Born and raised in Romania, Loredana Crisan studied piano and music composition at the National Music University in Bucharest before moving to the US at 22. It was there she found her new interest in mobile design, then tech space. “I didn’t choose tech. It chose me,” Loredana shared back in 2022.
Fast forward to today, Loredana has been working on the Messenger app at Meta for 8 years and now serves as Vice President of Messenger. In this role, she has led the strategy and launch of the new Messenger experience on Instagram, including cross-app communication, and the introduction of new expression and safety features in Messenger’s end-to-end encrypted surfaces.
During her third visit to Vietnam for the Facebook In Real Life event, Vietcetera caught up with Loredana on the behind-the-scenes stories of Messenger’s latest features, how she and her team got inspired to make those changes, and her real-life impression of Vietnam’s evolving digital landscape.
Meta is renowned as one of the world’s top workplaces. In your experience, what stands out as the most rewarding aspect of working at Meta?
It’s the people and the product.
There are many very interesting products out there in the world, but Meta is the one company that is here to connect people. This is just really important to me as a person because, in the end, it’s relationships that matter in our lives.
Since I moved to the US from Romania in 2002, I have been physically thousands of miles away from my family. Thanks to the ubiquity and power of messaging, I can strengthen the bond with them, get to meet my nephew on the day he was born despite the distance and stay updated on my college friends via a Facebook group.
Having seen firsthand how much Meta’s products make a difference by improving people’s relationships, I am driven to work on Messenger to make the lives of more than one billion users truly better.
How do you determine if a talent is a good fit at Meta?
Most of the time, what makes it hard to work with people is not that people are bad, but that they just have different goals. So, as long as your goals are aligned with our mission, which is to connect people, and be ready to make a difference, you are welcome at Meta.
Also, we believe that skills can be learned. That’s why we often train people in some of the roles that they’ve been in. What counts is work ethic and commitment to our mission.
Additionally, are there any specific qualities or characteristics you prioritize above all else in a talent?
Ownership.
If you care about the products and have a sense of responsibility to improve user experiences, thus forging human connections, you’ll ask questions, learn what you need to learn, and find a way to get your tasks done. Simply coasting through the day doesn’t work at Meta.
Could you share a memorable or amusing anecdote about the feedback you’ve received, whether from your colleagues within Meta or your social circle?
My husband once ‘threatened’ not to use Messenger anymore if we don’t have a desktop app because he is on the desktop all the time and hates using Messenger on the web. So we built a desktop app.
Also, within Messenger, we have a large chat thread in which many team members participate. We’re always ‘dogfooding’ or testing our products internally, which helps us continually push for new ideas and provide feedback on user experiences.
Reflecting on your journey with Messenger, where many milestones have been achieved, how do you and your team celebrate every accomplishment?
We do a lot of karaoke - that’s our thing.
We all work hard, but we value our community. Especially in a company focused on connecting people, using a product that brings people together, we always look for moments to celebrate and enjoy each other’s company. That’s why I’d rather throw ten small parties than a big one.
Meta has been rolling out new features and updates for Messenger since 2021. From these recent launches, which feature do you find most impactful for businesses, especially in the context of Vietnam?
Sometimes, we forget that businesses have a business to run and also have to do the job of content creators at the same time. That’s why we’ve been rolling out several features that assist businesses in reaching larger audiences more directly and easily.
One such feature is Click To Messenger ads (CTM ads), which direct customers from ads straight into a conversation with businesses on Messenger. We’ve also rolled out broadcast channels that allow pages to gradually build an audience and engage with people more directly. I’m particularly excited about how AI can further assist businesses by customizing ad messages and tailoring content more effectively.
This is the third time you’re in Vietnam and this is the very first Facebook IRL event. What has surprised you the most about Vietnam in real life?
The last time I was here, we just talked to people and got to know how people and small businesses use our products. But this was the first time that I connected with some of the content creators in Vietnam, and I just found it fascinating to see how they’re building audiences and how talented they are.
I wouldn’t say that it’s surprising, but it’s just so incredibly rewarding to watch.
How do Vietnamese users’ interactions with Messenger’s features and functions differ from those of users in other countries?
Vietnamese users are early adopters - very curious and tend to use new features to their full extent.
We’ve noticed that the community here takes full advantage of the features we develop, and their feedback is incredibly insightful, guiding us on what we should do next.
This is why I’m here. Not once, not twice, but the third time.
What excites you the most about the future of Messenger, particularly in the context of its impact on Vietnamese users and the evolving digital landscape?
I’m genuinely enthusiastic about the potential of AI to enhance our digital conversations. Imagine integrating a Meta AI into your group chats, where you could ask questions like, “Where should I go for dinner tonight?” or “What’s the history of this topic?” This AI assistant will always be on hand to jump into your conversations.
Also, we’re spicing things up with AI-generated stickers. Unlike the usual ones designed by artists, these AI stickers let you unleash your creativity. Just tell the AI what you want, and it whips up a sticker for you, making chats a lot more fun and personalized.
AI can also be a lifesaver when you’re messaging someone you don’t know well and you’re overthinking every reply. It can suggest tweaks and help you polish your message until it feels just right.
Sometimes, a delightful conversation is an unplanned one, but starting a new one could be hard, especially if you don’t know whether you’re friends in the mood. That’s where we introduce ‘Notes,’ which show what your friends are up to. For instance, If I just write a note. stating “I’m in Facebook IR," people will get interested and start responding to me.
Fast Talk with Loredana Crisan
How skilled are you in using Messenger’s latest features on a scale from 1 to 10?
I give myself a nine and a half out of ten.
Chat or call?
Chat
Laptop or desktop?
Definitely laptop.
Pen and paper or digital notes?
Digital notes, of course. I’m a tech person.
Morning meetings or afternoon brainstorming sessions?
I’m a morning person so morning meeting.
Casual Fridays or formal dress code?
Casual all the way
Thumbs up or heart react?
Heart <3
Dark mode or light mode?
Dark mode.