AI Stories 11 years at Google with Max Buckley #57
Feb 27, 2025
Max Buckley, a Senior Software Engineer at Google with over 11 years of experience, shares insights from his remarkable journey from intern to LLM engineer. He discusses the evolution of his roles, the importance of continuous learning through side projects, and his groundbreaking work on AI for anti-money laundering. Max highlights the exciting advancements in large language models and Retrieval-Augmented Generation, as well as changes in Google's corporate culture. His story emphasizes proactive career management and the significance of mentorship in tech.
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Unorthodox Path to Programming
- Max Buckley's father advised him against studying computer science, leading him to pursue business studies.
- He later rediscovered his passion for programming through web development and statistical languages like R.
Targeted Skill Development
- Identify your dream job and analyze the required skills.
- Strategically choose roles and projects that develop those specific skills to reach your goal.
Going the Extra Mile
- When asked to identify churning customers, Max built a random forest model instead of simply providing a list.
- This allowed him to showcase advanced skills and impress stakeholders.