A struggling Brooklyn bakery was months from closing. Then a Meta engineer made it go viral.

Zbigniew Stankowski (left) stands with Shuayb Qureshi, a Meta employee, at Star Deli.

Lloyd Mitchell for BI

Shuayb Qureshi didn't know many people in New York, and his work at Meta made it hard for him to find new friends.So, on a whim, the now-31-year-old software engineer started posting videos on Instagram."I'm like, maybe I can record myself doing some sort of stuff like that, talking to strangers," Qureshi recalled on a recent Saturday in Brooklyn. "I just wanted to express myself socially."Qureshi's videos have racked up millions of views and transformed the once-shy, nerdy coder into an influencer who is now occasionally recognized on the street.

Shuayb Qureshi stands on Nassau Street in Brooklyn.

Lloyd Mitchell for BI