Rohit Gupta

Did you know there are no "roles" (SDE, SDET, TPM, …) when you get to L8 IC (Senior Principal) at Amazon? It’s one of Amazon’s peculiarities. [Side note: in general, Amazon SDEs tend to be "jack of all trades" where we pragmatically do whatever is necessary to make our organization successful at that given moment (within reason). In fact, I believe being well-rounded and able and willing to wear a number of hats is one of the things that makes me valuable to an employer. We don’t over-index on "that’s not part of my role doc." Other companies where I worked (eg Google) have very clear swimming lanes and people stick to them pretty religiously, eg. "oh no I don’t talk to customers, I’m an SDE and talking to customers is for TPMs." Whereas at Amazon I never once had a manager tell me, "what you did (although impactful, important and necessary) was not really your job." ] My little side note about this critical piece of amazon culture explains why as you get to L8 the concept of a "role" no longer really makes sense. The boundaries between roles get fuzzier and fuzzier as you go from Senior Engineer (L6) to Principal Engineer (L7), and they become unimportant when you get to L8. We’re all just “Senior Principals” - whether you came via the SDE path, the TPM path, or in my snowflake case, the SDET path. In fact I think most L8s are snowflakes in that their path to L8 was unique and the value they bring to the company is also unique. In phonetool (our amazon directory) you can have whatever unofficial title you want (also within reason...), so I chose to keep the "SDET" title to reflect my background and passion for testing, engineering and operational excellence, and developer tools. I also hope that by keeping the title, others in my (old?) role can see that SDETs at Amazon do not have a "ceiling" in their career. And lastly, it's a fun conversational piece ("you're an L8 SDET???") (The image here is "Peccy" - a beloved little icon that has represented Amazon's Peculiar Ways for years) [Edit: Strictly speaking there are a few L8 IC roles that do have a different job code, like PMT or Scientist - but I think we generally view all L8 ICs in the same lens]

929

41 Comments

I recently had the incredible opportunity to shadow our CEO, Naveen Tewari, for a day alongside four other colleagues.  As someone who’s primarily focused on product management, I was excited to step into the world of leadership at the highest level—to see how big decisions are made, how priorities are juggled, and how life is balanced when every moment counts.    The day gave me all that and so much more! It was an action-packed day with new learnings in every interaction. But here are my top takeaways from the day:   1. Balancing Life - I witnessed how someone at a global CEO level maintains mental and physical balance amidst countless priorities. This balance is the foundation of how you operate every day and takes a large amount of discipline.  2. Making Tough Decisions - I learned that even when faced with the fear of the unknown, it’s possible to make difficult decisions and manage their consequences effectively.  3. Zooming In and Out - I observed how to strategically shift focus throughout the day, guiding various teams with just the right level of involvement.  4. Being Trustworthy - Above all, I saw the importance of being a good person—someone people can trust and rely on, at the end of the day.    My #ShadowNT experience reiterated that the journey to such a role, and living it daily, is anything but easy. But it has left me inspired, hopeful, and with a lot to reflect on as I work to build a life that makes a difference in the world. I will carry these learnings for the rest of my career.  💫 Glance InMobi

181

3 Comments

Ever wonder why some companies can ship software at lightning speeds while others seem stuck in the mud? 🚀⏳ . . . . . . . . . Daksh Gupta of Greptile collected real-world insights from engineers at many of the world's largest tech companies, unpacking the intricacies that either propel or impede the speed of shipping code. The big reveal? Older and larger companies tend to move more slowly because the costs of missteps become greater. In some cases, those costs are fairly non-negotiable (e.g. ensuring software for customers in production remains secure) while in other cases, the costs are more optional and cultural (e.g. wanting a lot of accurate estimates, forcing a manager's vs. maker's schedule, etc). #SoftwareEngineering #Tech #DevelopmentVelocity #Innovation #Productivity

1

“Don’t wait for your next job to do your best work.” Satya from Microsoft said this in an interview and it was the most profound thing I’ve heard in recent years—for me. What does it mean for me to do my best, what’s expected in my role, compared with my strengths. Whats my unique value add— There are a few things that seem undeniable as priorities: 🔑 (1) building trusted relationships based on proven execution, and 🔑 (2) your ability to influence in person AND in writing. Your best should be defined by more than just your domain knowledge. How do you deal with change, how do you build trust in a constantly changing organization, and how can you verify that. What do your peers say about you when you’re not in the room? What do you want them to say? For me, I’d like to get better at long-form writing. So you’ll probably see more of that from me. What does your best look like?

54

6 Comments

🚀Hi Folks, I'm Taking on the Product #Teardown_Challenge along with Arindam Goswami! 🚀 As part of an exciting challenge by Product Space, I’m stepping into the role of Senior VP of Product at #Zepto Quick Commerce! Zepto’s already crushing it with 10-minute deliveries across 30 cities in India, but there’s so much more potential to unlock! 💡 Here’s the mission: ➡️ Increase Zepto’s Average Order Value (AOV) to ₹600 🛒 ➡️ Boost product discovery and engagement to encourage bigger, more frequent orders 🔍 ➡️ Elevate the purchase experience to keep customers coming back for more 🔄 And I need YOUR help to make it happen! 🙌 🎯 Your insights on quick commerce platforms like Zepto, Blinkit, and Swiggy Instamart are key to shaping these strategies. I’ve put together a short survey, and your feedback will be crucial in tackling this challenge! 💥 Thanks for your support—let’s crack this together! 🙌 Link to the form - https://lnkd.in/g5v2y4wR #ProductTeardown #QuickCommerce #ProductManagement #ProductSpace

9

2 Comments

Part of effective leadership is nurturing talent and developing future leaders. At every stage of my career, from Apple to Google, I've empowered my team with autonomy and trusted them to take ownership. By creating strategic plans for self-sufficiency, we ensure teams can thrive even in our absence. This not only builds strong teams but also prepares them for future challenges. How do you support the growth of future leaders in your organization? #Mentorship #LeadershipDevelopment #TransformingTeams #CultivatingLeaders 

38

1 Comment

Dear Intuit, Layoffs always suck but publicly labeling laid-off employees as underperformers is not a good move. Firstly, it reinforces the stigma that being laid off is synonymous with poor performance. While this may be true in some cases, it's often not the reason for large-scale layoffs. Highlighting this only strengthens that misconception. Secondly, bad performance doesn't necessarily mean it is the person's fault. We have all seen teams left in a dire situation after a reorg or change in company priorities. In reality layoffs often reflect company decisions, not employee capabilities. Additionally, personal challenges or ineffective management can impact anyone's work. Let's face it, we've all experienced periods where our performance wasn't our best. Not performing at a given time is not a sin and it shouldn't weigh on those employees forever. Thirdly, this labeling can have a significant negative impact on the mental well-being and job prospects of those laid off. The perception becomes, "They were let go because they weren't good enough." Let's support those affected and help them land awesome new gigs. Here to help any Intuit employee in any way I can #layofffs #layoffssupport https://lnkd.in/gX3TfqGe

606

50 Comments

/*********Mentorship**************/ I was watching today Andy Jassy's video (https://lnkd.in/gRV2mGPr) on career advice. He shared one of the very important thing on Mentor's. Mentor's overall objective is too help you grow. They let you do things which you even think you can not do and then give support if needed. They give honest feedback on areas of growth.

1

The lack of quality evals are the source of all your GenAI problems so we wrote a whitepaper to help enterprises establish a framework. And NotebookLM helped us make it into a podcast! https://lnkd.in/gfYyBFu6

27

What’s your builder story? In my role volunteering as the community lead for Shreyas Doshi’s Product Club, I get the amazing opportunity to ask some of the world’s best PMs this question on a weekly basis. A couple of weeks back I got to host a community event with Suhel Parekh (Principal PM at Microsoft), where we explored his amazing ~decade at Microsoft building workplace search and chat products for enterprises. Suhel’s been with this product portfolio from its first enterprise user all the way to millions of MAUs today. His journey is full of deep and actionable learnings. The full event recording is for Product Club members only (we keep it closed so folks can be more candid), but here are my top takeaways: (1) For an enterprise product, partnering with sales and helping them succeed is everything! Suhel built unusually deep relationships with sales and customer success teams over the years, and they in-turn went above and beyond to bat for his product - often doing more than they were being 'officially' incentivized to do. (2) What helped the workplace search product gather traction initially and take off was a demo in an industry conference for CIOs. Old-school channels like trade shows and conferences are not often top-of-mind. But guess what? CXOs go to these as speakers/award winners all the time and come back with networking-generated action items for their teams. (3) Launching with a white gloved program that worked closely with customers initially and nurtured relationships over the years helped shape up a lot of Microsoft's enterprise success story for search and chat. Finally, a bonus takeaway: No surprises here, but AI in the workplace is here to stay! LinkedIn and Microsoft have some some great data showing that 75% of global knowledge workers already use it (even though half are still reluctant to admit they do!). Three-quarters of leaders are saying “they’d rather hire a less experienced candidate with AI skills than a more experienced candidate without them”. Dig in here - https://lnkd.in/g_eTv76z Thank you Suhel for sharing your story with us! And more power to you ✨ If you’re interested in learning about the concept of a “builder story”, I highly recommend Nikhyl Singhal’s Skip podcast and newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/gPismNpn Folks interested in Product Club, currently the only way to get in is by doing the Shreyas's PM career course: https://lnkd.in/gWns7rYh I did it last year and it’s truly been a game-changer for me. Hit me up with any questions! 

88

5 Comments

I've been at Amazon a long time. When I talk about my career with Amazon, the most frequent questions people ask me are: What kept me with Amazon for so many years? When I left after nearly 14 years, what drew me away? What brought me back 2 years later? The genuine answer to each, as trite as it sounds, is the same: it's the people The people who took a chance on me. The people that, when I struggled, helped me lean on my strengths and shore up my weaknesses. The people who saw potential and invested in me. The people who modeled the value of building relationships, not just building code. The people who challenged me, made me think differently, and helped me grow. As I've grown in my career it's also those people in whom I can see potential and invest, where I might take a chance to give them an opportunity, for whom my experience could be of some value as they grow, and with whom I can continue building lasting relationships. I've been with Amazon's Global Talent Management and Compensation for about a year and a half, where our mission is to help Amazonians build rewarding careers. In that time, I've met with hundreds of people in our org and every single one of them has been driven by our mission and passionate about how we can meaningfully improve the lives of every Amazon employee. I've learned so much about how challenging, rewarding, and important taking a culture-first approach can be. This post isn't a claim that Amazon is objectively unique, I know there are amazing people in every company, though it has been my personal experience that Amazon's intentionally peculiar culture is one that encourages these kinds of behavior in people. Rather, my point is this: To deliver sustained business and customer value, your organization cannot be a feature factory. It needs to be an organizational engine that continuously inspects and adjusts its culture to grow people and relationships, according to your values, and through which you deliver for your customers. #people #relationships #culture #amazon

263

8 Comments

Con is a pragmatic leader who is great to collaborate with on numerous engineering topics.

2

Feeling Stuck in Your Job? (Here’s When to Stay and When to Jump) Making career decisions is tough, but with thoughtful consideration of each opportunity, I’ve never regretted the transitions I’ve made. From my start as a software engineer at Amazon, to leading teams across retail and AWS, to advancing as a Senior Director of Engineering at The Farmer’s Dog, each jump has only accelerated my growth. If you're feeling stuck, ask yourself these 10 questions: To Stay: 1. Am I still learning and growing in this role? 2. Do I feel aligned with the company’s mission and values? 3. Is there potential for upward mobility or new opportunities here? 4. Do I feel challenged and motivated by my work? 5. Am I in an environment that supports my personal and professional development? To Leave: 1. Am I consistently unfulfilled or disengaged? 2. Is there a lack of opportunities for growth? 3. Has my work become stagnant, with no new challenges? 4. Is my current role negatively impacting my mental or physical well-being? 5. Do I feel like I’m no longer aligned with the company’s goals or culture? How do you decide when it’s time? Share in the comments ⤵ ---- ♻️ Repost and share for Career, Personal Growth, and Engineering Tips ➕ Follow me (Ashley VanderWel) for more insights on productivity, leadership, and career growth. 📲 Book an anonymous coaching session with me, link in my profile

13

3 Comments

All of the talks from Haystack 2024 are now online, meaning there's no excuse not to learn the latest in search and IR. RAG was obviously a big topic with good presentations from Scott Stults, Praveen Mohan Prasad, Hajer Bouafif and others, but it was far from the only one.  Some of my favorite talks were:  - Paul-Louis Nech on similar image retrieval - Joelle Robinson on improving search relevance - Doug Turnbull, Chris Fournier, and Cliff C. on implementing LTR at Reddit, Inc. Plus a few others, that I discuss here: https://lnkd.in/dtnpfTZZ 

34

2 Comments

A justifiable outcry last week with Intuit announcing layoffs, or rather recrafting the org. The outcry: Publicly stating underperformers were cut, and grouped in with other roles being removed is unhelpful for the people moving on and unnecessarily brutal. But there was another detail I found intriguing: Intuit say the shift is due to its desire to "take advantage of this AI revolution" or risk "no longer existing." The layoffs aren't a downsize but a right-size to reinvest new resources in their AI platform offer. This is the first big public announcement I've seen about refitting an org for the AI opportunity. If you've seen others, please add in the comments. Intuit states: Today is “Day 1”. I'm sure there will be more Day 1's to come. Is a scythe the best way to retool for AI? Consider also how to reshape and reskill the people you have to power your journey sustainability. 💟 #AIstrategy #GenAI #AIskills https://lnkd.in/eUUpJ6YW

1

Be intentional about building a network on LinkedIn - it will pay off. In 2020 and 2024 when I was considering a job change, I did not submit my resume to the recruiting websites of the companies. Instead, I used LinkedIn to ping friends who worked at each place, I chatted with them 1:1 and asked for referrals. They routed my information to the RIGHT hiring manager and gave me valuable insights into their companies. Not only that, but I deeply fear the bubble that a particular employer tends to create, so LinkedIn is a forcing function for me to look beyond my current company, learn what others are doing, and think bigger about the industry as a whole. While I personally favor substance over style, I do think that how you present yourself on LinkedIn matters. Some day, it will matter to a Somebody, where what that Somebody does will matter to you. Here’s some tips: (1) Put your name in your profile First and last. Unless you’re in the witness protection program, I don’t think getting a Connect request from “Joe K” or “Bob S” that you don’t know is likely to make a good impression. (2) Put a decent picture of you out there It doesn’t need to be a professional headshot. But it should not show you partying on the beach. It should not show multiple people. It should not be a picture of a flower. It should not be a caricature or anime character. It should be you, just you, again unless you’re in the witness protection program. (3) The first thing you say about yourself says a lot (and in your About section) Don’t describe yourself with something restrictive and narrow like you’re a “Java Programmer,” and don’t say something vague and weasely like you’re a “Technical Leader.” Why not too narrow? [1] You are listing a specific language. Sure, it’s good to point out you have expertise in one specific programming language, but in your career you’ll have to learn lots of programming languages and you’ll need to evolve as they evolve. And, [2], being a “programmer” is small-minded. Programming is only one small part of Software Engineering. You are (I hope) a software engineer, not just a programmer. Why not too broad? Telling me you’re an “engineering leader” or “thought leader” or “innovator” is just meaningless. Regardless of what level of seniority you have, I’d expect all of us to be engineering leaders to some degree. (4) Tell others what you actually did Don’t just put the company you worked for and the start and end dates. What did you actually do? What job title did you hold? What level? What team did you work in? What did you accomplish there? Don’t tell me what your company did, tell me what YOU did in that company. (5) Write a personalized message when you want to connect Sending a connect request is a 1-click, mindless action. But writing a personalized explanation on why you want to connect, shows you’ve put at least a minimal amount of effort into creating a connection with somebody.

142

11 Comments

🌟 The Superpower of Connecting the Dots: Thoughts on High Impact Communication 🌟 In my career at companies like Meta and Google, I learned that effective leaders possess a unique superpower: organizational awareness. This isn't just about having information; it's about connecting the dots across a complex organization to drive impactful efforts. 🚀 Consider this: On any given day, tech leaders spend 70 to 90 percent of their time communicating. Yet, effective communication is much more than mere information exchange—it’s about informing, influencing, and inspiring. 🗣️✨ Consider this common scenario in large organizations: multiple teams working in silos, unknowingly duplicating efforts on similar efforts. This is not merely about redundancy but represents a significant missed opportunity for collaboration. When leaders facilitate connections between these teams, allowing them to share insights and understand each other’s projects, the result is often a merging or improvement of projects. This not only enhances the outcomes but also improves organizational efficiency. Such strategic collaboration underscores the power of effective leadership in fostering organizational coherence and productivity. 🛠️🤝 This experience underscored a critical lesson: Great leaders don’t just operate within their teams; they have the vision to see beyond, identifying overlaps and opportunities across the organization. Here are some actionable insights for leaders aspiring to master this superpower: 1) Step back to see the big picture: Engage with different teams, join cross-departmental meetings, and keep abreast of broader organizational goals. 2) Communicate with context: Always provide the 'why' behind your messages. This not only informs but also empowers and aligns your team with the organization's vision. 3) Be a conduit, not a bottleneck: Share knowledge freely unless specifically instructed otherwise. Your team's trust in you grows when they see you as a source of valuable information. 4) Foster connections: Encourage your team to network within and beyond their immediate circles. This builds a more interconnected team and enhances problem-solving capabilities. Remember, information is plentiful, but the ability to connect the dots to form a clear, actionable picture is what sets true leaders apart. #TechLeadership #Communication #Teamwork #OrganizationalAwareness #Influence #Inspire

17

3 Comments

If you had invested $100 in Amazon stock at its IPO in 1997, you would be sitting on over $150,000 today! That’s an astonishing 1500x 🚀🚀 growth over 27 years, with an annual growth rate of about 29.85%! 📈 While the stock market can be unpredictable in the short term, holding onto quality stocks for the long haul can yield life-changing returns. Imagine turning a modest investment into a fortune just by staying invested and believing in the company’s growth. #Investment #StockMarket #Amazon #LongTermGrowth #FinancialSuccess #WealthManagement #SmartInvesting

1

1 Comment