How Effectively Do Big Tech Engineers Perform In Startups?

In this lesson we talk about how engineers from big tech companies perform when transitioning to startups, and what hiring managers should look for when bringing in FAANG talent.

- **The sweet spot is 2-6 years of big tech experience** — engineers in this range bring the best of both worlds: they've been screened for talent and learned strong software engineering fundamentals at top companies, but haven't spent so long there that they've become rigid in their thinking or problem-framing approaches that may not apply in a startup environment.
- **Very senior big tech hires often struggle with the transition** — engineers who've spent many years at large companies can develop highly specific ways of doing things that don't translate well to startup constraints, making cultural and operational fit more challenging despite their technical depth.
- **Big tech experience becomes an asset when there's a specific scaling need** — senior hires excel when the startup has a concrete problem that matches their domain expertise, such as building infrastructure for massive consumer scale or managing rapidly exploding engineering teams, where their direct experience from companies like Facebook becomes immediately applicable.

This Is What A Good Code Review Test Plan Looks Like

In this segment, we highlight a real-world example of an **exceptional test plan** that showcases how thoughtful demos not only validate functionality but also build confidence and trust before a single line of code is reviewed.

### Key Takeaways:

- **We use test plans to demonstrate functionality and edge cases**: In this example from the Random Name Picker app, the test plan includes both the core feature (removing images from names) and handling an edge case (screen rotation), showing completeness and attention to detail.
- **We treat test plans as trust tokens**: A strong demo assures reviewers that the author has thoroughly tested their changes, reducing fear or hesitation around approving the diff.
- **We provide a positive starting point for reviewers**: Watching the video demo first puts reviewers in the right mindset—making them feel confident that the code works as intended, even before reading the diff.
- **We recommend test plans for all product-facing diffs**: Especially when there’s a visual or user-facing component, attaching a video or GIF dramatically improves understanding and quality of collaboration.
- **We invest a few minutes to add a lot of value**: Creating a short demo takes just 5–10 minutes, but it adds context, transparency, and professionalism that elevate the entire code review experience.

20 Years Of Fighting Procrastination [Part 8] - Do Work When You're Working

When engineers say they’ve been “working all day,” that time often includes distractions, shallow tasks, or unnecessary overhead. To truly be productive, you have to focus on high-leverage, distraction-free work. Here are the core points from the lesson:

- Real productivity comes from deep work—uninterrupted, focused effort on cognitively demanding tasks—not from staying busy or checking email 50+ times a day
- Recognize and minimize "startup costs" like syncing code, building the app, and reviewing changes, so you can spend more time in the value-generating loop of building and debugging
- Block off long stretches of time for deep work rather than relying on scattered 30–45 minute sessions that get consumed by overhead
- Automate or script repetitive setup tasks (e.g. syncing and builds) to reduce friction and start meaningful work faster each day
- Prioritize difficult, ambiguous tasks early—they often influence downstream work, and avoiding them leads to fake progress and missed deadlines

Master The DSA Interview [Part 17] - How To Pass FAANG DSA Rounds

Why is it so hard to break into FAANG? Well, it's because FAANG tends to push engineers far harder on data structures and interviews problems. This lesson teaches you:

- The score spectrum FAANG interviewers use to grade candidate
- What it means to get a "Yes" vote on a data structures and algorithms round
- What it means to get a "Strong Yes" vote on a data structures and algorithms round (very important when the market is bad)
- What a strong passing data structures and algorithms interview performance looks like, explained with an in-depth example

Maximize Your Productivity As A Software Engineer [Part 9] - Focus Blocks

Context switching is one of your biggest enemies as a software engineer. This lesson teaches you:

- What a focus block is
- Why getting back into coding is so difficult, especially at Big Tech
- The power of focus blocks with involved tasks, particularly with writing code

Master The Behavioral Interview [Part 16] - Senior Engineer

Senior engineers are proven leaders who make the engineers around them better. "Senior" is a badge of honor that almost all engineers strive for after entering the industry. This lesson teaches you:

- The expectations from a senior engineer overall and how that reflects in behavioral interviews
- The kinds of stories senior engineers tell in behavioral interviews

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 5] - Underleveled? It's A Feature, Not A Bug

You're doing better than almost all other engineers at your current level, at least the ones you can easily compare yourself to. So why aren't you getting promoted? Well, it might actually be dangerous to do so. This lesson teaches you:

- Why if a company is doing promotion properly, getting to the next level always involves fundamental behavior change
- The Peter Principle and how it explains the danger of promoting engineers based on their mastery of their current level
- What lagging promotion is and why it's important, both for you and the company
- A framework to understand what it means to go from one level to the next, paired with an in-depth example of the mid-level to senior transition

If you want to learn more about the concrete differences between engineering levels: [\[Taro Top 10\] Understanding Engineering Levels](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/e9rjATPbSyvRPsukXiHn/)

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 4] - Do It For The Right Reasons

It's easy to become promotion-obsessed, especially at top companies like FAANG where promotions are so meaningful. However, this is a toxic mentality to have that ultimately hurts your career ambitions. This lesson teaches you:

- How to strike a delicate balance between deliberately pushing for promotion and having a healthy growth mentality
- The optimal mindset to have to get to extremely senior engineering levels
- Common pitfalls promotion-obsessed engineers fall into and what you should do instead for each of those situations

Related resources:

- ["How do I come up with innovative, impactful ideas and bring them to my team?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/3QIJhAT4loA7n1hSfCuw/how-do-i-come-up-with-innovative-impactful-ideas-and-bring-them-to-my-team/?playlistId=EWIo3USNcsgXbCs5PS0h)
- ["How do I find projects for myself at work?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/KitOGyYkpbsXFGoHPJUj/how-do-i-find-projects-for-myself-at-work/)
- ["How can I help juniors?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/OzbQJCzLPbOKTEqpeSxF/how-can-i-help-juniors/)

Thank People (A Lot!)

Properly thanking people is how you build social capital. Social capital is how you advance your career, build influence, and get promoted.

**Noob way of saying thank you**: "Thanks for the pointer" ❌

**Better way of saying thank you**: "That was so helpful, you unblocked a critical milestone of this project" ✅

Some other tips: 

- Thank them  in-person or over a call
- Write a heartfelt thank you note (1 paragraph)
- Let their manager know
- Thank in public forums
- Give them recurring thanks, e.g. in standup, at the team meeting, and when the project finishes

Rack Up Small Wins

A promising sign for a new employee is if they can have a quick win, no matter how small. This means you want to avoid ambiguous or complex projects.

Ideas for quick wins:

- Share something your learned
- Update docs and tell people about it (not to brag, but to invite feedback)
- Improve wikis by adding screenshots: e.g. a screenshot or video of the setup flow
- Fix a "papercut," e.g. a misspelling in the code or a minor bug

Notice that many of the ideas above don't even involve committing code!

Talk link: [Don't Walk Away from Complexity, Run! (Venkat Subramaniam)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6CYdTOLW8I)

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 28] - How Much LeetCode Should I Grind?

If you're this deep in the course, you now know that grinding 1,000 LeetCode problems doesn't lead to a Google hiring manager magically appearing on your doorstep with a fresh offer letter in hand. This lesson teaches you:

- Why data structures and algorithms are more damaging to the overall health of a job search than software engineers realize
- Exactly how over-indexing on data structures and algorithms and LeetCode completely destroys the job search of many software engineers
- The framework you should apply on whether you should be grinding LeetCode

Behind the scenes of a $320K → $1.05M negotiation in Silicon Valley

[Yogi Sharma](https://www.linkedin.com/in/yogi1/), an early employee at Facebook, shares an epic story about negotiating a massive compensation increase from his offer at Uber while discovering his true worth in the process.

---

I am a mathematician and engineer at heart, and I hate negotiations. I want people to evaluate the value of my work and pay me accordingly.

That is the mindset I had before this negotiation with a big ride-sharing company that opened my mind to the possibilities of a different way of operating.

In this candid behind-the-scenes conversation, I will discuss the mindset, preparation, and tactics that went into a negotiation (for the role of a SWE) that started at $320k and ended at $1.05M.

Even harder than doing such negotiation was the decision to decline such a lucrative job offer. (Thanks to that decision, I ended up finding my current profession.) Towards the end, I will also share my rationale behind such a seemingly crazy decision.

If you feel you are doing the work needed for a promotion or raise, but don’t seem to get it, this talk is perfect for you. I used to be that person and struggled to get the rewards I thought I deserved. This negotiation changed me deeply, and I hope to share a few insights that would help you too.

Connect with Yogi Sharma: 

- LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/yogi1/> 
- Taro: <https://www.jointaro.com/p/yogi-sharma/>

Managing ADHD as an Engineer

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is marked by an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development.

Handling ADHD as an engineer is hard. Juggling job demands, with everyday ADHD struggles, can feel overwhelming. But, you're not alone.

This collaboration between Shimmer and Taro explores the intersection of ADHD and Engineering. You'll see a live conversation between a Shimmer ADHD coach and their engineer client. Alex (coach) and Ashley (student) share how ADHD shows up in the engineering field, along with science-backed strategies to overcome common challenges. 

Some of the common presentations of ADHD: 
- Emotional regulation
- Procrastination
- Establishing routines

Ways to find and keep motivation: 
- Find your drive
- Break it down
- Create accountability
- Utilize external motivation

Energy and time management: 
- Know when your energy fluctuates
- Determine the level of cognitive effort for a task
- Use the minimum amount of cognitive effort necessary

Understand the front-end and back-end of procrastination: 
- **Front-end**: conditions must be perfect to get started, lack of direction/motivation, underestimating time needed
- **Back-end**: perfectionism, loss of novelty, fear of feedback, waiting for the final push

Get Shimmer through Taro Perks for a discount: [joinTaro.com/perks](https://www.jointaro.com/perks/)

How To Find The Best People For Your Professional Network

Many software engineers are introverts who have a hard time connecting with others - We've been there too! This can make it really daunting when trying to build your professional network: How do you identify those who you'll get along with? This video covers how you can find those people who would be great to bring into your professional network.

Here are the core points:
- **It's not too different from making friends** - The most basic barometer for a relationship's success is how much you two have in common. Having mutual interests and similar backgrounds maximizes the chance that you're able to interact and understand one another.
- **The most successfully relationships are bidirectional** - The most successful professional relationships are those where each person is able to provide a lot of value to the other. The split should be as close to 50/50 as possible - If there is one party providing an overwhelming majority of the value, this relationship is not meant to last. *When you're evaluating whether someone would be a great addition to your network, don't only think about how they can help you, think about how **you** can help them as well.*
- **Identify those who actively add value to others** - If someone is kind in a general setting and always happy to help others, it is likely they would be a great person to know in a more personal 1 on 1 way. When you strive to add value to these people, they will almost certainly return the favor, and at its core, this is what a healthy relationship looks like.

Related resources:
- [[Masterclass] How To Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/tyaPFMXPoz2pmzB7OVzt/how-to-build-deep-relationships-quickly-in-tech-12172022/) - The full video where this clip was taken from
- [Effective Communication Guide - Building Relationships](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/488EjOLzU707WhdqMOK4/effective-communication-guide-part-3-building-relationships/)
- ["How to get referrals?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/FQIi8us9uoTDIYdzMhvg/how-to-get-referrals/)

[Case Study] Building XFN Alignment Across Multiple Orgs (w/ Staff Engineer Cat Chen)

[Cat Chen](https://catchen.me/) talked about his success building alignment across multiple orgs. 

Cat was working at Facebook as a Staff Engineer on the growth team. His charter to get the Android apps on app stores beyond the Play Store. (There were 10+ non-Google stores where Android apps get downloaded with some level of traffic.

Getting an app listed on a 3rd-party platform is simple – sign up as a developer on that platform; upload the Android app for review; wait for approval and launch it. Just as simple as publishing to Google Play.

**BUT it's not that simple at a company like Facebook.** Facebook lawyers wouldn’t allow Cat to accept the Terms of Service on behalf of Facebook the company. Cat didn’t have the privilege to bind Facebook into this contract and even if he did, the lawyers would certainly advise against that.

Instead of simply handing this problem to another person or org, Cat met with a director-level lawyer. Given he was on a different time zone, and in a different job function altogether, this took some legwork. The director explained the risk profile (Facebook could have unlimited downside by blindly accepting an agreement). Eventually Cat discovered a workable solution by using a contracting company to sign the legal agreement, which limits the damages that Facebook may face.

Impact of this work: 
- Successful launch of the existing Android apps
- Ability to launch other apps in the future
- Deep and positive relationship with the legal team, and Cat owned that relationship (which made him indispensable)
- **Almost zero lines of code written!**

[Connect with Cat](https://www.linkedin.com/in/catchen/)

For more resources on how to communicate, build alignment, and operate as a Staff Engineer:
- ["How do I sell the vision behind a large, org-level project?"](https://link.jointaro.com/NGCrB2ifkkpDaDe69)
- ["What's the Difference Between A Senior And Staff Engineer?"](https://link.jointaro.com/BEM2RAjPFe8Pv7826)
- [Guide to Effective Communication](https://link.jointaro.com/mP3WEd4zt5ecnupX6)

The Hardest Part Of Peer Feedback: Giving Them Constructive Criticism

- When the feedback prompt asks you for what your peer can improve on, it is *not* asking you what your peer is doing poorly. If you see your peer doing something toxic/negative, you should give them that feedback *immediately*. Don't wait 6-12 months until performance review season to drop this giant ball on them.
- The *real* question behind this prompt is: "How can your peer expand their scope?". This often times involves something they're already doing well that they can do even better and expand to achieve even greater impact.
- This question will be much easier to answer once you have a deep understanding of engineer levels as a lot of this feedback will be around what you think your peers can do to reach the next level.
- Example: Your peer is very passionate about automated testing and always pairs their landed code with robust test coverage. You suggest that they push to spread this behavior across the entire team with an overall testing initiative.

The First Thing You Need To Do To Set Yourself Up For Promotion

Which of the following is the foundation for your promotion plan?

Why is understanding your strengths so important towards your tech career growth?

Easy Tactics You Can Apply Today To Increase Your Focus

Which of these are valid tactics to minimize the distraction from your phone?

True or false: As an engineer, it is important for you to attend every possible meeting so you can know everything that is going on, therefore empowering your productivity.

As a software engineer, why is it crucial to reject meetings when possible?

Maximize your focus and productivity as a software engineer by minimizing any distractions.

Beyond 'Cracking the Coding Interview': 10+ Years Of Tech Interview Evolution

For over a decade, *Cracking the Coding Interview* has been hailed as the "bible" of interview prep. Now, its high-anticipated sequel, [**Beyond Cracking the Coding Interview**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/195570600X), is out. While the original delved deeply into coding problems, the sequel shifts its focus to teaching you how to think—both in the context of technical interviews and throughout the job search process.

In this event, the authors of [**Beyond Cracking the Coding Interview**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/195570600X) will share how tech hiring has changed in the last decade. Ask them anything about interview prep, job stuff, negotiation, or algorithms and data structures. The authors are:

- [**Gayle Laakmann McDowell**](https://www.gayle.com/), the original author of CtCI
- [**Michael Mroczka**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-mroczka/), Google engineer and top interview coach on [**interviewing.io**](https://interviewing.io/?c=taro)
- [**Aline Lerner**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinelerner/), founder of [**interviewing.io**](https://interviewing.io/?c=taro)
- [**Nil Mamano**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nilmamano/), Google engineer and algorithm researcher

Redeem a discounted mock interview from [interviewing.io](https://interviewing.io/?c=taro) on Taro Perks: [jointaro.com/perks/](https://www.jointaro.com/perks/)

Maximize Your Productivity As A Software Engineer [Part 6] - Social Pressure > Work Pressure

Too many software engineers focus on finding something cool to work on instead of finding cool people to work with. This lesson teaches you:

- Why a supportive team is far more valuable and effective when it comes to making you productivity compared to working on something shiny like genAI
- Tactics you can use to apply social pressure to yourself and enforce productivity

Learn how to find a good team here: [\[Taro Top 10\] How To Find A Good Engineering Team And Company](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/FWqTGeZYrXFohCOU38sR/)

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.