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One way we try to combat this is the way you get salary increases is mainly through promotions. Promotions are based on reasonably solid criteria and you can go
by achenatx 6y ago
One way we try to combat this is the way you get salary increases is mainly through promotions. Promotions are based on reasonably solid criteria and you can go up for promotion anytime you want (max every 3 months). Engineers senior to you determine whether or not you meet the criteria in a forum that is loosely based on a thesis defense. you answer questions and show your work and how it demonstrates the skills. People are either learning, executing, or teaching a skill.
People that dont get promoted get very few raises so are incentivized to leave.
The levels are essentially:
1) learning core skills under heavy supervision
2) ability to develop a feature with moderate supervision
3) ability to develop a product as it was envisioned, independently
4) ability to conceptualize a product, kick off a new product, and change direction in the middle if need be
5) ability conceptualize a portfolio of products and how they interface
6) ability to run a business unit of products
7) ability to start your own company (at this point we fund people to start their own company)
There are more detailed criteria around leadership, growing other people, contributing to recruiting, understanding, finance/accounting (P&L), following a solid methodology, contributing to the intellectual property of the company, improving the operations of the company, ability to deal with various level executives outside the company, exhibiting the values, being an expert in something etc
- gvjddbnvdrbv 6y agoSo who maintains the 'legacy code' aka the products your company actually makes money selling?
- toohotatopic 6y agoThe ones who don't reach the next level (This could explain why google has a hard time maintaining their old projects: Google on the resume is so so valuable that whoever doesn't rise within google leaves and gets a rise at another company.)
- gvjddbnvdrbv 6y agoSo the 'less good' developers provide the business value whilst the 'better' devs get promotions and more money? I'd stay there for one year (less looks bad on a CV) get the 'promotions' and then move.
- aisofteng 6y agoThe “better” devs work on creating the things that will provide business value in the future and that require more skill/expertise to create.
- gvjddbnvdrbv 6y agoWriting code for new products is easier than adding features to or making security updates to 'legacy' products without destroying them.
- Ididntdothis 6y ago“So the 'less good' developers provide the business value whilst the 'better' devs get promotions and more money?“ That’s true in a lot of companies. Reliable people are kept in their positions to keep things going. Others get to do the new stuff and if that works out they look like superstars.
- achenatx 6y agoyou can replace product with project and it would still apply. There is some distinction between being able to kick off projects with existing products and kicking off a totally new product. most people are working on kicking off updates to existing products.