Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at Facebook? It’s not just about liking posts and sharing photos. Facebook Open Source is a crucial aspect of the company’s success, powering projects like React, GraphQL, and PyTorch. And there’s a dedicated team working behind the scenes to support these projects and ensure a seamless integration between Facebook’s public and private codebases.

This team, known as the Open Source Tooling team, develops innovative tools like ShipIt and GitHub integrations. These tools enable engineers at Facebook to contribute to Open Source projects without straying from internal processes. With a deep understanding of GitHub, React, and GraphQL, the Tooling team collaborates with Open Source teams to prioritize feature requests and ensure maximum impact.

But that’s not all. The Tooling team also partners with GitHub to create a self-service portal for Open Source customers. This portal manages security concerns and facilitates project settings, making it easier for developers to engage with Open Source communities.

Working on the Tooling team at Facebook requires expertise in GitHub, React, and GraphQL. It’s a role where you’ll be at the forefront of Open Source innovation, collaborating with talented engineers and making a significant impact.

Jawboning: Government Pressure on Tech Platforms

Government officials frequently engage in jawboning, exerting pressure on tech platforms to align with their agendas. This practice can blur the line between persuasion and coercion, potentially leading to censorship. Matt Perault, a former Facebook policy development team member, experienced jawboning firsthand during his time at the company. Both Republican and Democratic officials, as well as foreign governments, would engage in repeated and routine communication to influence Facebook’s policies.

Examples include attempts to ban the use of data by campaigns for targeted advertising and pressuring platforms to handle controversial content in a certain way. While there are benefits to educational and informational communication between the government and tech platforms, it is essential to consider when this communication crosses into coercion and violates the protections of the First Amendment.

Live Commenting: Real-Time Conversations on Facebook

Live commenting on Facebook allows for spontaneous online conversations to happen in real time, creating opportunities for serendipitous connections. This feature presents unique challenges due to the massive scale at which Facebook operates.

Initially, a poll-based approach was considered, but it was quickly determined that it would not scale. Instead, a push-based approach was adopted, where viewership information is stored locally and then collected from data centers across the country to deliver real-time updates. This “write locally, read globally” strategy allowed Facebook to handle the high volume of comments and ensure a seamless commenting experience for users.

The successful deployment of the live commenting feature across the platform required close collaboration between front-end and back-end engineers. Their expertise and joint effort resulted in a smooth implementation that enables users to engage in serendipitous conversations and experience real-time communication on Facebook.