patgenzler

https://stratechery.com/ - best tech blog on the Internet. Nothing related to coding but thorough and thoughtful take on every-day-happenings in the tech industry.

Unfortunately no. When a social platform becomes "big" as in, reaches early majority, spam finds a way in. No algorithm can stop it. Quantity kills quality. The "sophisticated" early adopters lose it.

Look around. People will do whatever it takes to get to "front page", "top stories", and such.

Medium obsesses about quality, but their top stories, fueled by recommendations from "the common man", are full of junk. Same with LinkedIn. Twitter. Facebook.

HackerNews is saved simply because it's small.

If you care about security, use iPhone or Google Android phone (pixel). They're not bullet proof, but they're 5x more secure by virtue of being able to react to issues like this immediately. Third party integrations like rest of Android phones are messy by design security wise.

This is a result of what I call "audience economy". People want an audience and are willing to pay for it. Audience likes to see a prior audience. Bots enable prior audiences. Platforms like fiverr enable bots.

Get 5000 twitter followers for $5

Those 5000 fake followers make you look good to people that come across you, and they flow.

So it's all about an initial audience.

In theory the highest salary a programmer can make is infinite. Think WhatsApp founders, $20 billion acquisition.

The numbers in this post probably apply to less than 0.01% of developers. Most developers don't even come close, even in Silicon Valley. I have seen people make those numbers, including one million compensation, and the only explanation I can come up with is: right place, right time.

I'm sure there are exceptions, though.

There's only three ways to get above average returns over time: get into one of the top 5 tech companies that pay well and insert yourself into important groups and ride a fast track wave; become a premium freelancer and charge premium rates; or get into a rocketship startup and get a lucky outsized exit. Lucky because very very few startups have a good exit (for employees). Most die, or exit in a way investors and founders make some money but employees don't make anything. Hello liquidation preferences.

Bottom line: get good at what you do, stay in the top 25% in your area, build a reputation, and go to places where you can add value. Negotiate.

Most engineers suck at technical interviews. Because interviewing is a separate skill that must be learned and practiced. So yes, you are an engineer, but you need to take some time and prepare for technical interviews before you go onsite. Search Google and quora you'll find lots of resources and stories.

Take exactly what you wrote here, remove the tl;dr and what is this. Go on AngelList, (create a good profile there), go to jobs, select "seed stage". Now, start sending this note to EVERY company. Your note will go to the founders directly.

Install rapportive plugin for gmail (or whatever gets you email addresses). Email those founders REPEATEDLY say every 2 days. Offer to do a free project, ask them to try you out. Don't give up until they say "go away". Silence != no.

One of them will respond.

My friend, resume is bullshit. You want a job? HUSTLE.

Good luck!

Amen.

Yep. The only way to get a remote VPE or CTO role that pays well to find a fully remote company that's doing well via a CEO or exec that knows you and trusts you. Forbes had a list of fully remote companies - maybe you can start there and work your network. Or, find a semi remote role at a nearby company where you work onsite say 2 days a week and build up your network. Fully remote high paying jobs are very rare. Your best shot is your network...

Take leadership roles at early stage startups. Find non technical founders that are looking for a CTO or VP engineering. Sell your skills, experience, wisdom, and yes age. You'll have to balance architecture, coding, and managing. At your age this is probably the best bet - to continue coding but also stay relevant and not compete with young coders. In short, leadership roles are your best option.

This piece is another cheap "strike it while the iron is hot" hit job to get attention. Yes, Uber seems to be having serious culture issues but the underlying problems of sexism and favoritism towards "high achievers" are industry-wide - not just limited to Uber. They have a lot at stake - it's only fair to assume that they will come out of this mess and fix their problems as soon as possible.

Uber employees, both current and former, will have no problem getting good offers - tech companies have biases but are smart enough not to mass generalize. The fact that they "made it into Uber" far outweighs any speculation around Uber's culture.

The real black mark is the "hit job oriented" culture of media. They need to step back and rethink what they stand for.

Reality is: these guys are early stage, and they need to do whatever it takes to ship and find their feet. They cannot afford to work less as a team - it will not slow down.

So, 2 options:

IF you believe in the team and the market and are convinced that this is worth slogging for 2-3 years, then negotiate a better equity deal. Tell them you want all in and are willing to work your ass off, but you need more upside than just an "engineer cut". If the company hasn't raised money yet you're equivalent to a founder. Make a deal.

IF not, i.e if you don't believe in them 100% or are not in a position to work your ass off, then quit. Find a job that offers good salary and work life balance. A growth stage startup, or a large company if you're up for it...

Hope this helps.

If you want side income in short order, your best bet is to sell your time (freelancing). Regardless of your profession, there's something to do to make extra income - if nothing else, drive for Uber or Lyft.

If you want side income in the long run, then consider chasing passive income plays where you don't sell your time - blogging, building a bunch of mobile apps or web sites, selling things on Amazon or eBay, etc. These things take a lot of time. Figure out something that intersects your skills, passion, and (a small) market and pursue it relentlessly. Give it a year or two for each idea.