What do Instagram, HubSpot, and your average marketplace have in common? They all need to handle vast amounts of user-generated content – photos, videos, documents – across countless devices, locations, and browsers. At first glance, file uploads seem like a simple technical task. But as Igor Debatur, CEO of UploadCare, shared with me on the Disciplined Troublemakers podcast, this is precisely the kind of underappreciated complexity that derails scaling efforts.
Founded in 2012, UploadCare began as a way to streamline file handling for internal web projects. But like many great technical tools, it evolved into a standalone platform because the pain was universal. As Igor explained, “We just wanted a file uploader that worked. And no one else had it.”
What UploadCare offers today goes far beyond that simple need: automatic optimization of content by device and location, real-time malware scanning, abuse detection, content delivery at global scale and peace of mind. Serving over 25 billion requests per week, they’re the infrastructure behind the scenes, making sure your product doesn’t buckle under growth.
But their biggest challenge?
Convincing technical teams not to build it themselves.
“The best customers,” Igor said, “are the ones who’ve already tried to build it.” Once a CTO has been burned by edge cases, surprise attacks, or compliance nightmares, they become open to solutions like UploadCare. It’s a classic case of “build vs. buy” and one where the real cost of building only becomes visible too late.
What impressed me most was how Igor framed the unseen risks: “You don’t know you need secure URLs until someone uploads something dark and starts sharing it on your domain.” These moments don’t just damage brand trust they trigger legal obligations, compliance audits, and sleepless nights for DevOps.
Today, UploadCare operates globally with a lean team of 40, serving companies across industries and continents. Their infrastructure is built for scale, with auto-scaling baked in and support for massive data spikes, like those in ecommerce during November and December. When larger clients migrate millions of files, UploadCare’s DevOps team is hands-on, ensuring performance never falters.
In 2024, the company was acquired by Tiugo, a PSG-backed holding company. Unlike many post-acquisition horror stories, Igor describes this as a growth opportunity. Free from an earn-out and eager to learn from peers, he now collaborates across Tiugo’s portfolio on high-level strategy and operational alignment. “It’s actually brought me joy,” he says, “to think at a higher level and learn from others.”
Igor’s journey is a case study in evolving from technical founder to strategic leader—someone who’s unafraid to pivot, ask for help, and let go of control in favor of leverage.
If there’s one takeaway for growth-stage CEOs and CTOs, it’s this: just because you can build something, doesn’t mean you should. Especially when the invisible risks could cripple your business.
In a world where scale exposes every flaw, choosing what not to build might be the smartest decision you make.