The SPIN pod was launched by Plaid's engineering team to improve collaboration across teams and empower developer customers to build and scale small product improvements. The team addressed customer pain points, such as transparency into transaction data freshness, through a cross-functional approach that included engineers from various product groups. By working with customers, the team developed solutions with high technical craftsmanship and a focus on code design, ultimately improving the customer experience and internal engineering team dynamics. The SPIN pod structure allowed for synchronized schedules and focused efforts on the customer experience, creating a unique opportunity for the team to dive deep into customer needs and build relationships with engineers across product groups.