The People Stack Podcast Episode 77: Author and Head of Foundation Engineering at Stripe, Will Larson talks about the best career advice he ever received, why Inclusion must precede Diversity, sizing teams, career ladders and much more
Jul 7, 2019
Will Larson, Head of Foundation Engineering at Stripe and author of 'An Elegant Puzzle,' shares profound insights on engineering leadership. He emphasizes that inclusion must precede diversity for genuine success in tech. Larson discusses optimizing team structures and the importance of clear career paths for both individual contributors and managers. He also tackles ageism, mentorship, and the balance between career growth and diverse experiences, highlighting that opportunities can be equally as valuable as advancement.
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Stripe's Foundation Engineering Focus
- Foundation Engineering at Stripe focuses on data engineering, developer tools, and infrastructure engineering.
- The team prioritizes security, reliability, usability, efficiency, and latency to enhance the product.
Ideal Engineering Team Size
- Aim for engineering teams of six to eight engineers to balance fixed costs and on-call rotations.
- Consider team composition since managing managers requires a different approach than managing individual contributors.
Partnering Over Leading Initially
- Learn to effectively work with others on a team before aiming for leadership roles.
- Embrace partnering rather than trying to have your perspective dominate decisions early in your career.
