Interview with David Jenei, System Architect in Product Marketing
What brought you to Rolling Wireless, and what do you do here?
I’m a System Architect in Product Marketing, focusing on software. With a background in embedded software, especially embedded Linux, I usually sit between engineering and marketing, helping both sides understand each other. Two years ago, I felt ready for a new challenge. With the automotive sector accelerating its shift toward software‑defined vehicles, it felt like the right moment to join and be part of that momentum.
How would you describe your role to someone outside your industry?
I work on defining and selling software products in an industry where everyone wants to own and control the software themselves. In automotive, software has become strategic for every player, and vendor dependency is seen as a risk. My job is to make it work by shaping products that customers consider valuable enough to accept that risk.
What’s one part of your job that people might not expect?
People often assume that creating new products requires managing a team. In reality, a large part of my job is convincing both colleagues and customers that building or buying the product is the right move, even without having direct decision-making power. Clear communication ends up being at the core of everything I do.
What skills do you use most often in your work?
I spend about half my time solving technical challenges and the other half helping colleagues and customers align around the best solutions. I help turn R&D's “sure, we can do that” into clear expectations around cost, complexity, and effort, drawing on technical judgment, practical reasoning, and strong people skills.
How do you stay aligned with other teams or departments?
Mostly by building personal connections, keeping track of ongoing customer projects, and bouncing ideas off people with real hands-on experience.
How do you stay up to date in your field?
A big part of it comes from listening carefully to customers. Even small hints about their architecture or constraints tend to reveal more than formal specs and help me stay aligned with real-world system design. The rest comes from industry news, with RSS readers making it easier to track updates.
What are you currently working on improving or learning?
Vehicle software architectures are evolving quickly, shifting from hundreds of isolated ECUs to centralized, service‑oriented platforms with shared high‑performance computers and smarter workload distribution. I'm exploring how we can adapt to those patterns and ensure Rolling Wireless products fit naturally into this new ecosystem.
What’s a skill you’ve developed since joining the company?
I've learned how to work effectively with smart, strong‑minded colleagues and how to make the most of the rich, often unwritten knowledge within a long‑standing organization. Over time, I've also become much better at uncovering the underlying reasons behind technical requirements.
What’s one thing about the company culture that stands out to you?
People genuinely care about the product, quality, and doing things right. In a company of this size, individual contributions really make a difference.
How does leadership support your growth?
They give me challenging ideas and the freedom to figure out how to move them forward, while providing guidance when needed. It’s a good balance between autonomy and support.