Ahmad Alfawwaz Timehin has spent the last few years building—and rebuilding—the financial systems that power Mono’s infrastructure across Africa. In this conversation, he opens up about the hard trade-offs of engineering at a fast-paced startup, why Mono continues to bet on junior talent, and the qualities he looks for when hiring. We also get into the philosophy behind building resilient systems, how to cultivate taste as an engineer, the real value of mentorship, and the mindset shifts that accelerated his path from reverse engineer to engineering manager.