When Sam Smeal describes his path into engineering, he starts not with a company or title, but with a classroom: “I had a terrible programming teacher… but she had programming books, and I picked up the books, read through them, started learning programming and fell in love.” That spark carried him through a liberal arts college where, as he puts it with a laugh, “I was taught the way of the computer by monks.”

Today, Sam is a Senior Software Engineer at Quilter, bringing experience from SpaceX and early-career resilience shaped by long hours, complex systems, and an unwavering drive to build technology that serves people. His story shows how Quilter’s culture of curiosity and iteration attracts engineers who value both precision and purpose.

Origins

Before SpaceX, before AI-assisted design, Sam spent seven years as a mechanic, a detail that surprises most who know him only as a software engineer. That hands-on understanding of systems formed his instinct for reliability and iteration.

He recalls the turning point vividly: “During my senior year of college I saw Falcon Heavy take off and do the twin landings of the boosters. At that point I knew — I need to join SpaceX.”

By then, he’d already begun working as a software engineer for hospital facility management, helping reconfigure spaces during the pandemic: “It was gratifying… cranking out a crap ton of code, many sleepless nights.” It’s where he learned autonomy, iteration, and the speed of responsibility; all qualities that would later define his engineering ethos.

Journeys in Engineering

Sam’s path to SpaceX began with a cold online application. “I just sent a little apply online to SpaceX,” he says, “and six weeks later I’m in LA.”

He spent nearly four years there, the first half developing Starlink: “It felt like I was at a startup even though it was a large company.” Later, he moved to launch tools that supported rocket operations, not the rocket itself, but the systems around it ensuring safety and precision, as well as helping with recovery, refurbishment, and test operations.

But the pace came at a cost. “At SpaceX you’re working 60–80 hours a week… my girlfriend lived in Pittsburgh, so I was constantly flying back and forth.” Leaving without another job lined up was, as he puts it, “a bold move.” Yet it opened the door to something new: a company where his philosophy of question, delete, simplify, accelerate could thrive.

Why Quilter

When a recruiter from Quilter reached out, Sam immediately recognized alignment. “I’m very passionate about PCBs. I have a drawer full of Raspberry Pis and Arduinos.”

More than that, he saw a mission that resonated with his guiding principle: “One of my axioms is I want to keep people safe. If somebody needs a bridge, I build a bridge.” After years of engineering tools that helped people, from hospitals to satellites, Quilter represented a new kind of impact: building AI technology that helps engineers themselves.

The culture sealed it. “I loved every single person I talked to… I fell in love immediately with the team.” After a career of “trial by fire,” onboarding at Quilter surprised him: “My team held my hand through onboarding. It was very pleasant and just as effective. I was merging code on my second day.”

Beyond the Workbench

Outside of work, Sam’s world hums with energy. He’s a musician with “13 expensive guitars,” an avid golfer, and an explorer who loves “boating, sailing — I even have an Italian sailboat tattoo on my arm.”

He laughs about his zest for pizza (“If pizza were a person, you’re looking at them”) and confesses a tremendous passion for music. He also has a history as a vegetarian fisherman, enjoying catching the fish to give to friends. 

What ties all these together is curiosity and community. Whether flying drones, playing guitar, or coding side projects, Sam’s pursuits show the same attention to craft and joy in creation that define his engineering life.

A Line to Remember

“My dogma is to always put others before yourself and do what’s best for the community, for your friends, and for your family. For you to be happy is quintessential for you to make others happy.”

Closing Note (Cody’s Reflection)

Sam’s story captures something essential about the engineers who shape Quilter: a belief that rigor and kindness aren’t opposites. His method, question, delete, simplify, accelerate, is as much a moral framework as it is a workflow. It’s how he builds bridges between people, tools, and ideas that keep others moving safely forward.

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