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Startups vs Big Tech for Software Engineers
The same engineer has a completely different career at a ten-person startup and at a hundred-thousand-person company. These episodes cover the trade between equity and stability, chaos versus bureaucracy, leveling inside big tech, and what happens to your job after an acquisition.
21 episodes of Soft Skills Engineering, the weekly advice podcast where Dave Smith and Jamison Dance answer software engineers' questions. Every episode is free, and each page below has the listener's question in full.
Every episode about startups and big tech
- Episode 518: stuck at startup and is my employer mistreating me because I'm on a visa?
- Episode 517: Is it good for my career to work at a SaaS company and why am I being asked to manage two teams?
- Episode 498: Testing in big corporations and how to get my first management job
- Episode 492: Fresh grads and startups or the goog
- Episode 475: Am I too loyal to my big tech job and politely preserving time
- Episode 457: How do I get off the on-call rotation and "big tech" == "big leagues"?
- Episode 447: Overleveled at FAANG and accidental draft feedback
- Episode 439: Harried VP of Eng and first startup job
- Episode 422: Moving in to big tech and building support
- Episode 411: We have a secret org chart and I'm a big fish in a little pond
- Episode 406: Acquired taste and limited mentorship
- Episode 358: Sticky Note Scandal and startup appeal
- Episode 308: FAANG to startup and Google interview prep
- Episode 295: Underleveled at FAANG and lazy tech lead
- Episode 276: Startup or big company and negotiating your exit?
- Episode 190: Disorganized startup and leveling up the team
- Episode 176: Afraid to disappoint and tech co-founder advice
- Episode 159: Rejecting candidates and corporate image obsession
- Episode 62: Many Meetings and Surviving an Acquisition
- Episode 23: Joining a startup as a CTO and asking for a raise
- Episode 1: Startup Opportunities and Switching Jobs
Other topics
- Getting Promoted
- Salary and Raises
- Quitting Your Job
- Interviewing and Job Hunting
- Working With Your Manager
- Difficult Coworkers
- New Developers
- Remote Work and Meetings
- Burnout and Work-Life Balance
- Layoffs and Job Security
- Technical Leadership
- AI at Work
- Performance Reviews and Feedback
- Estimates, Deadlines and Process
- Learning and Staying Current
- Code Quality and Tech Debt
- Personal Brand and Speaking
- Contracting and Consulting
- Communication at Work
Browse all 527 episodes or ask Dave and Jamison your own question.