Billshark lead developer Michel Mora once built a working car from scratch while living in Cuba. Here’s his story, in his own words — and what it says about the drive behind our software.
1 Meet Michel Mora
When we say the Billshark team is extraordinary, we’re not kidding. Our lead developer, Michel Mora, gives new meaning to the words “tenacity” and “drive.”
When we heard Michel’s story about building a car while living in Cuba, we had to share it with you. We are not only proud to have him on our team, we feel confident knowing that our software and platform is in the best hands.
Here’s Michel’s story in his own words.
2 Building a Car From Scratch in Cuba
Billshark: What inspired you to build your own car?
MICHEL: I was trying to start a small taxi company, and learning the basics is always the best way to start. Besides, there’s nothing like a big challenge.
Billshark: How much did you know about cars before you started to build it?
MICHEL: Almost nothing. That was my second car, but I never tried to do something like that before. In the past, I had just performed simple fixes. The hands-on experience I learned from my father really helped.
Billshark: What was the hardest thing about building it, especially in Cuba?
MICHEL: The hardest thing was getting the correct parts in Cuba. Some friends in the USA bought most of the pieces and sent them to me, but I had to create 20% of the parts from just pieces of metal. I remember having almost 50 blueprints for all the parts I created from scratch.
Billshark: Where is the car now?
MICHEL: It Is my brother’s car right now and it’s being used as a taxi. It runs 300 miles every day so I think I did a decent job!
Billshark: What was the most rewarding part of the process?
MICHEL: Bringing something back to life and seeing an invention of my own working really great. I am particularly proud of my own clutch design.
3 From Building Cars to Building Software
Billshark: Is building a car anything like being a developer?
MICHEL: Very much. You are building something that needs to work well; you need to join different parts to have the final product done; and it is very much a challenge, just as it is to build a software application.
4 Lessons in Drive and Determination
Billshark: What lessons, if any, did you learn from this extraordinary experience?
MICHEL: At that point of my life, I learned it doesn’t matter what you are trying to achieve, it’s about how you face it. I also learned how to deal with a goal that goes beyond your knowledge.
Billshark: If you could give one piece of advice to a person embarking on a new, massive project, what would it be?
MICHEL: Focus in one thing at a time and do it the right way.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Michel Mora?
Michel Mora is Billshark’s lead developer. The team describes him as someone who gives new meaning to the words tenacity and drive. Before joining Billshark, he built a working car from scratch while living in Cuba, and today he helps keep Billshark’s software and platform in the best hands.
Why did Michel build his own car in Cuba?
Michel was trying to start a small taxi company, and he felt that learning the basics is always the best way to start. He also enjoyed the challenge. It was only his second car, and before that he had only performed simple fixes, relying on hands-on experience he learned from his father.
What was the hardest part of building the car?
The hardest thing was getting the correct parts in Cuba. Friends in the USA bought most of the pieces and sent them to him, but Michel had to create 20% of the parts from just pieces of metal. He remembers having almost 50 blueprints for all the parts he created from scratch.
Where is the car Michel built now?
The car now belongs to Michel’s brother and is being used as a taxi. According to Michel, it runs 300 miles every day, which he takes as a sign that he did a decent job building it. He is also particularly proud of his own clutch design.
How does building a car compare to software development?
Michel says the two are very much alike. In both cases you are building something that needs to work well, you need to join different parts to complete the final product, and it is very much a challenge. His advice for any massive project is to focus on one thing at a time and do it the right way.
