The Good Tech Companies - Ihor Melnytskyi Said No to Apple—and Built His Own Empire

Episode Date: March 27, 2025

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/ihor-melnytskyi-said-no-to-appleand-built-his-own-empire. Ihor Melnytskyi turned down Apple to grow his own tech empire, building Yoka-Soft and FOOJ Innovation Corp. from the ground up. Check more stories related to startups at: https://hackernoon.com/c/startups. You can also check exclusive content about #startup-founders, #ceo-spotlight, #turned-down-apple, #tech-entrepreneur, #ukrainian-programmer, #cloud-development, #ai-startups, #good-company, and more. This story was written by: @jonstojanjournalist. Learn more about this writer by checking @jonstojanjournalist's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. From coding at age 10 to founding Yoka-Soft and FOOJ Innovation Corp., Ihor Melnytskyi built a global tech brand through grit, creativity, and vision. After being invited to join Apple in 2024, he chose to continue leading his own ventures instead. His journey spans software dev, crypto investing, and AI innovation across Ukraine and the U.S.

This audio is presented by Hacker Noon, where anyone can learn anything about any technology. Ihor Melnitsky said no to Apple, and built his own empire, by John Stoyan journalist. Java courses as the ground for the bigger future Ihor Melnitsky is an extraordinary person. Since childhood, he has been distinguished by a creative approach to solving everyday problems. His analytical mindset pushed the boy to study the basics of programming. At the age of 10, Ehor got into the IT sphere, starting to practice developing the skills that subsequently determined his professional path. It would seem that flashing and restoring smartphones, in particular, iPhones, can hardly be considered the beginning of a serious career. Many would say that this is a temporary hobby of an inquisitive teenager. However,

Ehor's keen interest in issues of software and the functionality of modern gadgets served Asa a promising basis for the future ambitious achievements of the young computer genius. In 2012, Ehor Melnitsky began mining Bitcoin, diving into the depths of new technologies and improving his skills. Just four years later, in 2016, Ihor realized his desire to gain more knowledge in programming and completed Java courses. This became a valuable experience that motivated the young specialist to continue his independent studies. First job in smooth professional rise being energetic and proactive by nature, Ihor Melnitsky

got his first job in 2016. This year turned out to be rich in significant life milestones. The Java courses he had just completed became a timely basis for employment as a software developer at Nova Poshta. However, Ihor's freedom-loving nature directed him toward freelancing, and in 2017, the promising specialist began to engage not only in programming but also on the design of a website for an online electronics store in Ukraine. Iha's inquiring mind and constant creative search for his place in the profession gave the reading audience a book on self-development in 2018.

The entrepreneurial side of his personality and literary talent turned out to be successful combination of factors, thanks to which in 2019 the general public got a chance to purchase Ehor Melnitskayi's English language book, Head Made of Money. This bestseller tells how an ordinary person can achieve wealth and find their true purpose in their profession and life. Having irreplaceable experience of personal and material development, the author clearly and simply presents ideas on how to acquire the right mindset in order to become truly successful. Own brand and prospects for a great future 2018 and 2019 were incredibly fruitful for Ihor Melnitsky. The young programmer began a large-scale campaign to develop Yokosoft websites. Understanding the demand for services for creating IT products and developing marketing strategies, Ihor launched a potentially successful startup.

However, like any business, the new project required enormous labor costs. Recalling that challenging period of his career, Ehor admits that too many responsibilities fell on his shoulders. During the initial promotion of the Yokosoft brand, the owner of the company had to deal with sales, design, and employment of subordinates alone. The work process took the young businessman 15 to 17 hours a day. In addition, higher education in the field of jurisprudence has become an undeniable plus for the correct business organization.

Realizing the urgent need to delegate part of its functionality to developers, layout designers, creatives, and designers, the head of Yokosoft was able to expand the staff of qualified specialists in 2019. And, of course, for the proper presence of the brand in the legal field, Ihor Melnitsky entrusted the document flow to a competent accountant on an outsourced basis. International recognition Ihor Melnitsky belongs to that unique type of entrepreneur who never stands still and always looks for new opportunities to develop his creative brainchild. In 2020, the CEO of Yokosoft, along with the main activities of the company, managed to devote his time and energy to the intricacies of investing in cryptocurrency. Thanks to a reasonable approach to valuation forecasting, IHOR increased the

invested funds by 20 times. A year later, in 2021, the Ioka Soft brand had already confidently occupied its niche in the market, so the launch of such a direction as affiliate marketing strengthened the company's position and once again confirmed Ihor Melnitskayi's reputation as a talented leader. The image of a modern and rational boss in the IT sphere allowed him to receive an invitation to the prestigious top-level conference on online marketing Sempro Ukraine. Since 2023, Ihor Melnitskayi's biography has undergone sharp turns. New, previously unexplored career horizons have opened up for the entrepreneur in the USA.

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence technologies made it possible to implement the idea of creating a prototype of an application for analytical control of all components of the human body. In addition, under the leadership of Ivor Melnitsky, the FOJ Innovation Corp. Corporation was registered. A gifted Ukrainian programmer, who has already managed to attract the attention of American IT professionals, was invited in 2024 to the legendary Apple company for the position of full-stack engineer, Java, JS. However, Ihor Melnitsky's leadership spirit

led him in a different direction, the founder of YokaSoft chose not to follow the beaten path of a hired employee, but to continue developing his own business, which Ihor has been successfully doing to this day. Thank you for listening to this Hacker Noon story, read by Artificial Intelligence. Visit HackerNoon.com to read, write, learn and publish.