Are you just executing tickets, or are you driving business impact?
In this episode, Praveen Murugesan (VP of Engineering at Samsara) breaks down why the best engineers don't just write code and why "coding skills" alone won't get you there.
He explains the critical shift from "software engineer" to "product engineer," why you shouldn't wait for permission to solve problems, and how to de-risk high-stakes projects like a true owner.
In this episode, we cover:
The difference between a "Ticket Taker" and a Product Engineer
Why Product Managers should NOT be doing project management
How to grow to Staff Engineer without managing a large team
The exact interview questions to ask to test a company’s culture
A real story of an engineer telling a VP: "That's not an important problem"
Connect with Praveen Murugesan:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/praveenmurugesan
Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:55 - Product Engineer vs. Software Engineer: What’s the Difference?
00:06:20 - Why Product Managers Should Not Do Project Management
00:11:06 - The Danger of "Flying Blind" Without Business Context
00:15:24 - Why Curiosity Is the Ultimate Leverage in the AI Era
00:25:06 - Why the Best Ideas Must Win Regardless of Hierarchy
00:27:43 - The #1 Interview Question to Test for Engineering Ownership
00:32:12 - How to Test a Company’s Culture Before You Join
00:36:04 - Why You Don't Need to Be Senior to Be a Product Engineer
00:40:46 - Managing High-Stakes Projects and De-risking Failure
00:43:56 - What I Learned From Breaking Production at Salesforce
00:48:29 - The Myth About Staff Engineering and Managing Teams
00:51:59 - The Engineer Who Told the VP: "That's Not an Important Problem"
#SoftwareEngineering #StaffEngineer #CareerGrowth
