Date
May 27, 2026 5:00 pm
Duration
40 min
Location
Small Cinema
Life isn’t all rainbows, unicorns or idealistic LinkedIn success stories. Sometimes things go south. Come to the Discomfort Zone to discuss taboo topics with Riki Fridrich and Alina Medingu.
So let’s zoom in on one of those uncomfortable moments that might hit close to home:
Managers inhabit a different reality. They see things you don’t. They carry information they can’t talk about. What’s it like for them to try to communicate with us, regular mortals? And what do they see when they look at you?
Riki Fridrich
Staff Software Engineer
Outreach
For the last 20 years, Riki has been writing frontend code, mostly Javascript. In his spare time, he likes cooking and going for long walks while listening to podcasts. He hates JQuery.
Alina Medintu
Principal Group Engineering Manager
Microsoft
Alina is a Principal Group Engineering Manager at Microsoft, where she leads engineering teams in the messaging space shaping the Microsoft Teams experience for users worldwide. With a background spanning nearly two decades in software development and leadership, she focuses on building high-impact products while creating environments where people can thrive, speak up, and grow. Her work blends technical depth with a strong commitment to sustainable, human-centered performance.