MagicalNugget

A Staff engineer :: AMA

Why AMA?- New to GV. I see potential here; trying to gauge audience and perhaps I can talk about a thing or two; can definitely learn from ya’al otherwise.

Primer Qs (from some successful AMAs outside of GV)- What tech has better future? Is Ai going to kill our jobs? How to increase Tc 5x, 10x, 20x+? Startups vs big corps?

Background, Tc stuff- Decade+ yoe Started with <10Lpa. Crossed >10Lpm. Life is fun and no amount of money is enough. I’ve seen it firsthand that the investments and luxuries grow at far bigger rate than your comp, Can’t complain though.

9mo ago

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SillyDonut

TCS9mo

Disagree with your last 2 lines...

Minimalism is the key to happiness, Period.

Qs - As a LinkedIn employee, don't you feel bad that LinkedIn doesn't have monetary benifit plan for creators like meta n Google?

FuzzyDonut

Stealth9mo

That would just make LinkedIn even more spammy than it is now

MagicalNugget

Linkedin9mo

Hard disagree. Maximalism can also very well be the key to success.
You cannot (and should not) hold the view that if you like minimalism, it naturally becomes the only winning strategy.

I am not entirely sure if I understand the complexity of your Q. Lin is basically a job board and extremely successful at being that. All the Feed, shorts etc are just a part of session extensions to incentivise folks to stay on the app + ads pays bills!
I am neutral to the sentiment that content creators aren’t incentivised in monetary terms but I reckon most folks use Lin as an extension to their brand creation and crux stays on YT.

MagicalNugget

Linkedin9mo

Answering some common Qs.

How to increase comp by 5x, 10x+
(Here’s what worked for me. Its not guaranteed to work for everyone. If you are clear on responsibilities and are willing to put the hard work, I’hd wager that 💰 will just follow you)

Use first 3y to generate passion, learn the trade, learn how to learn! (Twister yea!), find gaps by looking at your local seniors, gaps dont mean you lack in something; it may very well be the case that your seniors are becoming/have become ‘toxic’ and in that case, learn what NOT to do so that you don’t become like them.
Learn rhythm of the business.
If possible, don’t chase 💰 at all.

Next 3y, amplify the learnings. You are a Sde2 now.
Check for opportunities to grow fresh grads/interns as successful sde1s. Its a very nurturing experience.
Learn office dynamics.

Next 3y you are now a Senior engg/ sde3.
Exec communication is a thing now. Stakeholder management is a thing now. You’ll be responsible for delivering a sufficiently big project. Think about its operability, manageability, performance etc.

Decade+
You are a Staff engg / sde4 now.
Your main goal is to grow your team, make important bets with your Director, fine tune OKRs, foresee potential misalignments, this is your opportunity to demonstrate leadership. You are DRI for a chunky project and you are doing tech reviews for your fellow Staffs, Seniors and Juniors.

SleepyKoala

Amazon9mo

I'll add a few more things.

Have role models to look up to early in your career. Work with them to draft a growth plan for yourself. Keep yourself and your manager accountable. You should drive career your growth discussions
As you grow through levels, your bandwidth becomes a blocker for your company/org. Learn to delegate effectively and learn to say no
ALWAYS be prepared for interviews. Make a switch as soon as you feel there's no growth for you. This is by far the fastest way to double/triple your comp
Be a keen observer. See what others around you do well and assimilate whatever makes sense to you
Focus on developing skills, compensation should be side effect of your talent

Beyond all this luck matters a lot. Things won't be in your favor all the time. Your effort and attitude is the only thing you control