularly in the context of developing backend systems – immediately attracted me after my internship experience, where I’d discovered the potential in building dynamic, data-driven ad systems.
Emily: I joined NewsBreak because I was drawn to the company’s work in NLP. Also, the team members I talked to during the interview process were some of the most passionate yet humble people I’ve ever met, which made me even more excited to join.
Andy: I want to make a difference. The new product mentioned during the interview really caught my eye – it sounded fun and meaningful to build.
What do you work on at NewsBreak?
Tony: I’m working on our Data Management Platform right now – specifically automation pipelines – building audience packages to improve ad performance for advertisers. During my internship here last summer, I worked on an automated ad unit generation service and an auto-blocking service, as well as several internal automation tools to make it easier for developers to work with our ad pipelines.
Emily: I’m currently on the NLP team, working on LLM agents and new features for our chatbot, NBot! It’s still in development so I don’t want to spoil too much, but my goal is to make NBot even more personalized to user needs, as well as to offer a more interactive, conversational way to engage with NewsBreak content.
Andy: I’ve been working on a brand new product from scratch. (It’s still under wraps!). It’s been super cool to help shape it early on. I also worked on design system improvements for another product to make things more consistent and scalable.
How has your time at NewsBreak influenced your growth journey?
Tony: My time at NewsBreak has helped me become more comfortable working through uncertainty and stepping up when things are not clearly defined. I’ve learned to take ownership, stay curious, and find solutions even when there is no clear instruction. It’s also taught me to see the bigger picture and think beyond just my own tasks, which has been important for my personal and professional growth.
Emily: At NewsBreak, I’ve had the opportunity to work on state-of-the-art projects that I didn’t expect to touch as an intern. I was deploying features within my first few weeks. The amount of trust that my manager and teammates have shown me since day one has boosted my confidence as an engineer.
Andy: I’ve proved I can take ownership and move fast in a real-world setting. It’s helped me build more confidence as a designer.
What’s something new you’ve learned at NewsBreak?
Tony: I’ve learned the importance of speaking up – whether that’s suggesting technical improvements or sharing ideas during team discussions. I’ve seen firsthand that even as a newer team member, your input can drive real impact here.
As a fun example, I suggested a boat trip outing for the office, and the team made it happen on the last day of my internship last summer. The weather was perfect, the lake was beautiful, and the whole team was there, having a great time. What makes NewsBreak special is that your voice truly matters here. We’re encouraged to contribute beyond our role, and it’s a place where we work hard and play hard. It’s an incredible environment to grow and have fun.
Emily: Working at NewsBreak has helped me realize what working as a team really means. Everyone, regardless of their role within the company, sits and works together in the same space. People are always happy to answer questions and are constantly looking for ways to grow, no matter how experienced they are.
Andy: Keep iterating! Design is never really “done.” The process reminds me to stay flexible and open to change.
What’s the best advice you’ve got so far at NewsBreak?
Tony: One of the best pieces of advice I’ve received is how to deliver high-quality work quickly – without overengineering. It’s important to avoid short-term fixes that could lead to long-term inefficiencies. Instead, we focus on shipping something solid first, then improve it incrementally. This approach makes debugging easier and ensures the work is maintainable as it scales.
Emily: Never spend too long trying to solve something on your own. During my first week, my internship mentor told me to ask him or another team member for help if I’m ever stuck. As someone who tries to be overly independent at times, this was very reassuring to hear.
Andy: That being a great presenter is just as important as being a great designer.
What advice do you have for other new grads?
Tony: Always stay curious and driven. Be proactive in learning. Seek guidance from mentors, colleagues, and managers, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Embrace challenges as opportunities to grow, and focus on delivering your best work with consistency and quality.
Emily: Pay close attention to how your future teammates interact with you during interviews. It’s easy to ignore subtle signs, but trusting your gut can go a long way!
Andy: Ask questions, be curious, and don’t stress about having all the answers. You grow by doing.
