Matej Hamas wants to understand developers' problems and just get stuff done! He brings a grounded style, sharp technical mind, and real-world grit to his Senior Tech Lead role at Apify. After studying at top computer science institutions like Cambridge and ETH Zurich, Matej cut his teeth at Facebook and Palantir while testing his personal limits on 5,000-meter peaks, New Zealand trails, and Southeast Asian backpacking adventures.
As the leader of the Creators team, he's now focused on helping developers, often from developing countries, by giving them the tools to build, publish, and monetize their work with Apify. In this Life in Apify story, we'll explore how a rich mix of experiences shaped his perspective on technical leadership and building platforms that help others thrive.
Stepping up at Apify
Matej joined Apify in 2020, when it was a lean 30-person outfit. In those days, he worked on full-stack development, stepping up when gaps appeared in a company that's all about initiative and shipping results. "Nobody was in charge of billing, so I said, 'I can try to work on it,'" he recalls fondly. His can-do attitude led to major projects like rental Actors and payout systems for developers. Nearly three years ago, he became the Tech Lead for the Creators team. These days, he’s motivated by the evolution of the company and his team.
"I've watched my team members grow. That's what matters. Seeing them becoming more senior and handling bigger projects. And it’s really rewarding!"
— Matej Hamas
At Apify, personal and professional growth go hand in hand. Early on, with encouragement from Apify’s CTO, Matej joined an external mentoring program. That program helped him learn to balance technical decisions with product priorities and team management. He learned when to focus on strategy during quarterly planning versus team development during performance reviews, all while staying in the technical trenches of the platform.
The Creators team he leads builds the backbone of Apify Store, which is home to 4,500+ pre-built Actors for web scraping, AI agents, and automation projects. "We handle the entire monetization infrastructure and billing system, making sure developers and Apify get paid," he explains. When Matej joined, Apify Store had no monetization.
"We hypothesized that giving people the ability to earn money on Apify would drive them to publish Actors and build products."
— Matej Hamas
That bet paid off! Now, community Actors drive the platform, with monthly payouts exceeding $220,000, helping to transform lives for creators in developing nations and beyond.
The tech ascent
Matej's path began in Bratislava with seven years at a math-intensive grammar school, followed by an International Baccalaureate program. That education led him to Cambridge University, where he started to build a sound computer science foundation.
"Getting solid engineering fundamentals before specializing gives you context for the challenges other engineers face."
— Matej Hamas
The university's approach to collaborative problem-solving now shapes how his team works through technical obstacles together. This stems from Cambridge's distinctive "supervisions" system, where students solve challenges independently before unpacking them with professors and peers in very small groups (typically one tutor with 2-3 students). This intensive format needs active engagement and teaches the skill of working through complex problems collaboratively.
Between academic terms, Matej scored internships at some impressive tech names - Microsoft Prague, Facebook Menlo Park, and Palantir London. "Real-world experience early on is invaluable," he says. Facebook felt "like summer camp" with its fast pace and fun atmosphere, while Palantir provided deeper professional growth - a combination of experiences that shaped how he now balances enjoyment and effectiveness at Apify.
“Technical leadership is only partly about technical excellence. It's by equal measure about working with people, prioritization, and the ability to wear the right hat at different times.”
— Matej Hamas
Peaks and perspectives
Matej's adventures push well beyond meeting rooms and classrooms. He's climbed some of the highest mountains across Europe, including Austria's Grossglockner and Turkey's Mount Ararat. On his most challenging climb on Switzerland's highest peak, he turned back just 100 meters from the summit when he found himself with "crampons on rock and ice" in an exposed position. "I really wanted to get to the top, but in the end, I had to prioritize safety."
"Sometimes you push through rough terrain. Sometimes plans fail, and you adjust."
-- Matej Hamas
Backpacking through Laos and Vietnam with his girlfriend (now wife) was incredible and eye-opening - and often a lesson in the art of adaptation. When a night bus initially rejected their tickets in a remote town, they didn't give up. "We convinced them to take us on that bus and spent the night lying in the aisle, where I barely fit," he recalls. "Sometimes you just improvise and solve issues that come your way, on the spot.
On a six-week trip around New Zealand, Matej was amazed by the scenery, but thrilled that the flora and fauna weren't quite as lethal as on previous trips. "New Zealand is incredible - and it's great that nothing tries to kill you there!" Now in Prague, married, with a one-year-old daughter, he's trading scaling peaks for family outings. For a guy who's seen exotic wildlife across Southeast Asia, he admits nothing quite compares to watching his daughter's face light up at the zoo.
Backpacking through South East Asia
Pressing onward
What excites Matej most about his work isn't just hype but solving the real challenges of scaling the company and the needs of the devs who use it. "As we grow, we face completely different problems," he explains. His team is all about finding solutions that can adapt quickly. Take AI Agents, for example. With the rapidly advancing capabilities and challenges of artificial intelligence, Matej's team has built a system for monetizing AI Agents, extending beyond Apify's traditional web scraping or automation Actors. "It's about supporting the next wave of automation while helping creators build real businesses with agents on our platform."
Matej’s no stranger to big challenges - climbing mountains, exploring Southeast Asia, or building Apify’s creator ecosystem; he’s all about problem-solving and a simple, "just get the shit done" approach. As Apify pushes past web scraping into AI and real-time web data for agents, his team stays locked on building the tools and infrastructure that help developers’ products reach the people who need them.
Up for the adventure? We’re hiring!
Join Matej's mission to empower creators. At Apify, you’ll take on ambitious technical challenges in teams that support collaboration in a straightforward, no-nonsense culture. Bring your skills, shape what’s next, and apply today.
