How to talk to my manager about switching companies?

When it comes to telling a manager you're leaving, here's the process to follow:

• If you like your manager: Give them as early a heads up as possible, and be very respectful/appreciative of what they're done for you. My manager at Robinhood was one of the best I've ever had, so I told her almost 2 months ahead of time that I was leaving to start my own company. When I trust someone, I want to be transparent with them, and I wanted to give her the time to find a backfill for me (and backfilling a tech lead is very hard).
• If you don't like your manager: Do the bare minimum. Ideally, give 2 weeks notice, but even 1 week is okay. If you don't like them, they probably weren't a good/nice manager to you and didn't add much value to your life. You don't owe them anything. US is employment at will.

All that being said, it seems like company A hasn't done that much for you (you've spent 2 months just spinning your wheels it seems), so don't worry about this too much and lean more towards that 2nd scenario from above.

The company has a Winter break starting Dec 22 and my manager goes on leave from 20, when should I break this news to him?

Leaving your manager on a sour note before he goes on break seems mean, so I would tell him a good amount earlier than 12/20. Honestly, maybe tell him now? I can't find an exact date for your start at Company B, so it's tricky for me to work backwards.

How should I tell him about this decision without burning the bridges.

You can't. If you're leaving a job after just 2 months, it's pretty much impossible to not burn that bridge. It takes a lot of resources to hire an engineer, so if they stay for less than a quarter, that's a massive loss. Phrase things as delicately as you can, hope for the best, and leave.

Here's a great resource to help with that: "How can I gracefully leave my job?"

Best of luck with your new job!

Just to answer your question about the start date, my next employment starts from Dec 26

It's an unfortunate situation, and clearly the company lost money on you: they spent time + money training you, and you haven't had a chance to be productive. Given that you're leaving abruptly, they won't be pleased.

However, you don't need to be so concerned about the company. If you found a better opportunity (more aligned with your interests, more pay, etc), you should take it. Employment in the US is at-will, and employee churn is expected as "the cost of doing business", especially in larger companies.

I'd frame as "I found a compelling opportunity that I have to pursue, but I loved getting to know you".

I'd tell your manager before they go on leave so they don't feel completely blind-sided. The only reason not to is if you think the company may terminate you immediately and it could put your immigration status at risk somehow.

Just to answer your question about the start date, my next employment starts from Dec 26

You start right after Christmas? 😯

Anyways, you should tell them this week then. Give them a week to process it before they go on leave. 12/26 isn't that far away, especially with the holidays (December is a month that just flies by work-wise).

I find that the best managers won't take this personally if you give them a heads-up and do what's in your power to do a solid transition. The best ones I've had all cheered me on in my next step, and oftentimes, your paths will cross again, given it's a small world in tech.

At the enterprise level, it's very unlikely that any individual will take this personally, but a policy will likely put you on the "do not hire again" list due to the short tenure.

However, individual relationships are far more important than re-hireability at a particular company. It will be the individuals who will consider presenting you with opportunities down the road when they move to a new company (I've had this happen a couple of times in the past 5 years).

Tactically speaking, do all the standard stuff to facilitate a good transition:

• Document your knowledge and share it with the relevant people
• Offer to run a training to help others internalize it better
• Make sure everything that you're responsible for has a new owner
• Work closely with your manager to manage comms to stakeholders who depend on you
• Make sufficient time for 1-1s with people to chat on a more personal basis (even if it's just 5-10 mins)

Good luck in your next role and try to unwind a bit during the Holidays!