The Startup Engineer's Missing Manual

Startup engineering is a discipline without a textbook. It should have one.

There's plenty of advice for big tech engineers:

• Will Larson dissects the path to staff engineer

• Gergely Orosz deconstructs engineering leadership

• Countless newsletters analyze every move at FAANG

But startups? Radio silence.

This gap matters. Startup engineering isn't just scaled-down big tech. It's a unique beast with its own rules, challenges, and success metrics.

My Journey

I've spent my career in startups:

• Founding engineer and tech lead at Ridgeline (from pre-seed to Series C)

• Incubator founding engineering at Atomic (with 1 exit)

• Part of the kickass engineering team by Ironfish (backed by a16z and Sequoia)

• Big tech stint at Microsoft

Here's what I've learned: most startup engineering advice is wrong. Or at least, dangerously incomplete.

It doesn't tell you:

• How to be the entire "platform team" at a 10-person company

• How to ship a critical feature in a week because your CEO is pitching investors

• What to do when you suddenly become a part-time product manager

The Hidden Realities of Startup Life

But that's just the technical side. What about everything else? Here's what no one tells you:

1. How to evaluate a startup offer

2. How stock options really work

3. Why the 10th engineer often ends up better off than the 1st

4. The reality of 80-hour weeks

5. The mental toll of constant context-switching

6. The emotional rollercoaster of missed deadlines and pivots

7. How to decide if startup life is even right for you

8. What makes the mythical 10x engineer “10x”/ “cracked”?

Why This Blog Exists

That's why I'm writing this blog. To fill the gaping hole in startup engineering advice. To share the truths I wish I'd known a decade ago. Here's What You'll Get:

1. War stories from the startup trenches

2. Practical strategies for navigating hypergrowth

3. Insights on building engineering teams from scratch

4. Honest comparisons between startup and big tech life

5. Techniques for making critical decisions with limited information

6. Real talk about startup compensation, equity, and career trajectories

7. Frameworks for evaluating startup opportunities

8. Strategies for maintaining sanity in the chaos

9. Data-driven analysis of what really makes a 10x engineer

Who Will Benefit From This?

This blog is designed to provide value for a wide range of tech professionals, especially those interested in or already involved in the startup world:

• College Grads and Early Career Engineers: Get a head start understanding the unique challenges and opportunities in startup engineering.

• Big Tech Engineers: Gain insights into how startup engineering differs from big tech, whether you're curious or considering a change.

• Aspiring startup CTOs: Learn the ropes of technical leadership in a startup environment.

• Non-Technical Founders: Understand the engineering side of your startup better, improving your ability to work with and hire technical talent.

• Anyone Curious About Startup Engineering: Whether you're actively job hunting or just exploring options, you'll find valuable insights here.

🚀 Attention Founders: This is for You Too

You're not off the hook. In fact, you might need this more than anyone. Here's what you're probably asking yourself right now:

1. When do I need to hire a CTO? Or should I be the CTO?

2. How do I know if my engineering team is actually performing well?

3. What should my engineering culture look like? How do I shape it?

4. Am I technical enough to lead this company?

5. How do I hire engineers when I can't match Big Tech salaries?

6. When should I start worrying about tech debt?

7. How do I know if we're building the right thing?

8. How do I identify and attract 10x engineers to my startup?

These aren't just engineering questions. They're existential ones for your startup. Get them wrong, and no amount of product-market fit will save you.

I'll tackle these head-on. No BS, no fluff. Just hard-earned insights from years in the trenches.

The Bottom Line

Fair warning: startup life is brutal. The lows are lower than you expect. But the highs? They're unlike anything else.

My goal is to help you navigate this terrain and decide if it's right for you.

> Welcome to the manual I wish I'd had. Welcome to Founding Engineer.