Inside Wells Fargo's Columbus Tech Hub

Wells Fargo opened its Columbus technology hub in 2024 with a very specific idea: to give a few hundred technologists a space to collaborate and build. With open floors, focus rooms, and clear opportunities to connect, the building is designed for exactly that.

Jasem Asnaf, a software engineering manager who has been at Wells Fargo for four years, describes the space as "a place where everyone can connect and collaborate and build relationships."

Proximity to others changes how the work gets done. Engineers start a conversation at one desk and finish it in a focus room. Mentoring happens across a table instead of a screen. The hub is still new, so its culture is being cultivated by the employees working there, who are in at least three days a week, according to Wells Fargo's hybrid schedule.

That's the draw at Wells Fargo's Columbus office. The people who work there are given ownership of their projects and of the culture they're building around them.

What the work is actually like

The scale of the work is what drew Jasem to Wells Fargo in the first place. The company's technology handles upward of 12 billion customer interactions a year, and banking systems that size create problems most engineers never get to work on.

"There are a lot of challenges, in a good way," Jasem said.

Those challenges are waiting for him when he walks in. He starts most mornings reviewing overnight activity and production issues with team members and other managers, then runs his own standup. From there, the day is split between project delivery, solving problems as they surface, managing risk, and finding ways to make his team's process more efficient. The specifics change constantly.

"No two days are the same," he said.

Keeping a team steady through that is most of the job. Jasem works to protect his team's focus, cut down on distractions, and put people in front of work that gives them a reason to step up. He learned the approach from the way he was treated. When he moved into his current role, the support was immediate, and leadership guided him through the transition rather than leaving him to find his own footing.

"You're surrounded by strong leadership," he said.

So he leads the same way. He hands his team ownership, keeps everyone on the same page, stays transparent about what's happening and why, and coaches when coaching is needed. The goal is a team that operates as one unit rather than a set of individuals working in parallel.

"If you're responsible, you do whatever it takes to get the job done," he said.

A focus on community

That same ownership shows up in what employees do with the building when they aren't shipping code. In October 2025, more than 100 people spent a day inside the Columbus office building a playhouse for Habitat for Humanity. Jasem served as one of the group leads, and the part he remembers is the end of the day, handing the finished playhouse over and watching the kids' faces.

"Everyone rolled up their sleeves," he said. "That's why we do it. You spend a day building something with people you usually only see in a standup, and it changes how you work together after. It's a good reminder that the point of all this is people."

Wells Fargo gives employees dedicated hours for community service, has worked with Habitat for Humanity for about two decades, and runs a grant program that lets employees direct dollars toward causes they already volunteer for. The Columbus team also turns up for things around the city, including Purpose Jobs community events and happy hours.

Jasem, second from the left, spoke on a panel at a Wells Fargo office event in May 2026.

Why people stay

Four years in, what's kept Jasem at Wells Fargo has less to do with the technology and more to do with what he's been asked to do with it. He's led teams through process improvements and some significant organizational and technical transitions, and that work is what has made the job rewarding.

The office is part of it. The hub sits in the Easton region on the northeast side of Columbus, with a cafeteria, a gym, outdoor walking paths, free parking with EV charging, and a lot of natural light. It will eventually support 350 financial technology jobs in the region, most of them IT roles and software developers. Jasem says the flexibility works.

The rest of it is knowing there's somewhere to go. Career growth at Wells Fargo isn't a single ladder. There are multiple paths, and employees can move laterally across them as their interests change, backed by training, certification support, and up to $5,000 a year in tuition reimbursement for career-related coursework.

"They take care of their people," Jasem said.

Asked what he'd tell someone considering a job at the Columbus hub, he came back to ownership.

"The people and the culture we're building here give you a sense of ownership and the opportunity to make a difference," he said. "Over the last four years, I've had the chance to contribute to meaningful work. I'm accountable for the success of my team and for helping them grow. If you're willing to take that ownership and invest in your growth, you'll find plenty of opportunity to advance your career and make an impact."

Wells Fargo is currently hiring for multiple roles at the Columbus technology hub. Explore open roles at Wells Fargo today.