How Managers Hire Great Engineers [Part 5] - How Sourcing Is Unintuitive

All hiring starts off with finding the candidate, otherwise known as sourcing. From this lesson, you will:

- Understand the importance of targeting candidates from companies where your key skills are valued, not just from top-tier tech firms
- Discover how sourcing from the right places can improve long-term retention on your team
- Gain insight into why company brand can be overrated in predicting candidate performance
- Explore how to find candidates who are not only skilled but also a strong cultural fit for your team

Connect with John Egan on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwegan/>

Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech [Part 7] - Play The Long Game

Patience is a virtue, and it's incredibly important for engineers. This lesson teaches you:

- Why human nature makes relationship building more of a long-term endeavor
- How the difficulty of adding yourself in your network scales with their important and power
- How networks generally form organically and why this nature fundamentally makes them something you need to wait on (but it's worth it!)

How To Approach "Doing Your Own Thing" -- Startup Discussion And Feedback

This session is for *wantrepreneurs* (someone who wants to leave their full-time job and do a company) and early entrepreneurs. In the last two decades, more money and attention have gone to early-stage startups. It's easier and cheaper than ever to start a startup, especially if you're an engineer!

There are 3 paths to scratching the entreprenurial itch: 

1. Build something on the side
2. Lifestyle or indie business
3. VC-backed business (raising millions of dollars in venture capital)

### Build something on the side

This is where you should start -- build something on nights and weekends while maintaining your full-time position. You need to prove to yourself that you have enough skill and autonomy to create something of value **entirely on your own**. No professor, no manager, no tech lead. The 3 most common paths to building something on the side are to (1) publish an app, (2) do freelance/consulting work, or (3) teach your skills. As documented in [this blog post](https://www.jointaro.com/blog/the-best-engineering-side-hustle-teaching/), teaching is the best side hustle if you have in-demand engineering skills.

### Lifestyle or indie business

The goal with an indie business is to make a livable income with a small team selling a high-margin software product. I'd call the number as a project where you can make $100K+ annually. Founders in this bucket are working full-time on their business, but they likely have not taken any outside funding. One way to achieve this is to niche down enough and serve a neglected demographic, "*courses for left-handed pickleball players"* or "*a mobile app for senior citizens in the Bay Area to find activities"*.

### Businesses built with Venture Capital

Very few businesses fit this category, but you may not think that, since these few companies command the lion's share of time, attention, and money. These are companies that have a charter to take over the world, or at least to take over a market. In exchange for money, VCs will take equity in your company, and also likely have some governance power. The minimum benchmark to raise VC is usually a $1B opportunity with $100M in annual revenue, and there will be pressure to grow at 2x or 3x year over year for many years. 

If you'd like to build a VC-backed company, I recommend going through a credible accelerator like [**Y Combinator**](https://www.ycombinator.com/apply) like [**PearX.**](https://pear.vc/pearx-application/) 

A good pitch is used to get a potential investor excited about your company, yourself, and the vision you're presenting. It should contain a simple explanation of how your company creates value (skip the buzzwords), and explain who you serve. You should expect rapid-fire questions and skepticism. A good pitch has the following ingredients: 

- Use clear, simple words
- Get to the point
- Teach something
- Show why **you** are uniquely-equipped to solve this problem

Relevant resources:

- [**\[Taro Top 10\] Entrepreneurship And Tech Startups**](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/ArtlSzF17v7cad1K6TJG/)
- Alex answering [**"How did you decide to quit your job and make a startup?"**](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/beZzIkLUP28WinNQctlP/how-did-you-decide-to-quit-your-job-and-make-a-startup-9132022/)
- [**How can H1B (visa) holders do a startup?**](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/N0TKzFWve7K7riyGx9rQ/how-can-h1b-visa-holders-do-a-startup/)
- [**How To Prepare To Leave Big Tech For A Startup**](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/muNQH8uZSviN8P60RaKS/how-to-prepare-to-leave-big-tech-for-a-startup/)
- [**Taro at YC's Demo Day (Summer 2022)**](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/81ACDLKEO9SVX964S1Yx/taro-at-ycs-demo-day-summer-2022/)

Big Tech Is Not A Monolith

Although Big Tech is often discussed as if it's a uniform experience, that assumption doesn't hold up under scrutiny. The lesson clarifies that these companies, and even teams within them, can differ dramatically in culture, structure, and day-to-day work.

- **Big Tech is not a monolith**: Companies like Google, Amazon, Meta, Apple, and Microsoft may appear similar, but each has distinct norms and quirks. For example, Apple and Amazon differ significantly in operating style.
- **Team-level variation is substantial**: Within any large company - especially one with thousands of engineering teams—there’s huge internal variability. At Google, for instance, it’s unrealistic to expect all teams to operate the same way.
- **Meta as a case study in divergence**: Meta operates almost like four separate companies due to its major acquisitions (Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus), each with its own leadership structure and internal culture.
- **Caveat for the audience**: The content that follows reflects common experiences shared by 70–80% of Big Tech engineers, but there will be outliers. Some parts may resonate; others may not - and that’s normal.

Ethan Evans' Career Path: Startup Manager to Amazon VP

[Ethan Evans](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanevansvp/) is a retired Amazon VP. He shared his career journey starting out during the dot-com boom of the 1990s, quickly ascending as a manager at a string of startups.

**Early Career and Management Path:**

- Ethan started in management early, taking on a TPM role for a small project due to the team's need.
- He was drawn to leadership because the project lacked organization, focus, and communication.
- Ethan was supported by managers and encouraged to continue in the role. He progressed through several startups, growing in each one and reaching VP level by the third.

**Joining Amazon:**

- Ethan was a "fake" startup VP before going getting downleveled as a manager at Amazon, and it took years for him to return to a true VP role, managing a team of 800 people.
- The startup he was at was failing, and Amazon offered more compensation despite being giving a worse title.
- He initially managed a team of six at Amazon, which eventually grew to 800. 

Ethan credits his rapid ascent to:

- Seeing problems and proactively solving them.
- Taking initiative and asking for more responsibility.
- Curiosity and motivation to understand the bigger picture.

More to explore: 

- [\[Taro Top 10\] Software Engineer To Engineering Manager (IC -&gt; M Track)](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/oz0mnJvHHgM8NfVF7rgp/)
- [What's the difference between Big Tech and startups in terms of learning and growth?](https://www.jointaro.com/question/KWXIrFIR1EIJsvdOdo7u/whats-the-difference-between-big-tech-and-startups-in-terms-of-learning-and-growth/)
- [How much am I hurting my career by staying at a startup? (Pressure to work for big tech)](https://www.jointaro.com/question/dqCvmYhI9WE0k33orZEP/how-much-am-i-hurting-my-career-by-staying-at-a-startup-pressure-to-work-for-big-tech/)

Break Into Tech And Become A Software Engineer [Part 16] - Leverage Your Warm Network

In this lesson, Brian emphasizes the importance of leveraging your existing personal network, not just online platforms, to find job opportunities in tech.

This lesson covers:

- Using family, friends, and former colleagues to generate warm leads for software development positions, as many opportunities may exist close to home
- The concept of "seven degrees of separation" to illustrate how connections through your network can lead to valuable job prospects
- How reaching out to people within your network can provide unexpected opportunities, even from places like past jobs or local companies

If you need extra help breaking into tech, join Brian's exclusive, cohort-based bootcamp (just 10 students per batch). Use this special link for $800 off: <https://www.parsity.io/taro>

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianjenney/>

The Correct Reason To Become A Manager

[**Ethan Evans**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanevansvp/) is a retired Amazon VP who now coaches managers to break into executive levels. 

Ethan believes the "correct" answer for someone's motivation to becoming a manager should be based on a genuine desire to help and grow other people, rather than on external factors like money or power. People who are motivated by these external factors tend to make poor managers.

The management job is very different from the individual contributor (IC) role. You may be used to learning different technology stacks, but management is about learning an orthogonal "stack" altogether, focused on soft skills and people.

Reflect on your own experiences with good and bad managers -- it's important for managers to have a cohesive style that has a clear set of opinions. This style will not be suitable for everyone, but that's ok. Ethan made the analogy of ice cream flavors. There's no correct ice cream, people will have different preferences in the same way that people will prefer different types of managers. 

Ask yourself (and ideally, test drive) the activities you would do as a manager, things like organizing people's work and holding them accountable.

More to explore:

- [**\[Taro Top 10\] Software Engineer To Engineering Manager (IC -&gt; M Track)**](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/oz0mnJvHHgM8NfVF7rgp/)
- [**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/?playlistId=oz0mnJvHHgM8NfVF7rgp)
- [Asking For A Promotion: The Wrong Way vs. The Right Way](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/GvT4NBqaBULFlizarSCf/asking-for-a-promotion-the-wrong-way-vs-the-right-way/)

System Design Meeting Non-Participation

In this exercise, we examine a common team dynamic issue: several team members remain silent during design review meetings. This scenario challenges us to improve team engagement and collaboration—core to a manager’s ability to create sustainable performance change.

- We can **create psychological safety** so team members feel comfortable speaking up. This might involve setting new norms, encouraging questions, or addressing interpersonal dynamics that suppress contribution.
- We may need to **facilitate structured participation**, such as assigning roles, using round-robin feedback formats, or pre-assigning topics so everyone has time to prepare and contribute.
- We should **investigate root causes**—whether it's confidence, lack of clarity, or a dominant voice in the room—and address them through coaching or team norms.
- This is a chance to **foster inclusion and amplify diverse perspectives**, making the team more effective and innovative in its design process.
- By creating a culture of engagement, we **raise the overall output quality** and ownership across the team—an impactful and sustainable delta.

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)

Control

In this final phase, we ensure that the gains achieved through improvements don’t erode over time. Control is about sustaining operational excellence, detecting deviations early, and building mechanisms—both human and automated—that keep the system performing at its best.

### Key Takeaways:

- **We implement control mechanisms to preserve gains**: Once we achieve desired service levels, we don’t assume they’ll stay that way. We actively maintain them through tools like regular audits, alarms, and ongoing data validation.
- **The Weekly Business Review (WBR) reinforces control**: Our WBR report includes 200–300 metrics. We review only the outliers, but by tracking all key indicators weekly, we maintain vigilance and are able to quickly detect when something goes off-course.
- **We rely on automation for precision and scalability**: From real-time alarms to machine-driven decision-making, we automate wherever possible. These systems are monitored to ensure they perform within tolerance thresholds.

To dive deeper into Input Metrics Mastery and learn more from Bill and Colin, follow these links:

- Take the full course at their website: <https://workingbackwards.com/>
- Buy the book: <https://www.amazon.com/Working-Backwards-Insights-Stories-Secrets/dp/1250267595>
- Bill's LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-carr/>
- Colin's LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinbryar/>

Ace The ML System Design Interview [Part 8] - How To Prepare

Preparing for a machine learning system design interview can feel overwhelming, but a structured approach makes it manageable. Here are the core points from this lesson:

- Identify the specific areas of machine learning likely to be covered in your interview to focus your preparation
- Understand the trade-offs between different machine learning techniques by creating comparison tables outlining their pros and cons
- Conduct a mock interview early in your preparation to establish a baseline and identify areas for improvement
- Address feedback from mock interviews and consider a second mock to gauge progress
- Avoid last-minute cramming—structured preparation over a week or month is far more effective

If you want a mock interview from Ilya, you can book time with him here: [MLEpath - Mock Interviews](https://go.mlepath.com/taro-mocks)

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)

Clear Communication For SWEs [Part 16] - Next Steps And CTA

Thank you for watching my course on clear communication for software engineers! To enhance your communication skills, regular practice is essential, along with real-time feedback and role-playing exercises. This video also talks about my coaching services tailored to software engineers aiming to improve their communication skills, including non-native English speakers seeking confidence and effectiveness in communication. I can help you with public speaking, presentations, active listening, and everyday work communication, providing a hands-on approach in a supportive environment.

Connect with me on LinkedIn (it's also the best way to reach out to me for coaching services): <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-wiens/>

How To Properly Measure Your Data

In this lesson, we explore the essential discipline of **measuring data effectively**, a foundational step in the DMAIC process. Drawing from Amazon’s own journey, we explain why rigorous data management, real-time reporting, and a culture of confronting the brutal facts are key to achieving operational excellence.

### Key Takeaways:

- **We built a disciplined system for data measurement**: Measurement goes far beyond selecting metrics—it requires clean data, reliable pipelines, centralized data warehouses, governance, security, and standardized reporting tools like Tableau or Looker.
- **We invested in an unbiased analytics culture**: Jeff Bezos asked our CFO to form an independent analytics team whose sole job was to uncover the truth, not protect orgs or executives. These analysts had both financial and operational alignment but prioritized integrity in reporting.
- **We created mechanisms to confront reality**: Inspired by Churchill and Jim Collins, we institutionalized a culture of *brutal facts*—establishing metrics and systems that allowed leadership to face problems head-on, rather than hide or distort them.
- **We operationalized this with the Weekly Business Review (WBR)**: The WBR report was auto-generated by 7 a.m. every Monday, standardized, and packed with hundreds of metrics—enabling every department to identify trends, anomalies, and action items before the company-wide WBR each Wednesday.
- **We learned that slow is fast**: Building accurate, automated, real-time measurement systems took time and leadership buy-in. But in the long run, these systems helped us move faster and make better decisions at scale.

Ultimately, this lesson shows that **data measurement is not a tech problem—it’s a leadership imperative**. By treating it as a strategic function, we created a system that helped Amazon scale with confidence and clarity.

To dive deeper into Input Metrics Mastery and learn more from Bill and Colin, follow these links:

- Take the full course at their website: <https://workingbackwards.com/>
- Buy the book: <https://www.amazon.com/Working-Backwards-Insights-Stories-Secrets/dp/1250267595>
- Bill's LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-carr/>
- Colin's LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinbryar/>

What sounds like help can feel like control.

At some point, support starts to sound like hovering.\
And it’s hard to see when you’ve crossed that line.

This section takes a closer look at that moment—when helping quietly turns into handling.\
It’s more common than you think. Especially when you care.

**Want to go deeper?**

- Explore more tools and courses at [**Taha’s Method**](https://www.tahasmethod.com/) — from interview prep to leadership development.

- Follow me on [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tahahussain/) and subscribe to my weekly newsletter, [**The Conscious Leader**](https://tahahussain.substack.com/), for more lessons like these.

- Get 30% off [**Top Tech Leader**](https://bit.ly/tarotopleader) with code **ILOVETARO** (exclusive for Taro members).

Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech [Part 18] - Give Deep Thanks

"Thanks" is a magic word but only if you play your cards right. This lesson teaches you:

- Why basic thanks (what many software engineers do) is so ineffective, especially in the context of networking
- Ways you can give deeper thanks, shown in order of intensity
- An incredibly powerful way to give deep thanks in the context of a work setting

Clear Communication For SWEs [Part 13] - Effective Communication In Meetings

In this video, I discuss strategies for clear communication in team meetings, focusing on different types of meetings like stand-ups, sprint planning, technical design, and client meetings. I emphasize the importance of preparation, concise communication, and active listening during Q&A sessions.

**Action requested:** Implement these strategies in your next team meeting for better communication and collaboration.

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

Break Into Tech And Become A Software Engineer [Part 21] - Developing Optimism

In this lesson, Brian shares the importance of cultivating optimism as a foundation for achieving success and overcoming challenges in your career and life.

This lesson covers:

- How optimism, rooted in effort and persistence, is essential for progress, as demonstrated by Brian's own journey from addiction to engineering manager
- The negative impact of social media on optimism, as it skews reality by focusing on extremes rather than everyday successes
- Practical strategies for maintaining optimism, such as keeping a tech journal to track your progress and reinforce your belief in your ability to improve and succeed

If you need extra help breaking into tech, join Brian's exclusive, cohort-based bootcamp (just 10 students per batch). Use this special link for $800 off: <https://www.parsity.io/taro>

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianjenney/>

"How can I get the most out of Taro Premium?" - 9/7/2022

- **Ask us questions!** 🙏 🙏 🙏
  - You can do it from the Taro web app [here](https://app.jointaro.com/questions/create).
  - A lot of your growth corresponds to how much you put yourself out there. The more you share, the more opportunities you're giving yourself to "get lucky" and receive some incredible, insightful advice you can apply to your job and level up.
  - *You don't need to have a good question or even a full question at all to ask something.* Taro is a judgment-free zone. Feel free to just share your current situation and thoughts on it and end your question with something like, "Do any of you have thoughts on how I can improve this situation?"
- Follow the tag corresponding to your level
  - The biggest commonality when it comes to career issues is level.
  - There are very clear patterns among senior engineers pushing for staff, mid-level engineers pushing for senior, etc.
  - In the Taro mobile app, go to the tags page and find the one for your level. If you follow it (or unfollow and then follow it again), it will float to the top of your home feed.
- Share your feedback
  - Every Taro Premium member is effectively a "mini product manager" of the company.
  - If you find a bug or have a feature idea that would help you a lot, please let us know!

They’re not resisting change. They’re protecting something.

It’s easy to think they’re pushing back just to be difficult.\
But more often, they’re trying to keep something from breaking.

This section slows the moment down.\
Just enough to ask: what might they lose if they say yes?

**Want to go deeper?**

- Explore more tools and courses at [**Taha’s Method**](https://www.tahasmethod.com/) — from interview prep to leadership development.

- Follow me on [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tahahussain/) and subscribe to my weekly newsletter, [**The Conscious Leader**](https://tahahussain.substack.com/), for more lessons like these.

- Get 30% off [**Top Tech Leader**](https://bit.ly/tarotopleader) with code **ILOVETARO** (exclusive for Taro members).

Become A Debugging Master [Part 12] - Take Breaks

Sometimes the smartest move when debugging isn’t pushing harder—it’s stepping away. Here are the core points from the lesson:

- Taking breaks is critical to avoid getting trapped in unproductive rabbit holes and to regain a fresh perspective on tough bugs
- If you haven’t made meaningful progress after an hour, switching tasks, taking a walk, or asking for help can prevent burnout and unlock new ideas
- Breaks scientifically boost memory consolidation, accuracy, and problem-solving by giving your brain time to process and connect scattered information
- Studies show staying awake too long severely impairs your mental performance, making rest essential for effective debugging and clear thinking

How To Properly Learn

In this section, we focus on the kind of preparation that truly sets us apart in machine learning interviews. Rather than relying on surface-level memorization, we learn how to build a deep, applied understanding that shines under follow-up questions and real-world discussion.

- We aim to **go beyond surface knowledge**, learning not just definitions but also how and why concepts work.
- We must understand **implementation details**, like the loss function in logistic regression or how feature importance is calculated in random forests.
- We should avoid vague “buzzword” answers and instead be honest if unsure—showing how we would reason through the problem is often more impressive than guessing.
- We connect **theory to practice**, drawing clear links between ML concepts and our own project experience to demonstrate applied understanding.
- We focus on **breadth with clarity**, going deep only where relevant, and always aim to explain ideas in a concise and structured manner to reflect true expertise.

If you want to learn even more from Yayun:

- Book 1 on 1 career guidance with her here: <https://calendly.com/your-friend-yayun/1on1>
- Follow her on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/yayunjin/>

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.