BA 50/52: A BigTech TPM's Unique Perspective of Transitioning to a Startup
I get a lot of questions of what it’s like to be a TPM At BigTech. It is challenging yet rewarding and not without its perils.
After joining Humane, I get asked about what’s it like being a TPM at a startup? My answer remains the same.
However, I think there is an in between question that is more fascinating — what’s it like for a BigTech TPM to transition into a startup world?
I am coming up to 2 years at Humane this summer. Here are 10 things that I have observed with my startup journey so far that are supremely fascinating from a TPMs POV and will prepare other BigTech TPMs looking to make the big plunge into the startup world:
You constantly fall back to your BigTech TPM brain; this is not always good and helpful. Sometimes, your big world solutions don’t apply. Use that as a base and build a unique tailored solution to your startup. TPMs who don’t apply this mindset will struggle with fixing problems at a startup.
At a startup, you are tempted to treat every problem like an org wide one when a more targeted micro individual solution is the ask.
At a startup, the lines between teams and components and products is blurred; for some TPMs that can be a jarring experience especially coming from a structured BigTech.
At BigTech, work assignments are discussed and debated. At startup, you see a gap, you fill the gap.
At a startup, there is not such thing as formal process but an abundance of informal process. Tribal knowledge and workings. As a TPM from BigTech, this takes getting used to. This can sometimes lead to naive decisions but also to maximum productivity.
Either at BigTech or startup, engineers love process… only when it works and targets the actual problem. Go figure.
At BigTech, there are plenty of resources and established processes to help you be successful. At a startup, you have to think on your feet or find ways to scrape those resources together. Some TPMs who cannot adjust to this environment transition will struggle.
At a startup, the need for actionable decisions is immediate; you adapt to startups cadence or you can be left behind.BigTech can afford to take time with decisions.
At BigTech, you can plan out work, at startup, you have to plan while you work.
TPMs walk into BigTech with a clear mandate and role. At a startup, you go where the fire is despite your formal title and job description. For some TPMs, that’s the unicorn role we all want; for other TPMs, this jumping around is the worst nightmare.
When all is said and done, to answer the original question - YES! It is worth it for a BigTech TPM to transition to a startup. The experience is different and rewarding and the challenges are on a whole different scale.
Does the BigTech experience before joining a startup help? Absolutely. The more companies you have worked at before joining a startup the more knowledge and experience you have to draw upon versus someone who spent all their career at Meta or Google. Their experience is but one single approach.
Should I join a BigTech before joining a startup? I would say yes. But each must make their own choice.
Startup journey and the big plunge is super personal. Don’t chase the money and big IPO. Chase the outcome even if the startup shuts down.
Until next time 👋🏽!
-Aadil
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