Ask Me Anything (AMA) with a Disney Eng Director - Greg Benson

[**Greg Benson**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg7gkb/) is the Director of Engineering at Disney Streaming (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Star+). Further questions and discussions are on the [AMA thread](https://www.jointaro.com/question/CdPjNOXvU882180yzs6R/im-greg-ex-googlenetflix-current-director-at-disney-ama/).

Previously, he was the Engineering Manager at Google, where he worked from 2017 - 2021. Prior to that, he was a manager at Netflix during the hypergrowth phase (2013 - 2017). Greg also has a deep background in music and audio, having received a Masters in Music & Audio Technology in 2003, and then working with Dolby for more than 5 years.

After leaving Google and before joining Disney, Greg took a career break to learn, explore, and recharge. He traveled to Ghana, learned about accounting, became a startup advisor, and read a lot.

Greg answered many questions in this Ask Me Anything (AMA). This session was moderated by [Igor Podkhodov](https://www.linkedin.com/in/podkhodov/). 

**Transitioning From Engineer to Manager: Insights and Expectations**

Greg shared his experience transitioning from an engineer to a management role. 

- Ask strategic questions in one-on-one and skip-level meetings, focusing on career trajectory and higher-level considerations. 
- Individual ownership and accountability are critical to ensure you succeed and build trust. 

They also discussed the purpose of skip-level meetings, which included understanding the expectations of senior staff and determining one's career trajectory. They emphasized the importance of adapting to different organizational and cultural contexts, as expectations can vary between companies. Igor added that it's important to verify the direction of one's actions during skip-level check-ins.

**Career Breaks and Influential Readings**

Greg discussed their influential reading materials, including [Creativity Inc](https://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Overcoming-Unseen-Inspiration/dp/0812993012), [Beyond Entrepreneurship](https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Entrepreneurship-Turning-Business-Enduring/dp/0133815269), and [Leading Teams: Setting the Stage for Great Performances](https://www.amazon.com/Leading-Teams-Setting-Stage-Performances/dp/1578513332). He also shared their career journey, which involved tenures at Amazon, Netflix, and Google, a break of about a year and a half, and a transition to Disney. Greg quit his job at Google during the Covid-19 pandemic due to the challenges of remote work and the mental health burden. They emphasized the importance of taking breaks in one's career and the potential implications of extended gaps in one's employment history.

**Speeding up Engineering Velocity**

Greg discussed their experience at Disney, highlighting a less engineering-oriented approach compared to their previous roles. They also shared their insights on the factors that could accelerate an engineering team's velocity, such as testing, team culture, and the use of large systems. Greg further discussed the use of AI and large language models in the development process. During his time off, Greg learned more about AI and ML which helped him feel more confident in leveraging new advancements. For truly paradigm-shifting technologies (like AI), you won't be "too late" if you start adapting now.

**Mentorship and Career Growth**

Igor asked Greg about their approach to mentorship and its impact on their career growth. Greg shared that they have never used a career coach but has found mentorship through ad hoc interactions with colleagues. They emphasized the importance of reaching out to people for help and guidance, asserting that most people are willing to assist. They also shared their strategy of researching potential mentors before reaching out and being open-minded about learning from people in different roles and departments. Igor agreed with Greg's approach, noting the importance of persistence in finding a willing mentor.

**Career Progression**

- In a challenging economy (and world events), Greg advised holding out for a decent job that you're actually excited about, emphasizing the importance of following interests and passions. 
- Your specialization and expertise can help stand out in the job market. Startups often will have more growth and personal satisfaction. 

**Engineering Career Paths and Management Challenges**

Igor raised a question about career paths for engineers, emphasizing the need to understand motivations and challenges of growth into staff engineer or manager roles. Greg highlighted the significant responsibility that comes with a managerial role, including handling team issues, and advised finding an environment that supports career growth. They discussed the challenges and rewards of transitioning from an individual contributor to a managerial role, including loss of control, recognition, and specific deliverables, as well as the ambiguity and subjectivity of performance evaluation. The discussion ended open-ended with Prakash seeking insights on handling disagreements within teams.

**Managing Conflict: Strategies and Challenges**

Greg and Igor discussed the complexities of conflict within teams, with Greg sharing their experience and strategies for managing discord. Greg emphasized the importance of understanding power dynamics, providing coaching and feedback, and attempting to understand the other person's perspective. They also highlighted the challenges of balancing objectivity and support, and the importance of expressing empathy when disagreeing with someone. Igor shared their experience of trying to help a direct report dealing with personal issues, and learned the importance of empathy and understanding in communication. Greg also discussed the importance of different modes of listening, potential pitfalls of problem-solving over brainstorming, and the concept of escalation in conflict resolution. They suggested that if a manager is not supportive, it's important to know one's limits and consider finding a different team or having a direct conversation with the manager.

**Building Trust and Influence in the Workplace**

Greg shared his thoughts on building trust and influence in the workplace. 

- Honesty and transparency are paramount, with consistent actions over words. 
- Listening attentively and empathizing with others can help establish trust quickly. 

Greg also underscored the significance of documentation for accountability and avoiding circular conversations. They further discussed the involvement of politics in management roles, explaining that it's less about merit and more about relationships and perceptions. They clarified that healthy politics involves branding/reputation and accurately communicating achievements, rather than manipulating facts.

**Managing People and Avoiding Burnout**

Greg discussed their approach to managing people who don't read documentation, emphasizing the importance of empathy and support over shaming. They suggested providing opportunities for people to catch up, followed by a conversation if the issue persists. Igor then asked Greg about handling workload and avoiding burnout. Greg suggested contextualizing the effectiveness of meetings and encouraged individuals to assert agency over their time by choosing not to attend wasteful meetings, prioritizing their own work.

Further questions and discussions are on the [AMA thread](https://www.jointaro.com/question/CdPjNOXvU882180yzs6R/im-greg-ex-googlenetflix-current-director-at-disney-ama/).

Inside TaroGPT - Building A Career Coach Chatbot For Engineers

TaroGPT is an AI chatbot designed specifically to help engineers, trained on the 1000s of hours of expert career advice on the Taro platform, crafted by tech leaders at companies like Google, Meta, Amazon, hyper-growth startups, and more. In this session, we go through the system design and product philosophy behind the product.

TaroGPT is a collaboration between 2 companies (and 2 Alexs):

- **Taro (obviously)** - We only built the frontend, and Alex Chiou was responsible for the Android and iOS implementations.
- [**Sentiyen**](https://sentiyen.com/) - This is [Alex Perelman's](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexperelman/) company, and they built the backend that does all the cool machine learning and AI logic.

To learn more about front-end (Android, iOS, web) system design, check out Alex's master series here: [System Design Masterclass: Taro Playlists](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/dChIyTQcu2Ct5VC70lki/)

If you don't have TaroGPT yet, you can download it here:

- **Android** - <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.randomappsinc.techcareergrowth>
- **iOS** - <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/taro-ai-gpt-career-coach-chat/id1605094641>

Lastly, here's the link to the presentation slides:

- [Alex (Taro) - Mobile System Design](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1JKp3xnkdfBNUiCfpDTlpjzzbsSlRrXtZFDMeigxP454/edit?usp=sharing)
- [Alex (Sentiyen) - Backend/ML/AI System Design](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xRsyMi0baRBxVEj7lTVvd6SfUo3gRM9c/view?usp=sharing)

Successful Disagreements for Software Engineers

[**Ryan Alexander Wiens**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-wiens/) is an experienced English communication coach who has worked with more than 70 SWEs. In this workshop, he shares the nuances of expressing disagreement in a constructive and respectful manner. With years of coaching under his belt, Ryan understands the challenges faced by engineers when English is not their first language.

**Key Takeaways:**

- Understand the phases of a diplomatic disagreement.
- Interactive exercises including breakout rooms and real-time Q&A.
- A phrase bank for participants to use in their daily communications.
- Practice scenarios on common workplace topics for SWEs.

Ryan discussed the importance of including the right words and phrases, clear thinking, defined outcomes, and effective communication frameworks. He underscored the need for skills such as active listening, presenting new ideas, building rapport, and confidence in practical application. Ryan also led a discussion on the topic of successful disagreement at work, suggesting that the level of comfort with disagreement might depend on the situation and culture of the workplace.

**Disagreement's Importance in the Workplace**

Ryan emphasized the importance of expressing disagreement in the workplace, as it leads to better decision making, avoids useless work, and creates opportunities for learning and growth. They stressed the need for disagreement to be done respectfully, keeping it impersonal and listening to others before forming a response. Additionally, they suggested picking battles wisely and staying calm and respectful. 

**Constructive Disagreement Framework**

Ryan introduced a framework for constructive disagreement that emphasized respect, evidence-based opinions, and softening disagreements. He encouraged attendees to suggest phrases to use when expressing disagreements respectfully. Instead of using the word "but" in conversations, Ryan suggests alternatives to soften disagreements. At the same time, you should own your disagreements and remove bias from the message. In situations of imbalanced authority, Ryan advised picking battles carefully and being strategic about which battles to pursue.

Ryan led a group activity aimed at fostering disagreement resolution skills. Find the [worksheet here](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1G0As8QS7MZ4O0PTCeDEPeSborW9ahU_m/view?usp=sharing).

Additional resources: 

- [\[Masterclass\] How To Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/tyaPFMXPoz2pmzB7OVzt/masterclass-how-to-build-deep-relationships-quickly-in-tech/)
- [\[Masterclass\] How To Work Better With Your Engineering Manager](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/2PbJb2fuqF3iMHy57eEg/masterclass-how-to-work-better-with-your-engineering-manager/)

Ask Me Anything (AMA) with a Meta and Databricks Eng Director - Ritendra Datta

[**Ritendra Datta**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritendradatta/) is a Senior Director of Engineering at Databricks.

Previously, he was the Head of FB Reels and Video Recommendations (Director of Engineering) at Meta, where he worked from 2019 - 2023. Prior to that, he was a Senior Staff Software Engineer and Tech Lead working at Google in Mountain View. See the [Q&A Ritendra led in the discussion forum](https://www.jointaro.com/question/FaRXsBFD3JpNtFlsmC6Q/im-ritendra-ex-metagoogle-current-senior-director-at-databricks-ama/).

In this Ask Me Anything (AMA), Ritendra answered many questions about tech leadership and career growth!

**Career Preferences in Small vs Large Companies**

Ritendra explained that he enjoys working in smaller, more self-contained companies where he can have a greater impact and more direct relationships with colleagues and superiors. He also highlighted his discomfort in large companies where there are more people than problems and where he would rather focus on technical work than fighting for scope. He ended by stating that his 'sweet spot' is in smaller companies like Databricks or the early days of Google.

**Manager Evaluation and Influence Strategies**

Ritendra discussed how to evaluate a manager and increase influence in a new company. Rahul asked for advice on evaluating a manager, and Ritendra emphasized the importance of empathy, understanding, and a focus on the employee's growth. He suggested asking existing reports about their manager's responses to failure and success, and their approach to career growth. Later, Rahul asked about increasing influence in a new company, and Ritendra advised understanding the company's pain points and focusing on solving them. He cautioned against bringing in new problems to solve, as it can be dismissed due to the existing workload. He also mentioned that introducing a new perspective can also lead to influence.

**Director's Tech Role: Problems and Strategies**

Ritendra discussed the common people problems faced by a director in a technology leading role. Ritendra highlighted the issue of conflict within an overgrown organization, where there are too many people and not enough problems, leading to fights over scope and misaligned career aspirations. He also shared his personal strategy of moving to a different part of the company where the problem is less prevalent. Rahul asked about identifying fast-growing opportunities within a company, to which Ritendra suggested evaluating visibility and impact potential. He advised focusing on areas that are important to the business outcomes but not heavily crowded, and not always following the CEO's narrative.

**Executive Presence: Leading Beyond Teams**

Ritendra shared his personal experience of receiving feedback about his lack of executive presence early in his career and his subsequent efforts to develop it. They also emphasized the importance of understanding and executing on leaders' strategies, as well as effective communication with senior leadership. The conversation touched on the importance of taking action items and follow-ups, and maintaining a balance between being assertive and respectful in discussions with senior leaders. They concluded that executive presence is not solely about intelligence or technical expertise, but also about understanding and acting on strategic directions.

**Relationship-Building and Communication Strategies**

Jordan queried how to optimize the value of one-on-one meetings, to which Ritendra expressed his preference for these meetings due to their potential for honest communication and vulnerability. He shared his personal experience of joining a new company to highlight the significance of openness in establishing deep connections with others. Ritendra cautioned against frequent complaining, recommending a balance of 70% positive communication and 30% expressing struggles.

**Managing Difficult Relationships and Career Advice**

If you have a difficult manager relationship, Ritendra suggested that one should make a judgment call on whether the manager has already given up on them and advised seeking an exit if the relationship can't be repaired. He also mentioned that negative performance reviews often lead to further negative reviews, making it less likely for a turnaround. The topic of how much senior leadership knows about struggling mid or senior-level engineers was also discussed, with Ritendra confirming that such information does spread up the reporting chain. Lastly, Rahul asked about Ritendra's relationship with money as he climbed the career ladder. Ritendra stated that beyond a certain compensation, money doesn't significantly change one's quality of life and that he values his daily happiness over a higher salary.

**AI and ML Advice From Experienced Engineer**

Ritendra advises to focus on the areas surrounding the problem at hand, follow industry experts, read Linkedin articles, and listen to podcasts for new ideas. He emphasized that companies typically focus on fundamental knowledge rather than specific details about recent developments. Ritendra also suggested the use of co-pilot tools, such as AI assisted code writing, to make lives easier and recommended learning about the psychology of engineering and technology.

Relevant links:

- See the [Q&A Ritendra led in the discussion forum](https://www.jointaro.com/question/FaRXsBFD3JpNtFlsmC6Q/im-ritendra-ex-metagoogle-current-senior-director-at-databricks-ama/).
- Check out [**Ritendra's Substack here**](https://tldr0.substack.com/) and [**Medium here**](https://tldr0.medium.com/). (He wrote about his prior [**AMA from Blind**](https://tldr0.substack.com/p/a-fascinating-q-and-a-with-meta-employees) here.)
- Check out discussions with another [**Senior Eng Leader, David Pan, here**](https://www.jointaro.com/topic/david-pan/) and [**Rachel Zhao, here**](https://www.jointaro.com/topic/rachel-zhao/).

Is Distinguished Engineer Worth It? Dealing With Pressure And Work/Life Balance

Andrew became a Distinguished Engineer at Pinterest after working there for more than 9 years. He talks about: 

- The importance of persuasion and executive communication at this level.
- The amount of hours he put in to attain the Distinguished Engineer title at Pinterest. Andrew would frequently stay at the office until midnight, and his work/life balance suffered for years.
- Why he left his role at Pinterest (he made it to the top of the career ladder, literally could not get promoted further) to start a startup. 

Relevant links: 
- [How do you stay on top of everything?](https://www.jointaro.com/question/tgoVPigLZjzx7Z3qmMNH/how-do-you-stay-on-top-of-everything/)
- [How to keep my mental health while working in a competitive team and having kids?](https://www.jointaro.com/question/wpPPjI1gZtM5eNaCxlB0/how-to-keep-my-mental-health-while-working-in-a-competitive-team-and-having-kids/)
- [Master The Art of Successful Negotiations](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/zQWx8Vq89OA2lERWnjvL/master-the-art-of-successful-negotiations-unlock-your-full-potential/)
- [Andrew on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-zhai-2796ab34/)

From Layoff To Liftoff As An Immigrant - By Rashmi Kishore (Senior Intuit/Netflix SWE)

In August 2022, Silicon Valley engineer [Rashmi Kishore](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rashmi-kishore-software-engineer/) was hit with something too many of us are unfortunately familiar with: Layoffs. She lost her job at Netflix and was immediately put under time pressure to find new employment as she was on a visa.

Rashmi was able to overcome the odds, and she's now at Intuit. In this session, she talked about:

- Quickly picking up the interview game again to land an offer
- Managing the stress of the layoff atmosphere and immigration issues
- Handling the logistics of being on a visa in the US

For more help navigating layoffs, check out our curated playlist: [\[Taro Top 10\] Navigating Tech Industry Layoffs](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/pE7pP0nXDx4X7mOChzHS/)

Senior Staff Engineer (L7) Describes Most Important Skill - Rahul Malik

Rahul is a Senior Staff Engineer at Meta.

- **Most important skill**: dealing with ambiguity and working through others. Senior Staff Engineers operate in a broad space, so they have to be independent enough to make impact without a specific problem.
- **Advice**: figure out how decisions are made. Who makes the decisions, and what is the underlying value system?

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/)

Helpful links:
- [SWE2 --> Principal Eng in 4 years](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/Lvf1TDKt1R4ZJSCr9BVv/rockstar-software-engineer-story-sw2-greater-principal-in-just-4-years/)
- Taro's top 10 to get promoted from [senior to staff engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/YD8LMCSlE71VUGUbNAWM/)
- [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/)
- [Rahul on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulbmalik/)

Was Getting A Masters While Working Worthwhile? From a Distinguished Engineer

Andrew Zhai was a Distinguished Engineer at Pinterest.

After graduating from UC Berkeley in 2013, Andrew started working at Pinterest in Computer Vision. Within a few years, he decided to do a part-time Masters degree from Stanford to build his foundational knowledge of Machine Learning and Deep Learning.

Andrew says the academic rigor and the courses helped him achieve success in industry. For the Machine Learning (ML) field in general, the field evolved quickly enough that going 'back to school' was worthwhile.

[Andrew on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-zhai-2796ab34/)

Related:

- [Does having a Master's mean I can expect a salary equivaent of a 2 YoE SWE?](https://www.jointaro.com/question/YSMUN3uxDmGLqKxIvmXI/does-having-a-masters-mean-i-can-expect-a-salary-equivaent-of-a-2-yoe-swe/)
- [Do I need to do masters in Computer Science to move ahead in career?](https://www.jointaro.com/question/tKuUT3ELEa1uCGBuMykX/do-i-need-to-do-masters-in-computer-science-to-move-ahead-in-career/)
- [Is an online Master's Degree in Computer Science worth it for a non-CS Bachelor's degree holder with 2 YOE?](https://www.jointaro.com/question/Qth4ohK7HbHTEC83dwIJ/is-an-online-masters-degree-in-computer-science-worth-it-for-a-non-cs-bachelors-degree-holder-with-2-yoe/)
- [Rahul's Computer Science Masters Degree from Stanford in 7 Minutes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDu6slRfLY4)

How Does FAANG Hire? What Big Tech Recruiters Look For

[**Nikita Gupta**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/guptanikita16/) worked as a Senior Technical Recruiter at Uber and Amazon with 3+ years of recruiting and hiring experience. She extensively used applicant tracking systems (ATS) to search for the right candidates and hire them.

Nikita is an expert in helping candidates create better resumes and LinkedIn profiles in order to land more job opportunities. Her company [CareerFlow.ai](https://www.careerflow.ai/?via=taro) does exactly this.

As a full-cycle recruiter with experience in Big Tech and startups, Nikita will talk about how FAANG companies hire, and what misconceptions engineers often have when applying to jobs. She'll cover:

- Does "keyword stuffing" in resumes increase the chance of getting an interview?
- What are the top 3 things a recruiter looks for when opening a resume?
- How much does the recruiter screen matter in the overall interview process?
- How much does your LinkedIn matter in the job search?

Discounts for CareerFlow.ai's resume review service are available from the [perks page](https://www.jointaro.com/perks/). Use code `TARO` on [CareerFlow](https://www.careerflow.ai/resume-review?via=taro). 

Additional resources:

- [**\[Taro Top 10\] Effective Interview Prep**](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/HLBYxJI7D1j8STolrwum/)
- [**\[Masterclass\] How To Write A Stellar Tech Resume That Gets You More Job Opportunities**](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/OnQV2V3J8DYVBBuGbZx6/masterclass-how-to-write-a-stellar-tech-resume-that-gets-you-more-job-opportunities/)
- [**\[Masterclass\] How To Ace Your Big Tech Interview - Data Structures And Algorithms**](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/V4sTACzfOh22nMVcUV3w/masterclass-how-to-ace-your-big-tech-interview-data-structures-and-algorithms/)

Distinguished Engineer (L9) Describes Most Important Skill - Andrew Zhai

Andrew became a Distinguished Engineer at Pinterest through his 9+ year tenure at the company. He was one of 4 Distinguished Engineers in the whole company (1200 engineers).

- **Most important skill**: a deep understanding of people, business, and tech. That understanding is required to build trust from your team and the entire company to lead large-scale initiatives.
- **Advice**: Aggressively pursue impact. Being a Distinguished Engineer means that the company trusts you to tackle some of the hardest and most existential problems. Defining what those problems and getting the right functions involved is critical.

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/)

Helpful links:

- [Senior Director shares his perspective on role evolution at the executive level](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/Tr3bHl6mIVsmZZ6BAQLc/case-study-how-to-become-a-data-guru-as-an-engineer-w-senior-director-of-ds-mo-shahangian/)
- [How to write better code faster](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/iYpRj8XfyzCSaTYnce3y/masterclass-how-to-write-better-code-faster-as-a-software-engineer/)
- [The story of SWE2 --&gt; Principal Eng in 4 years](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/Lvf1TDKt1R4ZJSCr9BVv/rockstar-software-engineer-story-sw2-greater-principal-in-just-4-years/)
- Taro's top 10 to get promoted from [senior to staff engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/YD8LMCSlE71VUGUbNAWM/)
- [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/)
- [Andrew Zhai on Twitter (X)](https://x.com/ZhaiAndrew)

Principal Engineer (L8) Describes Most Important Skill - Pong Eksombatchai

Pong is a Principal Engineer at Pinterest.

- **Most important skill**: technical communication. As a Principal Engineer, you can't have sufficient impact on your own. Effective technical communication enables you to work through others and advise other teams on the recommended technical path. 
- **Advice**: model the behavior and culture you want. A Principal Engineer is, by default, a role model for the team and org, so their actions set the tone.

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/)

Helpful links:
- [SWE2 --> Principal Eng in 4 years](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/Lvf1TDKt1R4ZJSCr9BVv/rockstar-software-engineer-story-sw2-greater-principal-in-just-4-years/)
- Taro's top 10 to get promoted from [senior to staff engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/YD8LMCSlE71VUGUbNAWM/)
- [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/)
- [Pong on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/chantat-eksombatchai-268142b8/ )

Senior Staff Engineer (L7) Describes Most Important Skill - Kaushik Gopal

[Kaushik](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gopalkaushik/) is a Senior Staff Engineer at Instacart.

- **Most important skill**: identify, deliver, and measure the impact. At the Senior Staff level, it's not enough to execute on a technical vision, you also need to spend time identifying and measuring impact.
- **Advice**: talk to stakeholders across the company to identify problems and areas of impact. This includes non-eng functions like PM, design, customer support.

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/)

Helpful links:

- [SWE2 --&gt; Principal Eng in 4 years](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/Lvf1TDKt1R4ZJSCr9BVv/rockstar-software-engineer-story-sw2-greater-principal-in-just-4-years/)
- Taro's top 10 to get promoted from [senior to staff engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/YD8LMCSlE71VUGUbNAWM/)
- [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/)
- [Kaushik on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gopalkaushik/)

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/)

Staff Engineer (L6) Describes Most Important Skill - Sammy Nguyen

Sammy is a Staff Engineer (E6) at Gusto.

- **Most important skill**: level up and unblock your team. At the Staff level, you need to have multiplicative impact on the team, which means making your teammates better.
- **Advice**: talk to people and learn about the problems. This is how you learn about the organization and land enough impact.

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/)

Helpful links:
- [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/)
- Taro's top 10 to get promoted from [mid-level to senior engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/AUMiBTvYUv0gcOzuu26V/)
- Taro's top 10 to get promoted from [senior to staff engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/YD8LMCSlE71VUGUbNAWM/)
- [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/)
- [Sammy on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-nguyen-43519023/)

Senior Engineer (L5) Describes Most Important Skill - Richard Chen

Richard is a Senior Engineer (E5) at Meta.

- **Most important skill**: correct project selection. This requires balancing outcomes, priorities, and risks.
- **Advice**: bring people along with you. Careers are built over the long-term, so it's important to treat partners and work colleagues well.

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/)

Helpful links:
- Taro's top 10 to get promoted from [entry-level to mid-level engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/iBKHYpkjd0BRWWLKQG2j/)
- Taro's top 10 to get promoted from [mid-level to senior engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/AUMiBTvYUv0gcOzuu26V/)
- Taro's top 10 to get promoted from [senior to staff engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/YD8LMCSlE71VUGUbNAWM/)
- [Richard on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/r-x-c/)

Mid-Level Engineer (L4) Describes Most Important Skill - Dipika Tiwari

Dipika is a mid-level engineer at Qualcomm.

- **Most important skill**: efficient log analysis. Being able to quickly make sense of the bug report and provide actionable next steps is critical for productivity and trust. 
- **Advice**: keep notes as you ramp up, since that information will likely be useful later on.

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/)

Helpful links:
- [How Neetcode Got Promoted From L3 to L4 (Mid-Level) Engineer At Google - Tips + Insights](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/mP1jyI09NsCHDsi5yTEX/how-neetcode-got-promoted-from-l3-to-l4-mid-level-engineer-at-google-tips-insights/)
- Taro's top 10 to get promoted from [entry-level to mid-level engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/iBKHYpkjd0BRWWLKQG2j/)
- Taro's top 10 to get promoted from [mid-level to senior engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/AUMiBTvYUv0gcOzuu26V/)
- [Dipika on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dipika-tiwari/)

Entry-Level Engineer (L3) Describes Most Important Skill - Uriel Sejas

Uriel is a new grad engineer at Slack.

- Most important skill: understand and follow patterns in the codebase. There's likely a well-defined template or approach you can follow to complete your work. 
- Advice: take time to connect with other engineers. An engineer on a different team (build system or UI framework) can share something that otherwise would have taken hours/days to figure out.

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/)

Helpful links:
- [[Masterclass] How To Write Better Code Faster As A Software Engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/iYpRj8XfyzCSaTYnce3y/masterclass-how-to-write-better-code-faster-as-a-software-engineer/)
- [How Neetcode Got Promoted From L3 to L4 (Mid-Level) Engineer At Google - Tips + Insights](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/mP1jyI09NsCHDsi5yTEX/how-neetcode-got-promoted-from-l3-to-l4-mid-level-engineer-at-google-tips-insights/)
- Taro's top 10 to get promoted from [entry-level to mid-level engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/iBKHYpkjd0BRWWLKQG2j/)
- Taro's top 10 to get promoted from [mid-level to senior engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/AUMiBTvYUv0gcOzuu26V/)
- [Uriel on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/uriel-sejas/)

This Is What A Good Promotion Plan Looks Like

One of the most crucial ingredients for a successful promotion is a clear plan. However, the engineering career matrix that most big companies have isn't nearly enough. This video covers what a quality promotion plan looks like.

Here are the core points from the video:

- **Show the delta** - Just giving someone a concept isn't enough. Growth comes when you progress from a lower state to a higher one. To best facilitate that, you must outline exactly what that lower state and higher state are so people can understand the difference and work towards bridging the gap.
- Here's an example showing what it means to outline the delta when growing a mid-level engineer on their code review axis:
  - **Bad promotion plan:** *"Have a bigger influence in code review"*
  - **Good promotion plan:**
    - E4 (mid-level): *"You are extremely thorough catching issues within your own domain, finding architectural issues (sometimes challenging the entire diff/diff stack), performance problems, and several edge case misses."*
    - E5 (senior): *"Instead of mainly reviewing stack-specific diffs within product domains you have worked on, you review diffs across the entire stack for your org (M2+ scope). You are able to review diffs for areas that you have never worked with before, quickly absorbing the context of the diff and its surrounding ecosystem to leave genuinely insightful feedback in a relatively short period of time.”*

Related resources:

- [\[Taro Top 10\] Software Engineer To Engineering Manager (IC -&gt; M Track)](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/oz0mnJvHHgM8NfVF7rgp/)
- [\[Masterclass\] 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/)
- [\[Taro Top 10\] Getting Promoted Faster In Tech](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/eZOEUatYEe7BBAZByuha/)

Asking For A Promotion: The Wrong Way vs. The Right Way

We all want more money and a higher title. However, it's important to remember that it's not your engineering manager's primary goal to give you those things. When it comes to the promotion discussion, it's crucial to frame it in a mutually beneficial way.

Here are the core points from the video:
- **Do not**: Frame promotion as something that you inherently deserve from being on the team for a while, making the entire conversation seem like an exercise purely for *your* benefit.
- **Do**: Show your loyalty to the team and make it clear that investing into your growth and promotion is mutually beneficial. Your goal is to have more impact and empower the team - The money and title are more of a secondary benefit you'll happen to achieve along the way.

Related resources:
- [[Taro Top 10] Software Engineer To Engineering Manager (IC -> M Track)](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/oz0mnJvHHgM8NfVF7rgp/)
- [[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/)
- [[Taro Top 10] Getting Promoted Faster In Tech](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/eZOEUatYEe7BBAZByuha/)

How To Work With Your Manager To Get The Performance Review Rating You Want

Too many engineers are afraid of awkward conversations, so their plan is to just do good work and hope for the best. This rarely works.

Here are the points from the video:
- **Getting the rating you want is a team sport** - You need to be in-sync with others (particularly with your manager) on your desired outcome. You have to be transparent about what you want. Use your 1 on 1 to have those hard conversations with your manager on the delta between where you are now and where you want to be. It's painful to hear that you're falling behind, but it's much better to hear it 3 months before the performance review instead of 3 days before.
- **Don't assume that you're doing well** - Just because you're not receiving negative feedback doesn't mean that you're doing okay; the reality is that you could be doing as bad as trending towards PIP. Remember that managers are busy, and they can easily forget to give you critical feedback in a timely manner (or just not fully realize you're not doing well until they see peer feedback).

Related resources:
- [[Taro Top 10] Software Engineer To Engineering Manager (IC -> M Track)](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/oz0mnJvHHgM8NfVF7rgp/)
- [[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/)

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.