Spotlight on Nikita Lyzhov: Making the most of a new chapter in life

Two years ago, Senior Frontend Engineer Nikita (Mykyta) Lyzhov decided to move to the United States and join Spotnana. Becoming a Spotter provided an opportunity to meaningfully apply his extensive travel knowledge and tech skills, while starting a new chapter of his life in California.

Nikita currently serves as a Senior Frontend Tech Lead at Spotnana in our Palo Alto office. His core responsibilities include designing and implementing UI components, maintaining code quality, and driving architectural decisions across the front-end stack. 

Recently, he began leading a growing team of engineers, focusing on mentoring, shaping team culture, and guiding other engineers in their professional development. In addition to his technical responsibilities, he actively participates in feature discussions with the Product team and contributes to delivering impactful features for partners such as Marriott, Qantas, Brex, and more.

Nikita spoke with us about his engineering journey, the value he delivers to our partners and customers, why he enjoys working with his colleagues, and how Spotnana supports his career development.

Can you please share your career journey prior to Spotnana?

“My passion for software development began when I spent countless hours on a computer during my childhood. I earned both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Software Engineering and began working professionally during my final year at university. I advanced through various roles in the tech industry, progressing from junior to senior and ultimately to lead engineer.

“Over the course of seven years, I refined my expertise as both a front-end and full-stack engineer. I spent the first four years working in the healthcare domain, contributing to an AI-powered medical system as a front-end engineer. I then transitioned to the travel industry, where I contributed to the development of a comprehensive system for a hotel chain brand as a full-stack engineer. This experience at the hotel chain brand and the domain knowledge I acquired were key factors in my decision to join Spotnana.

Why did you choose to come work at Spotnana?

“I was drawn to the opportunity to work within a strong engineering culture on a globally impactful product. My deep domain knowledge in the travel industry, along with my familiarity with the Spotnana tech stack, made the opportunity especially compelling. The product vision was inspiring and aligned with my own desire to transform travel experiences. Since I love to travel and explore new places, contributing to a company that’s modernizing the travel industry felt deeply meaningful to me. 

“The interview process definitively sealed my decision. I was grateful for the opportunity to meet and speak with the people I would be working with, and their professionalism and passion left a strong impression on me.”

What was your interview experience like at Spotnana?

“My interview experience at Spotnana was one of the most positive, authentic, and memorable I’ve had. Tasks were thoughtfully designed to be both challenging and collaborative. Each interview felt like a real working session where we became familiar with each other’s approaches, problem-solving styles, and communication dynamics.

“I especially enjoyed the JavaScript round—it was so well-structured and insightful that I now use it when interviewing other engineers for Spotnana. Overall, the collaborative atmosphere gave me a strong sense of the team culture and confirmed that Spotnana was the right place for me.”

What are the dynamics and goals of the Engineering team? What is it like to work on your team?

“The Engineering team at Spotnana is highly collaborative, mission-driven, and focused on delivering scalable, high-quality solutions. We emphasize clean architecture, ownership, and continuous improvement. There’s a strong culture of code reviews, knowledge sharing, and open communication, which helps us grow individually and as a team.

“On my specific team, we are responsible for partner onboarding, platform configuration, and managing core components such as policies and profile settings. We support one another in solving complex problems and take pride in building features that bring tangible value to our customers and partners. Our team consists of experienced engineers who consistently deliver reliable, production-ready code that supports use cases across our platform.”

Nikita Lyzhov (first from right) with his colleagues

What are some of the technical problems you’re solving?

“I maintain a scalable and robust front-end architecture while supporting complex business logic and integrations with our partners. I also work on improving authentication and session management flows to ensure reliability and performance across various login strategies. Additionally, I help refine our design system and optimize performance in key areas of the application.

“I do my best to make our platform more modular and flexible, facilitating better partner configurations and customizations. This includes addressing edge cases, working across service boundaries, and coordinating closely with back-end engineers to deliver cohesive solutions. Solving these challenges in a fast-growing codebase requires a deep understanding of our tech stack and a commitment to clean, maintainable code.”

What are the innovative projects that you’re working on to drive innovation in the travel industry?

“I’m actively involved in partner-driven innovation, where we tailor and scale our platform to support Marriott, Brex, Qantas, and more. These projects often involve complex custom flows and integrations that push the boundaries of our platform’s flexibility, helping to reshape how corporate travel is managed and experienced. A key part of this work is ensuring that every feature we develop is both scalable and reliable so that our platform can be fully configured to meet each partner’s unique needs.”

What is something specific that you’ve accomplished at Spotnana that you’re proud of?

“One of my proudest accomplishments is significantly improving the front-end authentication experience. Our system supports multiple authentication mechanisms to meet the diverse needs of our customers. Stabilizing this complexity was a major technical challenge. I led efforts to enhance existing flows, introduce new authentication methods, and ensure consistent and reliable user access across the platform. 

“As the Directly Responsible Individual (DRI) for key partner Brex, I oversee feature delivery and ensure their needs are met with high quality and reliability. In addition, I’ve delivered numerous features for our partners that are utilized by thousands of users. These contributions have had a visible impact on end-user experience and partner satisfaction.”

How has Spotnana supported your professional development?

“Spotnana has been incredibly supportive of my professional growth. I’m surrounded by smart and collaborative people who are always willing to share their knowledge and help guide me toward the best technical solutions. Working closely with my manager, Nitin Agarwal, has been incredibly impactful. We maintain an ongoing development plan that aligns with both my personal career aspirations and the company’s objectives.

“With Nitin’s support, I’ve not only deepened my technical expertise but also successfully transitioned into a Tech Lead role. His mentorship has helped me develop my hard skills and leadership capabilities in a structured and meaningful way.”

Can you share how in-person Spotnana gatherings have shaped your Spotnana experience?

“I love the friendly and welcoming atmosphere of the Palo Alto office. I find that I’m always enjoying meaningful conversations with my colleagues, whether I’m asking them a work-related question or just chatting about life. My colleagues and I often go out for lunch in large groups, which makes the day even more fun and social.

“We also regularly have happy hours at local restaurants and enjoy small in-office events, like our recent summer ice cream social. These gatherings help us build stronger connections and support an inclusive and delightful culture.”

Why is travel important to you?

“I once heard a quote in a podcast that deeply resonates with me: “Time slows down when you travel because you’re constantly experiencing new emotions and sensations.” Every trip I’ve taken stands out clearly in my memory, and they warm my heart when I think about them.

“Before moving to the United States, I had already visited 17 countries. I’ve set a personal goal to explore at least 50 in my lifetime. For me, travel is more than just visiting places—it’s about immersing myself in new cultures, understanding different ways of life, and making unforgettable memories along the way. It’s something that’s always been close to my heart.”

What is your favorite thing about working at Spotnana?

“What I enjoy most about working at Spotnana is the combination of visionary leadership and a clear mission to modernize the infrastructure of the travel industry. I feel empowered by the freedom we have in our engineering approach, which allows for creativity and ownership in solving complex problems.

“Being surrounded by talented, supportive colleagues helps me grow every day. The atmosphere is warm and collaborative—engineers are always open to help, and there’s no hesitation when it comes to asking questions or learning from one another. Furthermore, Spotnana provides significant opportunities for professional development, a benefit I’ve personally experienced through my advancement into a Tech Lead role.”

Fun Facts!

• What’s the best trip you ever took and why? Maui, Hawaii. It was an unforgettable trip with my wife and friends. We rented a 4×4 Jeep and explored the entire island. Driving the Road to Hana was both thrilling and challenging—it’s the most dangerous yet memorable road I’ve ever experienced.

• What’s your favorite thing to do at the airport? I enjoy walking around the airport and taking in the atmosphere. During the morning, I usually grab a coffee and enjoy the calm. During the evening, I’ll drink a beer and eat some snacks.

• What’s your favorite airplane snack? Salted peanuts. I love something crunchy.

• Aisle, middle, or window seat? Window, always. I love watching the takeoff. Afterwards, I usually fall asleep for the rest of the flight.

• What’s your go-to show to watch on a trip? Anything with good storytelling or detectives like “Breaking Bad” or YouTube videos on fishing.

• What’s the top destination on your bucket list? 
  • Each of the Hawaiian islands for nature exploration and beach relaxation.
  • Alaska for fishing and untouched wilderness.
  • Amsterdam, London, and Paris for urban traveling and cultural exploration.