For example: Optimizing compile time (no need to invest for extra 1 minute speed up), working on high quality labelled data (i came from ML background, this is not possible in most of startups), analytics on data (questionable ethically), working on Ad platforms, working on large scale system.
In the last, Imagine, even making simple changes have bigger impact on real world.
1. a random person from the tech industry, and
2. a random person who has worked at a FAANG company for 1 year.
I'd assume that on average person 2 is no worse an engineer than, and potentially a better engineer better than, person 1.
I’ve interviewed and hired software engineers at small companies where we needed each software developer to be impactful. We needed someone with history of “getting things done”. We can’t tell that by your ability to do leetCode.
On a side note, an Amazon recruiter reached out to me about a software developer position on LinkedIn a few months ago. I knew I had no interest in going through an algorithm interview to prove I was “smart”.
I asked her could she put me in touch with someone from the AWS consulting side since I did have experience with “getting things done” from working for small companies in general and using many of the AWS fiddly bits specifically.
As I suspected, the entire loop was concerned with past projects and “tell me about a time when...”. I breezed through the interview without a single algorithm question even though I am actually doing some hands on the keyboard coding - implementations not sales.
A lot of engineers at startups, like myself, want to work with talent that is skilled enough to get into FAANG bit too bored of the extremely glacial pace these companies work at.
On a more on topic note: I've heard about, and observed, similar behavior from friends of similar companies: doing very minimal work and being surprised at the massive rewards they get.