Tautvydas Kiaušas, Automotive Solution Developer
Quick Hits with Tautvydas:
- What do you do at Ruptela? I adapt our GPS trackers to work with different vehicle models. There is a bit of everything: electronics, programming, data analysis, and technical writing.
- How does your day start? Coffee. The first thing you do is go and make coffee.
- Your favorite part of the job? When a client says, “I need this, this, and this,” and I must figure out how to make it happen.
- Your superpower? Problem-solving. It fits.
- What keeps things interesting? Just when you think you’ve figured something out, a car manufacturer changes something, and you must start again.
- If your role were a character? Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy. We are a bit alike. He likes building things and never sits still.
- What was your first car? A Renault Clio I bought with a friend. We paid 400 litas and sold it for 750.
- Your favorite hobby? It depends on the phase I’m in. Cycling, running, swimming, padel, snowboarding, wakeboarding, motorcycling, climbing… I don’t stick to just one.
- Where would you go back? Iceland, but next time on a motorbike. Morocco too.
- One of the hardest things you’ve done? A 24-hour kayaking competition. We paddled 145 kilometers in 21 hours. Staying awake, the cold, and muscle pain were the hardest parts. I would do it again.
- What would you like to try next? Another off-road motorbike trip, and I’m already planning to climb Mont Blanc.
You think you’ve figured something out, and then a car manufacturer comes up with something new. So, you start again.
Tautvydas Kiaušas likes that about working at Ruptela – he admits he wouldn’t stay long in a job that bored him. As an Automotive Solution Developer, he adapts GPS trackers for different vehicle models. Some days involve programming and analyzing data, while others mean diving into car electronics, photos, and instructions explaining where everything connects.
You’re not just a developer. There’s a bit of everything.
His favorite tasks start when a client asks for something custom: “They say, ‘I need this, this, and this,’ and you must figure out how to make it happen. Those are the most interesting ones.” Problem-solving is his superpower, and if his role were a character, he’d be Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy because they both like building things and never sit still. His day always starts with coffee, and the job has taken him around the globe to Brazil, Chile, Israel, and beyond. Getting back to the hotel after a long day rarely meant staying in – he’d often head right back out to explore the city late into the night.
The Skiing Didn’t Work Out. The Job Did
Before Ruptela, Tautvydas worked in Kaunas, doing electrical work on commercial vehicles and preparing SUVs for off-roading. Then he went skiing in France. On the second day, he injured his knee. Stuck indoors for the rest of the week, he received a message from Ruptela’s HR team: “They said, ‘We’re looking for someone. Would you like to talk?’ I said, ‘Sure, let’s talk.’” After a few conversations, he returned to Lithuania, left his old job, and moved to Vilnius while his knee was recovering. At first, he commuted between Kaunas and Vilnius before finding a flat and settling in.
It Started with a BMW and Some Burnt Wiring
His interest in electronics started at school, repairing amplifiers, vapes, and whatever else his schoolmates brought him. When it came time to choose his studies, electronic engineering was an obvious choice. Then a friend bought a classic BMW E30 “chuliganas” that needed an engine swap. They bought an engine, fitted it, and tried to start the car. The wiring harness caught fire. “And we were like, ‘Hmm.’”
Tautvydas found the wiring diagrams and started working out what had gone wrong. It turned out the wiring had changed between production years, so the connections no longer matched. He fixed the problem, got the car running, and knew right then that automotive electronics was his path. As for his very first car? A Renault Clio he bought with a friend for 400 litas and sold for 750.
Annual Leave? Gone Racing
Cars take up plenty of Tautvydas’ free time, too. It started with a university friend who opened a garage and began working on rally cars. When he needed help during competitions, Tautvydas joined him as a Race Engineer. Later, after moving to Vilnius, he joined a circuit racing team and continued working with race cars in the European championship.
I spent the whole summer travelling with the team. Last year, I used all my annual leave and even took extra unpaid leave.
Motorsport is only one of Tautvydas’ interests, which tend to come in phases. There was a cycling phase with forty kilometers every other day, even in winter. Then came running, until he’d worn out two pairs of shoes. A triathlon introduced him to swimming, quickly reminding him that two hundred meters in open water is harder than it looks. These days, there’s also padel, snowboarding, wakeboarding, motorcycling, and climbing.
I don’t stick to one hobby. I go through phases.
Learning the Hard Way
Tautvydas had wanted a motorbike for years. One day, he spotted one during his lunch break at Ruptela and bought it right after work. After two seasons on the road, he switched to an enduro and joined friends on a 1,000-kilometer off-road trip around Lithuania. He spent a week taking the bike apart, checking every detail, and putting it back together. Then they set off. On the second evening, he went over the handlebars on a sandy stretch and broke his collarbone, ending the trip early.
He is already planning his next off-road ride, alongside trips to Morocco, riding through Iceland, and climbing Mont Blanc.
First, I learnt the hard way. Now I’m thinking, maybe I should go and learn properly.
“I’d Do It Again”
One of the hardest physical challenges Tautvydas has faced was a 24-hour kayaking competition. His team paddled non-stop, covering 145 kilometers from Molėtai to Vilnius in 21 hours. “The hardest parts were staying awake, the cold, and the muscle pain. I’d do it again.” He missed the most recent event because of his collarbone injury, but he still wants to return. In the meantime, he’s aiming to get out on his bike or wakeboard before the season ends, with surfing next on his list.
Interested in meeting Tautvydas and our team? Check out Ruptela’s current career opportunities.
