Gergely Orosz · 12 min read · Growth
“How to be a 10x engineer” – interview with a standout dev
Read the original on newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com →
In an interview with a standout engineer nicknamed Sam, the article shows how a top performer could attract multiple opportunities and warm referrals despite having almost no public profile. Sam’s career demonstrates that exceptional impact and reputation can travel through networks rather than social media or GitHub activity. The conversation covers practical methods for getting things done, setting boundaries, navigating office politics, and pursuing promotions and leadership opportunities.
Key Takeaways
- Outstanding engineers can attract opportunities through referrals and trusted peers even with a minimal public footprint.
- Break down high-level tasks, communicate delays transparently, and practice daily prioritization to move work forward.
- Set clear boundaries by saying no when needed and prioritizing family or personal well-being as a daily discipline.
- Navigate office politics selectively, build influential relationships, pre-sell ideas, and communicate directly to gain influence.
- Drive career growth from the bottom up—work with engineers before managers, seek consensus, and leverage referrals for promotions and leadership roles.
Excerpt
It was at Uber that I met one of the single best engineers I’ve had the fortune to work with; let’s call them “Sam” for this article. As engineers, we briefly worked together, and when I became a manager, Sam’s name regularly came up during performance calibrations as being among the company’s top 10% engineers. One year, he was in the “top, top” bucket reserved for the 3% best engineers. After I left Uber, we stayed in touch, and a few months ago I heard he was exploring the next opportunity, and found out from him that Sam’s job search…