The Peterman Pod 26 Year Old Meta Staff Eng (IC6) On Promotions, Redefining Expectations, Secret Equity Bonuses
24 snips
Jul 4, 2025 
Simon Kindström, a rising Staff Software Engineer at Instagram, joined Meta as a new grad and has been promoted every year since, earning prestigious performance ratings along the way. He shares insights on the journey through rapid promotions and the challenges of management. Simon discusses the intriguing world of secret equity bonuses and offers advice he wishes he'd known earlier. He reflects on the pivotal moments of personal growth, the balance between technical and managerial roles, and the importance of maintaining well-being in a high-pressure environment.
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Long-Term Team Stability
- Simon stayed on the same team and with the same manager for over five years at Meta.
- They adapted their scope frequently, mainly focused on ads payments and revenue growth projects.
Early Impact in a New Team
- Simon joined a new Meta team as the second engineer, gaining much one-on-one mentorship.
- His projects generated more than three times their revenue half goal, earning his first fast promotion.
Scaling Leadership and Technical Depth
- As Simon grew to IC6, he learned to lead multiple pods and let others take sprint planning leadership.
- He devoted hours to detailed code review across platforms, solving the team’s toughest bugs personally.