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Ian Zapolsky

Engineering Manager at Check

Ian Zapolsky is a seasoned professional with a strong background in computer science.

He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science from Columbia University in the City of New York.

Ian also obtained his High School Diploma from Garfield High School.

With a wealth of experience in the tech industry, Ian has held various roles at prominent organizations.

Currently, he serves as a Software Engineer at Check, showcasing his expertise in software development.

Prior to his current role, Ian held the position of Senior Software Engineer and Team Lead at AppNexus, demonstrating his leadership skills and technical proficiency.

His tenure at AppNexus also includes roles as Software Engineer II and Software Engineer.

During his early career, Ian gained valuable experience as a Software Engineer Intern at Oyster Inc. and BrandVerity, where he honed his technical skills.

In addition to his tech roles, Ian has also shared his passion for music by working as a Jazz Piano Instructor at Seattle JazzED.

Ian Zapolsky's diverse experience and strong educational background make him a versatile professional in the field of computer science and software engineering.

Highlights

Dec 21 · linkedin

Wow, I'm having a major fanboy moment today! A few weeks ago I shot an email to Patrick McKenzie (author of the awesome Bits About Money newsletter) asking if he'd be interested in writing about the payroll industry. To my shock, he responded, and we had an exciting 45-minute conversation that in small part led to his latest post (linked below).

It's a fantastic deep dive into the history of payroll, as well as some of the things that make the payroll industry so fascinating (which, if you know anything about me, you know is near and dear to my heart). But the most important point he makes is that payroll in the U.S. has been overwhelmingly unchanged for most of its existence, due to the incredibly high barriers to entry that new providers need to overcome (things like money transmitter licenses in all 50 states, scaled money movement and ledgering capabilities, and more).

This is the core problem that led to the founding of Check - we're dedicated to helping our partners build payroll products and experiences for their customers that are orders of magnitude better than those that have come before, in a way that wasn't possible ~4 years ago before we invented embedded payroll.

Thank you Patrick for focusing on this OG part of the fintech world and for the great conversation!

Dec 7 · linkedin

I'm so excited to share the first in a series of blog posts I've written at Check that outline the history of the US payroll industry. This one dives deep into the history of the practice of tax withholding in America, and includes such characters as Cordell Hull (the longest-serving US Secretary of State ever), Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Daffy Duck!

I've become a huge payroll buff in the 3+ years I've worked at Check, and hope folks enjoy diving into this complex and critical part of our economy. Please enjoy!

Ian Zapolsky
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Location

San Francisco, California, United States