When Pepper was six years old, she was first allowed to use the family computer. She had seen her sister playing Roblox and decided she wanted to try the platform, too.
“I was inspired by the games and started to try to make my own. I slowly built my way up from there,” Pepper said, spinning a dry erase marker between their fingers. Now 21 and a senior software engineer, Pepper has spent two years working at the company and essentially a lifetime using Roblox, and her ease and expertise with both her work and the platform is clear as she speaks.
Starting from those early years learning how to write in Lua, the coding language used by Roblox and experiences built on the platform, Pepper found a passion for programming languages. Even as she branched out and learned other languages, she found herself staying close to Roblox.
“There was always something to learn in terms of new stuff being added that would change what a Roblox experience fundamentally could be,” they said. “And, as I was getting older, I was getting more and more ideas to build. Roblox is always the easiest way to see those ideas get made because it is very easy for me to whip something multiplayer up and for me to send it off to everyone I know.”
A PASSION FOR LANGUAGES
“I’m fascinated by the language of languages,” Pepper said. After casually discussing her linguistic interests during her Roblox hiring process, Pepper’s first project at the company was to work on a “mini programming language” to use to search for objects inside Roblox’s editor interface.
“My very first project was very specific to my interests and had a huge impact on developers — and also on me,” they said. “I use my own feature all the time, and I learned to make it better because I know what’s missing from it.”
Pepper is far from an outlier on the Roblox team. Software engineers Luke Weber and Nathan Dean also joined the team after first learning the platform inside and out while building games as developers in the Roblox community.
Nathan first encountered Roblox when his brother discovered the platform through a LEGO fan site ad. What started as a casual gaming experience quickly evolved into a deep engagement with the platform’s creative tools. Nathan was particularly drawn to Roblox Studio, where he learned Lua coding to bring his ideas to life.
“I started on Roblox around age 14,” he recalled. “I learned about the creative aspect — you could make your own games, which was really appealing. It felt magical to go into Roblox Studio and type in Lua code to make something move around.”
This early fascination led Nathan to develop browser plugins and uncover security exploits, which he reported to Roblox, eventually earning him an internship and later a full-time position.
Even as an intern, Nathan was given significant responsibility and autonomy, which carried into his later work experiences at the company. His first project involved transforming his browser plugin into a full-fledged feature within Roblox, which not only validated his skills but also highlighted the company’s trust in its developers.
Luke’s path to Roblox also stemmed from his fascination with the creative possibilities the platform offered. Inspired by the scrappy, user-generated content he encountered, Luke began developing his own games.
“I saw a building exploding in a video and thought, ‘I could make something like this.’ So I started entering the builder mode, creating my own stuff and getting inspired.”
His journey from a popular game developer on the platform to a full-time employee was marked by significant community engagement, including signing autographs at the first Roblox Rally in 2011.
Luke highlighted the hands-on learning experience at Roblox, noting that his work at the company often provided more practical knowledge than his college studies.
Working on high-stakes projects like the Lil Nas X and 21 Pilots virtual concerts allowed him to blend his love for game development with large-scale event production, creating memorable experiences for millions of users.
“We had a tight deadline and were making a really high-quality experience. It was fulfilling to see the impact it had on so many people,” he said.
That passion for user impact is shared across the Roblox team.
“Be the change you want to see in Roblox,” Nathan quipped as he shared advice he would give to developers curious about joining the company in a professional role. Nathan has done exactly that in his time at the company.
Nathan’s advice for Roblox developers: “Be the change you want to see in Roblox.”
“One of the first things I tackled at Roblox was a long-standing privacy bug that had been annoying me for years,” he explained. “They said, ‘Sure,’ so I went ahead and did it.”
Nathan also recalled a more recent project where he enhanced the visibility of Roblox in international search results, significantly improving the platform’s accessibility for non-English speakers. This technical challenge involved retrofitting the site’s functionality to support multiple languages, a project that required meticulous planning and execution but ultimately had a broad positive impact.
As a Roblox builder, Pepper enjoys significant freedom to propose and work on impactful projects that often come directly from user feedback on the platform — and sometimes that user contribution is Pepper’s own.
“There’s no quota, so if you have free time to work on something that annoys you, there’s a good chance you can do it,” they said.
Solving problems with creative solutions is part of the standard workflow at Roblox.
“I’m inspired by the community, but I’ve always been interested in really tough problems,” Luke said. Currently, that means digging into 3D interactions — “kind of like the buzzword metaverse,” he explained.
For Luke, the challenges aren’t just technical hurdles but also creative and fun puzzles to resolve.
“We’re almost trying to predict the future,” he said. “We’re always in uncharted territory, and that’s exciting.”
“We’re almost trying to predict the future.”
Across all their stories, a common theme is the supportive and inclusive environment at Roblox. Whether it’s senior engineers staying late to help interns wrap up projects, or the freedom to fix annoying bugs that impact the user experience, the company’s culture is built on empathy and mutual support.
Nathan shares a memorable instance from his first internship, where the camaraderie and willingness of colleagues to go the extra mile made a lasting impression. This culture not only makes Roblox a great place to work but also ensures that new hires and interns feel valued and empowered from day one.
For Pepper, Nathan and Luke, their journeys from platform power users to professionals at Roblox highlight the company’s unique ability to harness the passion of its community members and transform it into impactful contributions. Whether through improving platform security, enhancing user experiences or pioneering new features, the work at Roblox is driven by a shared goal of creating an ever-evolving, immersive digital world.
“The best products are made by people who are passionate,” Luke said. “If you’re from the community, your insights are paramount. We need you here.”
