Start Your Day By Eating The Frog

When it comes to productivity, what is eating the frog?

True or false: To ease into your day, the best thing to do when you wake up is something easy and fun like checking your Instagram.

Promotion Expectation Examples (Good vs. Bad)

In this lesson, we show how vague career frameworks aren’t enough for real growth—and how transforming generic expectations into detailed, personalized criteria creates clarity, direction, and stronger promotion outcomes.

- We explain that most companies’ career matrices are extremely generic (“have broad influence in code review”), making them nearly useless for understanding what to *actually* do to reach the next level.
- We demonstrate how to replace vague statements with concrete, customized expectations that clearly outline the **delta** between current level and next level.
- We give an example from Meta: mid-level engineers (E4) typically review code only in their domain, while senior engineers (E5) are expected to review code across unfamiliar modules, broader systems, and even sister teams—showing multiplicative impact.
- We highlight that this level of specificity makes it far easier for us to understand, track, and execute on what “the next level” actually requires.
- We emphasize that crafting a detailed plan also has a perception benefit: it signals seriousness, ownership, and thoughtfulness—making managers more likely to advocate for our promotion.

How to Crack System Design Interviews - Part 8: Technical Competence

This video analyzes the technical aspects of a system design interview, focusing on how our design choices are evaluated. Here's what we need to keep in mind:

- **Thoughtful design choices:** We must justify our technology choices (e.g., Cassandra) with clear reasoning connected to the system's needs and demonstrate awareness of alternative solutions.

- **Multiple solutions and trade-offs:** We should showcase our technical depth by considering various solutions (e.g., push vs. pull models) and understanding their trade-offs (e.g., SQL vs. NoSQL databases).

- **Real-world examples:** We need to incorporate practical, real-world examples of technologies and products to illustrate our design choices and demonstrate practicality.

- **Deep technical knowledge:** We should possess a strong understanding of the technologies we propose, including their internal workings and how they compare to alternatives.

- **Feedback and iteration:** We must be receptive to feedback on our design choices and demonstrate the ability to adapt and improve our solutions based on the interviewer's input.

[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.

FAANG Is Too Cushy? How Big Tech Engineer Founders Often Fail

Eric Bahn, a VC from Hustle Fund, talks about the common failure modes of founders who previously worked in Big Tech.

Some of the questions we discuss:
- Does success in a Big Tech job translate to founder success? Seeing how things are done "properly" in a FAANG (or equivalent) company is very valuable. However, the skills needed to start from scratch are very different.
- How Rahul thought about leaving Meta after 4.5 years to start Taro: **when you start a new product or company, no one cares about you**. It is very, very hard to get people to care about you, to even give you the time of day. That's why having distribution networks are so important.
- How long is *too* long in a Big Tech company? If you've been at a FAANG company for 6+ years, is that a negative signal for your ability to start a company? Obviously this depends on the situation, but it's important to be aware of the perception.
- What are the most common failure modes of ex-FAANG founders?

------

- Connect with [Eric on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericbahn/)
- This is a re-post from [Rahul's YouTube channel](https://youtu.be/63b6A8A3kAU)

Ace The ML System Design Interview [Part 6] - Deployment & Beyond

Discussing deployment and monitoring is a crucial signal of real-world machine learning experience in an interview. Here are the core points from this lesson:

- Familiarize yourself with deployment patterns like shadow mode, A/B testing, and blue-green deployments, understanding their trade-offs and when to apply them
- Monitor both offline (ML engineer-focused) and online (business-focused) metrics, paying close attention to the distribution of inputs and outputs at each stage of a multi-stage system
- Recognize that significant shifts in input or output distributions should trigger immediate attention, as they often indicate real-world changes affecting model performance
- Avoid suggesting online learning unless you have deep expertise, as it can lead to complex follow-up questions
- Be prepared to discuss retraining strategies, as models inevitably need updates over time

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)

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)

How Managers Hire Great Engineers [Part 4] - The Recruiting Funnel

In order to master the recruiting funnel, you must know the key terms and strategies for optimizing the hiring process. After this lesson, you will:

- Learn the definitions of sourcing, outreach, and closing, and how they fit into the recruiting funnel
- Understand industry averages for recruiting metrics and how to use them to benchmark your process
- Discover where managers can have the highest impact in the recruiting funnel, particularly at the top and bottom stages
- Gain insights on how to troubleshoot and improve conversion rates throughout the funnel
- Focus on attracting and closing top talent to make your recruiting process more efficient

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

Laid Off. What’s Next? The Case For Optimism

NOTE: This video was published in January 2023.

If you lost your job, right now is actually a great time to get laid off. It's obviously not fun to wake up and discover that your work access has been cutoff, but all things considered, you're going to be ok.

Many laid-off tech workers are getting generous severance packages which can be used for a well-earned vacation, taking time between jobs, or starting your own project. Historically, tons of companies were started in the midst of a recession, including Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Uber, and Instagram.

- [\[Masterclass\] How To Survive Tech Industry Layoffs](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/axnVXYox5QeOneqcoyuH/masterclass-how-to-survive-tech-industry-layoffs/)
- [Inside The Layoff Era of Big Tech (Meta, Google, Amazon Layoffs)](https://www.jointaro.com/blog/inside-the-new-layoff-era-of-big-tech/)
- [Checkout all the layoff resources + discussions on Taro](https://www.jointaro.com/topic/layoffs/)

Other resources:

- [PG's essay about startups in a recession](http://www.paulgraham.com/badeconomy.html)
- [Laid Off Tech Workers Quickly Find New Jobs](https://www.wsj.com/articles/laid-off-tech-workers-quickly-find-new-jobs-11672097730)
- [Taro's LinkedIn community](https://linkedin.com/company/jointaro)

Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech [Part 16] - 1 on 1 Meetings

Want to make someone like you? Go talk to them privately! This lesson teaches you:

- Why 1 on 1s are the most important vehicle for deepening relationships
- A simple 2-step framework to make a relationship incredibly powerful, centered around 1 on 1s
- The core mindset you need to have in order to make 1 on 1s effective
- How to think about the frequency of your 1 on 1s
- Basic tactics to get far more value from your 1 on 1s, especially with more senior people

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!)

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)

How to Crack System Design Interviews - Part 11: Conclusion

This concludes the System Design Interview course! To maximize your performance in upcoming interviews, we recommend:

- **Reviewing the course content:** Shortly before your interview, revisit the course material and use it as a checklist to ensure you've grasped the key concepts.

- **Focusing on communication:** Remember that the interview assesses your ability to communicate effectively, demonstrate knowledge of existing systems, and showcase problem-solving skills.

- **Practicing and preparing:** Thorough preparation is crucial for success in system design interviews. Utilize the resources and strategies discussed throughout the course to enhance your skills and increase your confidence.

- **Remembering your value:** Regardless of the interview outcome, your competence and skills as an engineer remain valuable.

Good luck with your interviews!

[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.

How Managers Hire Great Engineers [Part 3] - Why Recruiting Matters

Recruiting is a critical responsibility for managers, especially in high-growth companies. After this lesson, you will:

- Understand the high leverage impact of hiring decisions on a company’s long-term success
- Learn why recruiting is crucial in high-growth environments where more work exists than people to do it
- Discover the significant difference between top engineers and low-performing ones, and how this impacts team performance
- Gain insight into when recruiting matters most and when it may not be as critical

Connect with John Egan on LinkedIn: [**https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwegan/**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwegan/)

Break Into Tech And Become A Software Engineer [Part 23] - Exercise!

Brian's life before coding: <https://youtu.be/3pqgSaE6Zs4>

In this lesson, Brian shares how adopting an exercise routine can positively impact your journey as a software developer, fostering optimism and habit formation.

This lesson covers:

- How exercise builds optimism, as both working out and coding require patience, consistency, and incremental progress that may not be immediately noticeable
- The parallels between fitness and coding, such as overcoming self-doubt and creating habits that lead to long-term success
- Practical tips on habit creation, like using cues and triggers to make coding and exercise a natural part of your daily routine, emphasizing that it's never too late to start either

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 Managers Hire Great Engineers [Part 6] - Root Sourcing

Root sourcing is a powerful tactic for finding top engineering talent. From this lesson, you will:

- Understand the concept of root sourcing and how it leverages industry leaders’ networks to identify strong candidates
- Learn how to find and connect with industry leaders on LinkedIn to access their networks
- Discover how to comb through connections of industry leaders to find potential candidates in specific domains
- Gain insights into how privacy settings on LinkedIn can impact your ability to view connections and how to work around these limitations

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

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/>

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/>

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/)

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

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.

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.