Navigating Negotiation in Startup Growth

In this episode, we delve into the professional journey of Michael Stoppelman, who transitioned from Google to Yelp and then to angel investing. Learn about his experiences starting at Google pre-IPO, growing Yelp's engineering team from 6 to 500, and managing complex engineering and product management dynamics. Michael shares his insights on negotiation in hiring, team management, and balancing constraints in startups. He gives valuable advice for entrepreneurs and engineers on building teams, handling conflicts, and navigating career transitions. 00:00 Introduction to Michael Stoppelman 01:24 Early Days at Google 07:29 Transition to Yelp 10:00 Building and Managing Engineering Teams 14:08 Handling Conflicts and Negotiations 21:56 Compensation and Titles 28:16 Angel Investing Insights 33:15 Advice for Aspiring Engineers 35:17 Conclusion Host Stan Christensen has spent his career working as a professional negotiator in a variety of arenas. He has also taught a popular course on negotiation at Stanford University for over twenty years. #Negotiation #Stan Christensen