Senior Staff Engineer at Cruise Shares The Most Important Skill - Rama Karve

[Rama Karve](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramakarve/) is a Senior Staff Software Engineer [L7] at the autonomous vehicle company Cruise, working on fleet management.

Previously, Rama spent 9 years at Meta and 9 years at Amazon as a software engineer. At the very senior levels, engineers have an impact in more unique ways, leveraging their strength as a generalist or specialist.

As one of the most senior engineers in the company, Rama says the most important skill at the Senior Staff level is to get disparate teams and systems to work together for the same goal. A further challenge here is to identify which teams or people even need to start working more closely together.

Rama has 2 pieces of advice for other Senior Staff Engineers:

1. **Figure out your superpower.** Understand what you are uniquely good at in the context of what the company is trying to accomplish.
2. **Give yourself time to ramp up.** Your impact is not as simple as writing a bit of code in the first week. The first few months should be dedicated to learning how things work.

Here's the full playlist asking engineers what the most important skill is for their level: [Asking 7 Levels Of Engineers The Most Important Skill](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/J9Io5lDGaYUpI8vGrUyI/)

Related:
- [How do I figure out whether I should stay as an IC engineer or explore management as an EM?](https://www.jointaro.com/question/Y6qIop9wpOlCYUL0nGs0/how-do-i-figure-out-whether-i-should-stay-as-an-ic-engineer-or-explore-management-as-an-em/)
- [[Masterclass] What Software Engineers Should Look For In Their Engineering Manager](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/oeY7ncZhzJ5NO6dij5e7/masterclass-what-software-engineers-should-look-for-in-their-engineering-manager/)
- [The Journey to Staff Engineer In Big Tech (Panel Discussion)](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/SaYyJGLYvrAy4XGrDhy7/the-journey-to-staff-engineer-in-big-tech-panel-discussion/)
- [David Pan on what makes a great tech lead](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/uHqZZ15SK19MatEvLSO6/what-makes-a-truly-great-tech-lead-a-vp-of-engineerings-perspective/)
- Taro's top 10 to get promoted from [senior to staff engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/YD8LMCSlE71VUGUbNAWM/)

DSA Crash Course [Part 68] - Fibonacci Walkthrough

In this lesson, Alvin walks through the python implementation for the *fib* problem. The goal here is to solve it recursively and then apply dynamic programming to speed it up.

Code along and test your work in the following editor workspace: <https://structy.net/problems/fib?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/**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/)

15 SWE Years In 1.5 Hours [Part 14] - Choosing The Right Company

When you have a good engineer and a bad team, the bad team wins 99.9% of the time. This lesson teaches you:

- The first thing you need to do before even thinking about which company is best for you
- Where earlier-in-career engineers should (probably) go
- The foundational benefits of working at FAANG
- When it makes sense to work at startups

How to Negotiate a Big Tech Offer as a Software Engineer - Pragmatic Engineer and Rahul

How does a compensation package look like for a software engineer at tech companies? How do base salary, annual bonus, equity (options, RSUs), sign-on bonuses and perks usually add up? What parts of the package can you negotiate? How can you line up multiple offers at the same time? We talk about these and more in the video. You can -- and should! -- negotiate any offer you receive from a Big Tech company. 

There are 4 primary parts to compensation in Big Tech: 
- Base salary
- Annual bonus
- Sign-on bonus
- Equity

Perks could also be considered part of the compensation package, but these are generally standardized across all employees for a company, so they're not considered for the purposes of negotiation. (Think of things like 401(k) match, free food, game rooms, etc.)

It's important to understand the different parts of compensation because you can start to shift the conversation with companies to be more cooperative rather than zero-sum. For example, some companies have strict bands for their base salary, but are more willing to negotiate on their equity. Knowing this, along with your own utility for different types of comp, can lead to a final decision where both sides are happy.

Throughout any negotiation, it's important to be respectful in your communication, and also consider factors beyond financial compensation, such as team dynamics and the hiring manager's perception. Don't rush into signing a contract without careful consideration -- negotiate terms over email to allow for proper reflection.

More resources on negotiations:
- [The #1 Rule Of Negotiation - How To Avoid Giving A Number](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/4T3wTorG47wPzSqVmAOx/the-1-rule-of-negotiation-how-to-avoid-giving-a-number/)
- [[Case Study] How To Land 18 FAANG+ Offers With Steven Zhang (Airtable, USDR, Tableau)](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/gGkO4pLeFq1ctRM9tSBF/case-study-how-to-land-18-faang-offers-with-steven-zhang-airtable-usdr-tableau/)
- [3 Quick, Powerful Negotiation Tips](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/8VeEnbxdbPKsZbTcCFm5/3-quick-powerful-negotiation-tips/)


This is a video from [Gergely's YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@mrgergelyorosz). 
- Original source: [https://youtu.be/cbngWLr7BC4](https://youtu.be/cbngWLr7BC4)
- Gergely writes the popular [Pragmatic Engineer newsletter](https://www.pragmaticengineer.com/).
- [Follow Gergely on Twitter](https://twitter.com/GergelyOrosz)

An Often Forgotten Part Of Tech Pay - Don’t Mess Up Your Taxes!

This video segment offers **critical tax advice for high-earning employees in big tech**, particularly in the U.S. It emphasizes the importance of understanding how taxes work with equity compensation to avoid severe financial consequences.

- **Set your withholding percentage close to your actual effective tax rate**, which for many tech workers is around 30%. This helps avoid massive surprise tax bills—sometimes exceeding $100K—during tax season.
- **RSUs (Restricted Stock Units) are taxed as income when they vest**, not when they’re sold. If the stock value drops after vesting, you’re still taxed at the higher initial value, creating a potential mismatch between tax owed and actual value retained.
- **Default withholding settings are often too low**, especially on platforms like E\*TRADE (commonly set at 22%). If not adjusted, this can lead to underpayment and steep penalties later.
- **If RSUs lose value and you’ve under-withheld**, you may be forced to sell more shares than expected just to cover your tax liability.
- **Some intentionally under-withhold to invest the difference**, but this is risky and should only be done with a clear financial strategy in mind.

Clear Communication For SWEs [Part 4] - What Makes A Message Clear?

In this video, we delve into the key elements of crafting clear messages: simplicity, conciseness, structure, and relevance. I provide examples and tips on how to enhance message clarity, emphasizing the importance of using plain language, getting to the point quickly, organizing thoughts logically, and focusing on essential information. No specific action is requested from viewers, but implementing these strategies can significantly improve communication effectiveness.

Connect with me on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-wiens/>

Get The Rating You Deserve [Part 2] - Why Performance Matters

**In this lesson, we'll explore the reasons why many talented individuals struggle to receive the recognition and rewards they deserve.**

- **Unfulfilled Potential:** We'll discuss the frustration and resentment that can arise when hard work and valuable contributions go unnoticed or unappreciated.
- **Bridging the Gap:** We'll delve into the factors that contribute to this gap between effort and reward, such as common misconceptions about impactful work and the role of mindset and strategy.
- **Empowering Action:** We'll provide actionable strategies and tactics to help you navigate these challenges and effectively convert your value into tangible rewards.
- **Personalized Approach:** We'll emphasize the importance of tailoring your approach to your specific goals and circumstances, whether it's a promotion, a raise, or simply greater recognition.

If you want to get personalized support from Yogi, you can reach out to him at [coaching@yogisharma.com](mailto:coaching@yogisharma.com) or schedule an introductory call to dive into your situation at <https://tinyurl.com/meetyogi>.

How To Be An Effective Tech Lead [Part 7] - System Design Discussions

In order to build high-quality software, you need to go through the process of system design. As a tech lead, you are expected to play a major role in this process. This lesson teaches you:

- What to avoid when participating in system design meetings (i.e. how to not add negative value)
- The overall principles to be helpful in system design discussions
- How to make yourself better at system design through relationship building
- Tactics to provide better input in system design discussions, even if you're not incredibly familiar with the underlying domain

To learn how to write a stellar tech review doc: [\[Course\] System Design Masterclass: Shipping Real Features To Production](https://www.jointaro.com/course/frontend-system-design-masterclass-building-playlists/)

Make It Easy For You To Receive Help

True or false: If you ask for help on a coding issue, link the entire repo of the codebase you are working on to be safe. This guarantees that helpers have all the context they need.

What can you do to really sharpen your question before asking it?

"I am having trouble getting a button to appear above an image in my webpage. Can someone help with this?" - Which of the following are questions that should have been anticipated beforehand for this question?

DSA Crash Course [Part 49] - Max Root to Leaf Path Sum Approach

In this lesson, Alvin explores the strategy to solving the following interview problem:

> Write a function, *max_path_sum*, that takes in the root of a binary tree that contains number values. The function should return the maximum sum of any root to leaf path within the tree.
>
> You may assume that the input tree is non-empty.

```
a = Node(3)
b = Node(11)
c = Node(4)
d = Node(4)
e = Node(-2)
f = Node(1)
a.left = b
a.right = c
b.left = d
b.right = e
c.right = f

#      3
#    /   \
#   11    4
#  / \     \
# 4   -2    1

max_path_sum(a) # -> 18
```

```
a = Node(5)
b = Node(11)
c = Node(54)
d = Node(20)
e = Node(15)
f = Node(1)
g = Node(3)
a.left = b
a.right = c
b.left = d
b.right = e
e.left = f
e.right = g

#       5
#     /   \
#    11   54
#  /   \
# 20   15
#      / \
#     1   3

max_path_sum(a) # -> 59
```

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/>

Grow From Junior To Mid-Level Engineer [Part 17] - High-Level Roadmap

There's a bunch of different skills you need to develop as a junior engineer to grow to a mid-level engineer. To make things trickier, the order in which you develop them matters *a lot*. This lesson teaches you:

- The 4-phases high-level roadmap to grow from junior engineer to mid-level
- How long it takes to go from phase to phase on the mid-level engineer growth trajectory
- The necessary components you need to have to establish a strong presence on your team, strong enough to merit a mid-level engineer promotion

Master The DSA Interview [Part 21] - Programming Language Selection

There are a ton of programming languages you can use for a data structures and algorithms interview. This lesson teaches you:

- A basic flowchart to follow to determine which programming language you should use in data structures and algorithms interviews
- Why it's often not worth it to pick up an entirely new but "optimal" programming language for data structures and algorithms interviews
- How overly verbose languages can ruin your chances, explained with an in-depth example

[Case Study] Building An Engineering Brand - Why And How (LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Substack)

Most of Taro's success has come from the social presence of Rahul and Alex. For Rahul, his follower counts as of April 2023 are **75K on YouTube, 61K on LinkedIn, and 13K on Twitter**. Followers are an imperfect measurement of influence, but they are generally correlated. 

### Why invest in brand building?

- Be helpful for others
- Helps you learn more
- Increase your luck surface area
  - Inbound instead of outbound
  - Connect with other creators
  - Compounding value over time

Brand building is definitely *NOT* required to be a good engineer, but it will become more valuable over time.

### Which platform should I invest in?

The options I recommend are **LinkedIn** and **YouTube**. You should pick a platform with built-in distribution. That means a blog is almost always a bad idea (Substack is a bit different since it does have some distribution methods). 

Another dimension to think about is the competition on that platform -- how hard is it to get noticed? 
- Which audience are you trying to reach? (B2B vs B2C, students or professionals)
- How much effort is required to produce content? Videos are much more work than essays, which are much more work than tweets.

You can also take a bet here on a growing platform like TikTok, but there are risks around what kind of content is valued, and the longevity of the platform.

### Getting started as a creator

- Keep in mind the **spotlight effect**: "The psychological phenomenon by which people tend to believe they are being noticed more than they really are"
- Since no one really cares about you when you start out, you should focus on quantity over quality. Just make a lot of content, get feedback, and keep improving. 
- Focus on having your content actually add value. Just reposting articles, or making a list of 20 news articles is not that interesting. (It may get engagement, but you're not actually building a brand.)

### Aim for virality

A significant amount of my growth on LinkedIn came from 3 viral posts: [1](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rpandey1234_learntocode-softwareengineer-activity-7052287566544306177-sn9R/), [2](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rpandey1234_softwareengineering-compensation-licreatoraccelerator-activity-6989278004149465088-V-IF/), [3](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6917123048710000640/) 

Some of your content will be "conversion" content, designed to get people to take action such as signing up for an email newsletter. These posts won't do as well, but you should also focus on having "distribution" content, which is the type of thing that can go viral. 

Once you have a viral hit, you can also repurpose the content on other platforms in order to maximize the value from it. That's what Rahul did with the "Learn To Code" video that he initially published on YouTube: 
- [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awB99NJ2G38)
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rpandey1234_learntocode-softwareengineer-activity-7052287566544306177-sn9R/)
- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rpandey1234/status/1646060396082790400)

### Practical tips
- Post content deliberately about one domain, e.g. engineering growth. Don't jump between topics. 
   - This is how you build a brand. 
   - Make it clear what value you provide, “e.g. the Car Dealership Guy” or “The No-Code Lady”
- Use content scheduling features to be consistent with posting
- Look up resources on copywriting
   - Start with a number
   - Nail the hook, e.g. *"Let me be clear."*
   - Tell a story: Instead of "A happened and then B happened", say "A happened, but X, so then B happened"

-------------

This is a recording of a Taro Premium session from April 20, 2023. See other discussions about [content creation on Taro.](https://www.jointaro.com/topic/content-creation/)

[What to be careful about when starting a blog or LinkedIn audience.](https://www.jointaro.com/question/O5qwwCqT6SAsWSNqlD2V/making-content-as-a-software-engineer-what-to-look-out-for/)

20 Years Of Fighting Procrastination [Part 12] - Set Up Your Calendar

Segmenting your calendar with intention can drastically increase your deep work capacity and reduce distraction. Here are the core points from the lesson:

- Decompose your calendar by assigning specific time blocks for high-leverage work, shallow tasks (like email), and recovery to reduce ambiguity and improve clarity
- Avoid scattering meetings across the week—batch them into clusters (especially 1:1s) to preserve longer stretches of focus time
- Use your influence to improve team-wide productivity by suggesting standardized no-meeting days or more structured meeting schedules
- Even if you don’t follow your calendar plan perfectly, the act of time blocking improves your estimation skills and helps build a rhythm for deep work

Grow From Junior To Mid-Level Engineer [Part 9] - Become A Go-To Person

One of the most obvious signs of engineer seniority is that everybody on their team goes to them for help with certain areas. More senior = more areas. This lesson teaches you:

- The easy way to understand the difference in mentality between junior and mid-level engineers when it comes to ownership
- How to become a go-to person for your area
- The one mantra you need to follow to organically deduce all the proper action items to become a go-to person

Speed run your way to becoming a go-to person with [Jordan's](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordancutler1/) course: [Become The Go-To Expert As A Software Engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/course/become-the-go-to-expert-as-a-software-engineer/)

SWE Internship Survival Guide [Part 4] - How Internships Work At Top Companies

Top-tier internships at companies like Meta or Google are structured, high-impact opportunities that can transform you into a confident, job-ready new grad. Here are the core points from this lesson:

- Legitimate internships at top companies have clear structure—interns are given managers, mentors, well-scoped projects, and timelines
- Interns are treated like junior engineers, often contributing to real production work and collaborating closely with full-time teammates
- Larger companies offer more formal evaluation processes for return offers, which helps reduce ambiguity and stress compared to smaller, less organized internships
- You’ll likely focus on one or two substantial projects to avoid context switching and to enable deeper, more meaningful contributions
- Adopt a collaborative mindset with fellow interns—success isn’t zero-sum, and sharing knowledge will help everyone grow and build stronger networks

How to Crack System Design Interviews - Part 4: Choosing Design Tradeoffs

When discussing design trade-offs in a system design interview, it's important to go beyond simply reciting known trade-offs. Instead, we take a more analytical approach:

- **Consider non-functional requirements:** We examine the impact of non-functional requirements, such as durability guarantees, on the system design and user experience.

- **Analyze access patterns:** We study how users interact with the system, considering the frequency of different API calls and their implications for optimization.

- **Make informed decisions:** Based on our analysis, we make conscious trade-offs, such as prioritizing read performance over immediate data consistency.

- **Use standard terminology:** We employ clear and concise engineering terms to ensure accurate communication and efficient use of interview time.

- **Be open to feedback:** We remain flexible and adjust our assumptions based on feedback from the interviewer, recognizing their expertise and knowledge of the system.

[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.

Negotiation Course: What If I HAVE To Give A Number?

A common complaint is that despite their best efforts, some tech workers are forced to give an expected compensation number to do a full interview at a company.

**Rebuttal #1**: You can just put a placeholder. e.g. put $1 for your salary expectation.

**Rebuttal #2**: Collect data from your network and provide a wide range. Ambiguity is your friend here, just talk about how compensation is one factor for you.

**Rebuttal #3**: Finally, even if you give a number you're unhappy with with, the interview is still good practice for you.

By the time you provide numbers, you ideally have done the legwork to know what to expect.

If you have to give a number, say the minimum number that is feasible for you. e.g. you need $250k TC to pay mortgage but the job's upper band is $180k)

Why Chasing Promotion Could Hurt You

Daniel has never gunned for a promotion when choosing teams or projects. In fact, he's actively turned down promotions he was offered at Microsoft and Meta (Philip Su famously down-leveled himself at Meta so he was no longer a Director). 

Here's why chasing a promotion could end up causing more stress and end up hurting your career in the long run. 

- Connect with Daniel Tomko on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieltomko/)
- Videos from [Philip Su](https://www.jointaro.com/tagname/Philip%20Su/)

Related video: 
- [Taro Premium Session: Mentoring Meta Engineers From E3 -> E5](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/EX9563YnxcJb62cCmetg/session-5-mentoring-junior-swes-e3-to-senior-e5-in-just-25-years-at-meta/)
- [Rockstar Software Engineer Story: SW2 -> Principal In Just 4 Years](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/Lvf1TDKt1R4ZJSCr9BVv/rockstar-software-engineer-story-sw2-greater-principal-in-just-4-years/)
- ["Is there something as growing too quickly?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/o9oyCcIjWT4Xa6w1Eau5/is-there-something-as-growing-too-quickly/)

[Part 6] Meta Intern Success Series - How Most Interns Fail

Here are the common ways software engineer interns at Meta fail:
- **Misalignment of expectations**: Make sure that you're getting feedback regularly from your intern manager (IM) and ask every 2-3 weeks for a honest, real take on how you're trending. Don't wait until mid-cycle for real feedback!
- **Doesn't take feedback well**: Remember, feedback is a gift. Respond to it gracefully and quickly; treat every piece of feedback with urgency. As a software engineer intern, you barely know anything (which is expected): If you get constructive criticism, there is a 99% chance that it is correct.
- **Writes sloppy code**: Volume is straightforward and not that special - Most interns know how to write a lot of code from school. The point of your internship is mostly to teach you how to write good, clean, production-level code. Make sure your diffs are thoughtful, focused, and atomic with thorough context sections and test plans.
- **Sphere of influence is too small**: Don't only rely on your IM; you need to have 2-3 other peers to vouch for you in final calibrations. It can be comfortable asking your IM for help on everything, but you have to diversify: Make sure that you also ask other peers for help and to review your diffs. Consider having a recurring 1:1 (once every 3-4 weeks) with your non-IM peers.

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.