conqrr

Sounds like this should be the default path if AI is really enabling everyone and setting an even field. Why is it just winner (CEO and co) takes all and losers go home?

Struggling at work with AI mandates. There is heavy top down push to use AI, this is at one of the large Tech companies in the US. This has me quite depressed. Everyone sends slop for reviews and there is an expectation of 2-3x efficiency even after losing a lot of people. This has caused a lot of bugs and issues. I'm sure a lot of places have the same issue and we have accepted this as a new normal.

But are there places US or ROW that are more sane and let you or the team decide what tool to use? How do I find them? Does going lower in the stack help?

Seems like everyone thinks we don't need to solve hard problems or a lot of coding is solved. While I don't think this is true, the area has definitely narrowed. What are you doing that's hard,.deep and rewarding?

Most Tech companies in the US have become a sweatshop of LLM generated code. I'm looking for a pivot to an adjacent related field that isn't as badly affected. My initial thoughts are places in tech still exist where people are skeptical of LLM and use it with caution. Places that prioritize correctness over velocity. I have nothing against AI, but I do have a lot against its wild uncontrolled use for everything and a greedy, shortsighted leadership that currently controls the tech industry. I know there is going to be a reckoning at some point, but I don't want to wait for our industry to course correct.

I doubt other engineering fields (Electrical, civil, mechanical) are affected as much as Software Engineering is. What would be adjacent places that I can pivot to without starting from scratch and getting a degree.

I've tried my share of startups and megacorps, FAANGs. I am in a stage where I cringe on hearing a mission is so important that it needs a 996 culture. I also hate work getting stolen in the name of collaboration and politics in general thats daily business in Megacorps. I just want to bang out code, mentor juniors and deliver value in a small team that doesn't have an unhealthy obsession with growth or overworking. Maybe with rich founders who don't want to get more rich.

Where can I find good places to work, especially in the US that offer: 1. Remote first setting 2. Mission oriented like Privacy, non-profit background etc (or Open Source with proven history) 3. Holocracy/Flat structure

I think the above 3 criteria will really narrow down places that prioritize mission over growth/profits and automatically not pay a lot yet have a higher technical bar that deters a lot of folks who would end up optimizing for things that lead to a mess. Am I looking for a Unicorn?

I have moved to lesser big companies but still found the talent lacking and people make lives hard for others. Especially in the Bay area. I just want to be mission driven and code, but most places the product, founder or mission and hence the people seem flawed without good incentives. Most simply chase promo and managers often take advantage of this to create a bad environment. Ignoring this behavior for long has led me to burnout with no recognition for doing good work.

At this point, I'm willing to take a paycut for more fulfilling place and a non-profit/OSS seem good places as only people aligned with mission would be likely working there. OSS has more odds of being higher quality and technical. But I have no idea how to break in.

Curious how do current FAANG and BigTech folks living in VHCOL areas think of their path ahead? Specifically, Senior IC folks. The old playbook of switching for a higher pay when things go sour is no longer valid. Things would go sour around 3-4 years along with RSUs. But now they seem to be in a never ending sour loop. Almost all tech companies have toxic work setting. Not everyone is willing to sacrifice everything and all of their time for these new AI mission companies. Makes it harder to upskill. If you stay, you stagnate and your workload keeps going up but not pay. If you're on a visa, its even more harder.

For those of you that have a job but unhappy and find it unsustainable, What are you doing? Have you had success taking a paycut and moving to a lower COL area?