# 62: Costs a Penny to Go to the Bathroom

- Show: [Embedded.fm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm)
- Published: 2014-08-06
- Length: 1h 05m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-08-06-62-costs-a-penny-to-go-to-the-bathroom
- Listen: https://makingembeddedsystems.libsyn.com/embedded-ep62mp3

## Summary

Josh Bleecher Snyder, Director of Software Engineering at PayPal, discusses the development of PayPal Beacon, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) hardware device for merchant check-ins, and his prior work at Card.io on mobile computer vision. He details the engineering challenges of using BLE for always-on presence, the security architecture involving cryptographic signatures between the beacon, merchant phone, and PayPal servers, and the decision to use the Go programming language for its concurrency and developer experience. Snyder also covers the transition from founding Card.io to working at a large enterprise, highlighting the cultural shift and the use of tools like Docker and Theano for machine learning.

## Chapters

- [0:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-08-06-62-costs-a-penny-to-go-to-the-bathroom#t=6) Introduction: Josh Bleecher Snyder and PayPal Beacon
- [1:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-08-06-62-costs-a-penny-to-go-to-the-bathroom#t=74) PayPal Beacon Hardware and BLE Technology
- [5:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-08-06-62-costs-a-penny-to-go-to-the-bathroom#t=347) Platform Specifics and Testing Challenges
- [8:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-08-06-62-costs-a-penny-to-go-to-the-bathroom#t=524) Privacy, Security, and Cryptographic Design
- [20:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-08-06-62-costs-a-penny-to-go-to-the-bathroom#t=1242) GATT Protocol and Go Programming Language
- [37:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-08-06-62-costs-a-penny-to-go-to-the-bathroom#t=2258) BLE Sniffing Tools and Development Advice
- [41:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-08-06-62-costs-a-penny-to-go-to-the-bathroom#t=2503) Card.io Founding and PayPal Acquisition
- [51:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-08-06-62-costs-a-penny-to-go-to-the-bathroom#t=3096) Enterprise Culture, Docker, and Computer Vision

## Topics

- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)
- [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, large enterprises

## Mentioned

- PayPal (company)
- Card.io (company)
- Beacon (product)
- Bluetooth Low Energy (other)
- TI CC2540 (chip)
- Go (other)
- GATT (other)
- Docker (other)
- Theano (other)
- OpenCV (other)
- Eigen (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Using Bluetooth Low Energy for IoT Connectivity | Blecon's Simon Ford | Internet of Things Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2024-08-20-using-bluetooth-low-energy-for-iot-connectivity-blecons-simon-ford-internet-of-t) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [A Meeting Of The Davids](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-08-06-a-meeting-of-the-davids) (The Amp Hour)
- [Ep064: The COBOL Cabal, the Demoscene Bytes, and the BTLE Cure](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2020-04-24-ep064-the-cobol-cabal-the-demoscene-bytes-and-the-btle-cure) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [#001: The future of Bluetooth connectivity with Blecon Founder, Simon Ford](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2024-11-27-001-the-future-of-bluetooth-connectivity-with-blecon-founder-simon-ford) (Coredump Sessions)
- [#006: Pebble’s Code is Free: Three Former Pebble Engineers Discuss Why It's Important (PART 2/2)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-04-15-006-pebbles-code-is-free-three-former-pebble-engineers-discuss-why-its-important) (Coredump Sessions)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-08-06-62-costs-a-penny-to-go-to-the-bathroom. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Embedded.fm.