Meta Case Study - Debugging A Massive Production Issue

Here we go through an example bug at Meta. Given the information, we need to figure out what kind of root cause is behind the issue. This case study shows:
- Why it's important to understand the blast radius of a bug
- How knowing the context behind a bug can help you locate the problem area
- The value of having robust analytics

This video is a clip from our debugging masterclass. You can watch it here: [[Masterclass] How To Become A Debugging Master And Fix Issues Faster](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/ioR6WzamAIUTpySLAr7o/masterclass-how-to-become-a-debugging-master-and-fix-issues-faster/)

Related resources:
- [[Case Study] Solving A Multi-Million $$ Instagram Bug](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/WYk4J05iBqOuPtD0CYKX/case-study-solving-a-multi-million-dollardollar-instagram-bug/)
- ["How can I become more independent and better at unblocking myself with tricky technical issues?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/QhqQQGrDgFjZbqohpKe0/how-can-i-become-more-independent-and-better-at-unblocking-myself-with-tricky-technical-issues/)
- ["What is the effective way to understand new repository in order to make the required changes in that repo?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/KoxB3UU2zWC9pdYU6Rx0/what-is-the-effective-way-to-understand-new-repository-in-order-to-make-the-required-changes-in-that-repo/)

Ace The ML System Design Interview [Part 2] - Why You Need A System

The machine learning system design interview can be daunting, but understanding common pitfalls can help you succeed. Here are the core points from this lesson:

- Align with the interviewer on the problem statement before diving into design to ensure the right problem is being solved
- Use a structured approach: start with big-picture system design, then address data considerations and modeling, only discussing deployment and operations if time allows
- Clearly articulate reasoning by explaining the "why" behind design choices and considering trade-offs between different techniques
- Take control of the interview by making assumptions, validating them with the interviewer, and simplifying the problem to fit within the given time
- Write down key assumptions and decisions to maintain clarity and provide a reference for both yourself and the interviewer

If you like what Ilya has to say, subscribe to his YouTube for more high-quality ML/AI career guidance: [MLEpath - YouTube](https://go.mlepath.com/taro-youtube-mlepath)

If you want hands-on support from Ilya to crack the FAANG ML interview, join his coaching program: [MLEpath - Coaching Program](https://go.mlepath.com/taro-march-25)

Maximizing a Severance Package 3/9 - Termination Circumstances

Let's talk about the different circumstances where you may need a package or to try and get a severance from a company.

- Connect with [**Ethan on LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanevansvp/)
- Taro members get a discount to join [**Ethan's Level Up community**](https://levelupwithethanevans.substack.com/taro25)

DSA Crash Course [Part 17] - Intersection Walkthrough

In this lesson, Alvin walks through the python implementation for the *intersection* problem.

Code along and test your work in the following editor workspace: <https://structy.net/problems/intersection?language=py>

If you need additional support taking these DSA skills and actually applying them, take [**Alvin's**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/) *complete* data structures and algorithms course on [**Structy**](https://structy.net/?utm_source=taro). You can try out the concepts yourself in their interactive code editor and learn advanced DSA patterns like stack exhaustive recursion.

Use [**this link to get 20% off**](https://structy.net/purchase?promo_code=taro20) the entire Structy DSA learning experience.

Follow Alvin on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/>

The Journey to Staff Engineer In Big Tech - Q&A

This is the Q&A portion of the Staff Engineer Panel discussion. Watch the [main content here](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/SaYyJGLYvrAy4XGrDhy7/the-journey-to-staff-engineer-in-big-tech-panel-discussion/).

The journey to Staff Engineer is unique for everybody. In this session, we talk about all the ways we got there! Senior Engineer is a terminal level at most tech companies. 

Staff Engineer is the next level up. This is referred to as Staff at Meta/Google, or Principal Engineer at Amazon/Microsoft. 

Questions answered in the video: 
- I'm making a career change into Software Engineering -- what advice would you have? I want to get into Augmented/Virtual Reality.
- I'm already a Staff Engineer, but I'm struggling with performance management. What advice would you have to exceed expectations?
- What resources would you recommend to improve at communication? What is an effective way to find a mentor?
- I'd like to first become a Tech Lead (TL) and then transition into a Staff Engineer role. What advice would you have for me?
- I'm a Data Engineer (DE) and big fan of Zach! How do I show the impact of my work to a manager who may be unfamiliar, especially since I don't do frontend?

See discussions about Staff Engineers on Taro: [https://www.jointaro.com/topic/staff-engineer/](https://www.jointaro.com/topic/staff-engineer/)

Publicly available promotion stories:
- [Ryan's Instagram video processing improvements](https://engineering.fb.com/2022/11/04/video-engineering/instagram-video-processing-encoding-reduction/)
- [Rahul's internal tool for debugging](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/qvp2quodqAEWSkN7sayt/case-study-building-a-meta-internal-tool-to-empower-an-entire-org-staff-promotion-story/)

Panelists:
- [Zach Wilson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/eczachly/)
- [Rahul Pandey](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rpandey1234/)
- [Carly Taylor](https://www.linkedin.com/in/carly-taylor-data/)
- [Lee McKeeman](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lmckeeman/)
- [Ryan Peterman](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlpeterman/)

Top System Design Interview Mistakes [Part 16] - Outro

Congratulations on making it to the end of the course! If you have any thoughts, we would love to hear them over at [Formation.dev](https://formation.dev/partners/taro):

- Connect with me (Sophie) on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophienovati/>
- Follow [Formation.dev](https://formation.dev/partners/taro) on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/company/formation-dev/>

As a reminder, if you need extra help with your system design interview, Formation can provide you hands-on, personalized support. Join us here: <https://formation.dev/partners/taro>

Now that you've mastered the system design interview, check out our behavioral interview course next: [\[Course\] Master The Behavioral Interview As A Software Engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/course/master-the-behavioral-interview-as-a-software-engineer/)

Grow From Junior To Mid-Level Engineer [Part 3] - It's On You

For later promotions (i.e. senior and beyond) there are many other factors at play besides your personal skill and growth. This isn't the case for junior engineer -&gt; mid-level engineer. This lesson teaches you:

- The fundamental difference between the junior -&gt; mid-level promotion and others when it comes to landing impact
- How to choose teams and projects as a junior engineer aiming to grow fast
- What matters when it comes to the junior -&gt; mid-level promotion

Understand more about project credit for promotion here: <https://www.jointaro.com/course/nail-your-promotion-as-a-software-engineer/its-not-just-about-impact/>

How to Crack System Design Interviews - Part 2: Clarifying Requirements

In a system design interview, the first step is gathering requirements, focusing on how users will interact with the system. Here's how we approach this:

- **Understand user needs:** We consider the basic functions users will need, such as applying filters, viewing original images, and deleting images.
- **Confirm and prioritize:** We check with the interviewer to ensure we've captured all the key requirements and prioritize the most important ones.
- **Identify trade-offs:** We analyze potential trade-offs, such as image quality versus storage needs, and quantify them whenever possible.
- **Set realistic expectations:** We avoid aiming for perfection and instead focus on creating a practical design that meets the core requirements.
- **Provide concrete examples:** We use real-world examples to illustrate our understanding of system design concepts and demonstrate our ability to make informed decisions.

[Gaurav Sen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gkcs/) has conducted 1000s of system design interviews while working at Uber and building his [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@gkcs) to 500K+ subscribers. His platform [InterviewReady](https://interviewready.io/?_aff=JOINTARO) combines video explainers, live Zoom classes, and an automated System Design Judge.

Working With Your Manager

Your manager is the most important person for your career progression. If they don't support you, you will not get promoted. This means you should allocate sufficient time and attention to this relationship when you first join.

Rahul's suggestion for the bare minimum interaction during the first few months at the company:

- Weekly (or biweekly) recurring 1:1 meeting
- 30+ minutes

Two tips to ensure you get sufficient value out of the manager relationship:

- Let them know you’re eager for feedback
- Add structure to the interaction by writing things down and following a template for each meeting

If your manager frequently cancels 1:1s with you, use the running 1:1 doc with an agenda as a defense mechanism. People will think twice about canceling something if they know it's important to you.

Stop Bugs From Happening Again - The Importance Of Retrospectives

Bugs are often times like ants: They don't come alone and are often representative of many more of their own kind. After you fix any bug, retrospect on why it occurred to begin with and what the team could have done to prevent it. If the bug was very serious (e.g. a production outage), bring the team together with a formal post-mortem report and meeting.

This video is a clip from our debugging masterclass. You can watch it here: [[Masterclass] How To Become A Debugging Master And Fix Issues Faster](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/ioR6WzamAIUTpySLAr7o/masterclass-how-to-become-a-debugging-master-and-fix-issues-faster/)

Related resources:
- ["What's the difference between a low performer software engineer and a high performer?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/nMxx2EMVIlJbl1oK4SGu/whats-the-difference-between-a-low-performer-software-engineer-and-a-high-performer/)
- [[Case Study] Solving A Multi-Million $$ Instagram Bug](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/WYk4J05iBqOuPtD0CYKX/case-study-solving-a-multi-million-dollardollar-instagram-bug/)
- ["How can I become more independent and better at unblocking myself with tricky technical issues?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/QhqQQGrDgFjZbqohpKe0/how-can-i-become-more-independent-and-better-at-unblocking-myself-with-tricky-technical-issues/)
- ["How to turn a string of silly mistakes into a mature positive outcome?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/JybGyc935lsYbM8dAo7Y/how-to-turn-a-string-of-silly-mistakes-into-a-mature-positive-outcome/)

Course Introduction

In this opening session, Gilad Noor introduces the Essence of Management course, outlining what we’ll learn, how it’s structured, and what to expect. The focus is on practical, actionable lessons that help us become better managers.

- We’ll explore one core management lesson across **four modules**, combining theory with hands-on exercises to build real-world skills.
- The course begins with a look at the **individual contributor role** to set the foundation, then shifts to the core question: *What is a manager’s job—really?*
- Later modules help us **practice and apply** what we learn, and then explore how to take our management capabilities even further.
- Gilad brings his experience as an engineering manager at Meta, Amazon, and a clean tech startup, along with his work coaching over 100 managers.
- The course is designed to be **accessible, practical, and growth-oriented**, helping us avoid common mistakes and accelerate our impact as managers.

If you want to learn more from Gilad, he shares free leadership advice daily on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/giladnaor/?utm_source=taro&utm_medium=course&utm_campaign=cta) and weekly on the[ δeltas newsletter](https://posts.managementdeltas.com/?utm_source=taro&utm_medium=course&utm_campaign=cta)

Maximize Your Productivity As A Software Engineer [Part 5] - Focus On The System

Many software engineers simply tell themselves *"I'll do better next time"* when they have an unproductive period - This almost never works. This lesson teaches you:

- Why relying on sheer willpower to be productive is a terrible idea and what you should do instead
- What it means to have a true system around your productivity
- The objectives of a productivity system

Top System Design Interview Mistakes [Part 15] - Don't Ask For Too Much Permission

In this lessons, we address a common mistake, especially among junior engineers - Asking for too much permission. This often stems from a lack of confidence and a desire to avoid making decisions. Here are the core points:

- We often encounter candidates who, after discussing various options for solving a problem, defer decision-making to the interviewer

- Instead, we should make decisions ourselves. We can evaluate the options based on their trade-offs and choose the best one

- By taking ownership and driving the design, we demonstrate strong decision-making skills

- While it’s important to ask clarifying questions, we should avoid relying too heavily on the interviewer for directional guidance. Instead, we should proactively drive the conversation and make decisions that address the key issues.

If you need extra help with your system design interview, [Formation.dev](https://formation.dev/partners/taro) can provide you hands-on, personalized support. Join us here: <https://formation.dev/partners/taro>

Ask Questions Well

What makes a high-quality question?

- You get the help you need
- You build trust with the person/group that you're asking the question to

Question asking is a deep skill that requires you to add sufficient context (but not too much) so people can easily help you.

- Prefer to ask in public forums
- Realize that your question may help others beyond you
- Your questions are a valuable signal to the team 

When you are asking a question, please don't just say hello and wait for them to respond: <https://nohello.net/en/>

Top System Design Interview Mistakes [Part 12] - Don't Ignore New Information

In this segment, we discuss the issue of ignoring new information during system design interviews. This happens when candidates fail to adapt their designs based on additional requirements or edge cases presented by the interviewer. Here’s the core points from the video:

- If the interviewer introduces new requirements or issues, like handling scenarios with no available drivers, we must adapt our design accordingly. Ignoring these hints can lead to incomplete or impractical solutions

- Sometimes, a simpler solution might be more effective. For example, informing customers that no drivers are available and suggesting they try again later might be a better approach than complex tracking systems

- When given new information, reassess and incorporate it into the design. This flexibility is crucial for creating effective and practical solutions

If you need extra help with your system design interview, [Formation.dev](https://formation.dev/partners/taro) can provide you hands-on, personalized support. Join us here: <https://formation.dev/partners/taro>

Your Onboarding Buddy

An onboarding buddy is someone who can help you adjust to cultural norms and direct your questions as a "catch-all." In addition to answering basic technical questions around workflow or code, the onboarding buddy is effectively lending their social capital to you to get you started. They are the safety net when you don't know who else to turn to. 

Rahul recommends that the onboarding buddy and manager be two different people. Your manager relationship contains a power dynamic in that you're interacting your boss, so you may not be fully vulnerable with them. The onboarding buddy is closer to a peer, which means you can get the help you need.

One of the most important roles for the onboarding buddy is to help you **figure out your support channels.**

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 14] - Referrals

Having a current employee put you into their hiring pipeline via a referral is one of the most powerful ways to level up your job search. However, referrals are often misunderstood by software engineers. This lesson teaches you:

- The 2 different types of referrals and which one is better (spoiler: engineers usually struggle getting the better one)
- The massive difference between *weak referrals* and *strong referrals*
- Why you are more special than you realize and how you can leverage that to get more strong referrals
- How to approach professional networking properly to cultivate huge amounts of strong referrals over time

To help you get strong referrals, check out our networking course: [Networking Guide: Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech](https://www.jointaro.com/course/networking-guide-build-deep-relationships-quickly-in-tech/)

How To Supercharge Your Resume As A Junior Engineer

What's the best way to juice up your resume after you have gotten the basics?

True or false: As long as you can code and have a polished resume, that is enough to comfortably find a job.

Why are side projects such an effective tactic?

True or false: You can get something extremely close to work experience without having a formal job, all from the comfort of your own home.

So many junior engineers struggle for a very simple reason: They haven't taken the time to build real software. In this video, we talk about how earlier-in-career software engineers in particular need to stop dancing around the core issue and just start writing the code.

Here are the core points:
- **Resume optimization only goes so far** - At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how well your resume is formatted. If the underlying material isn't good, you don't have a real portfolio. If you are looking for your first job, this means that you need to be creative with what you put in.
- **Use side projects to create your own experience** - You don't need a formal company and work experience to write practical code that matters: You can do it completely on your own as long as you have a decent computer and an internet connection. It is easier than ever before for anybody to deploy their own app or website, all for free.

Related resources:
- [[Masterclass] How To Write A Stellar Tech Resume That Gets You More Job Opportunities](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/OnQV2V3J8DYVBBuGbZx6/masterclass-how-to-write-a-stellar-tech-resume-that-gets-you-more-job-opportunities/) - The full video this clip was taken from, which includes a link to Alex's resume
- ["What technologies or stacks should I create a project to add in my resume for entry level software jobs?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/c0DiG5ureLbkZ1mKD9Rf/what-technologies-or-stacks-should-i-create-a-project-to-add-in-my-resume-for-entry-level-software-jobs/)
- [[Masterclass] How To Build And Grow Tech Products To 500k+ Users For Free](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/OEuX0KMhcnNSTJ50Voee/masterclass-how-to-build-and-grow-tech-products-to-500k-users-for-free/)

Effective Communication Guide [Part 5] - Giving Feedback

- If you're giving constructive feedback, try to pair it with something positive. In general, positives are good at offsetting negatives.
- Tentative language is also crucial, especially with constructive feedback.
- Example feedback around running meetings:
  - **Bad:** "You need to stop cutting people off in meetings."
  - **Good:** "You do a great job running meetings and making sure that they're on track, but I feel like in pursuit of that, you sometimes cut people off too soon and aggressively instead of letting their voice fully be heard. I think letting everyone get their complete thoughts out is important for our team, and we can always extend the meeting length if there's no way we can time-box properly while doing this."
- Your overall mentality should be, *"How can we all become better?"*, as opposed to, *"I need to tell this person why they suck."*.
- If you don't feel too close to the person you're giving feedback to, you can go through your manager to share the feedback with them or with their manager. At a high-level, you can see your manager as a "people API" to abstract away issues like these.

Amazon VP Shares Why Reorgs Happen And Why The True Reason Is ALWAYS Hidden

[**Ethan Evans**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanevansvp/) is a retired Amazon VP who has gone through dozens of re-orgs across his tech career. 

Re-orgs (reorganizations of the team structure) happen because at least one leader views something as broken: someone is under-performing, the right teams aren't collaborating, or some other reason which you may not have visibility into as an engineer. 

Once a re-org happens, an effective way to build trust is to schedule time with your new skip level manager and ask what the mission of the team is, and if your work is still aligned to that mission. Ask your manager to setup a meeting if you can't do it on your own. 

Communication challenges: Public announcements about such org changes often use vague language and corporate jargon, making it difficult for individual contributors to understand the true reasons behind them. This lack of transparency can lead to further confusion and distrust.

Legal considerations: Legal constraints limit how much information leaders can publicly disclose about personnel changes. Fear of lawsuits can lead to sanitized messages that obfuscate the real reasons behind decisions.

**More to explore:**

- [**\[Masterclass\] How To Work Better With Your Engineering Manager**](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/2PbJb2fuqF3iMHy57eEg/masterclass-how-to-work-better-with-your-engineering-manager/)
- [How To Effectively Leverage Skip Level 1:1s](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/TToehFEc738PBhJcALwL/how-to-effectively-leverage-skip-level-11s/)
- [**Ask Me Anything (AMA) with a Disney Eng Director - Greg Benson**](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/eHbg5nVkHn2LYJ55oOVf/ask-me-anything-ama-with-a-disney-eng-director-greg-benson/)

Tech Career Growth Videos

Our instructional videos provide software engineers with insights needed for career growth. Masterclasses go incredibly in-depth on a specific tech topic while case studies are real examples from established engineering leaders.