Building an Audacious Engineering Culture | Summary and Q&A

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February 4, 2022
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Prime Venture Partners
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Building an Audacious Engineering Culture

TL;DR

Former VP of Engineering at Meta (formerly Facebook), Srinivas Narayan, discusses engineering culture, including the significance of moving fast, taking risks, and learning from failure.

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Key Insights

  • 🍳 Moving fast and breaking things at Facebook means clearing hurdles, optimizing for impact, and avoiding bureaucracy.
  • 😃 Audacity in engineering culture encourages risk-taking and thinking big, fostering innovation.
  • 😤 Clear goals and transparency help align teams and create a culture of collaboration and support.
  • 🛀 Embracing failure as a learning experience and rewarding risk-taking encourage innovation and boldness.
  • 🫷 Decision-making in engineering is pushed to the appropriate level to ensure expertise and streamlined processes.
  • 🤩 Continuous improvement and self-criticism are key to maintaining a high bar for performance and fostering growth.
  • ❓ The hiring process is approached as an engineering problem, with a focus on optimizing the hiring funnel and interview processes.
  • 👶 Onboarding programs, such as Facebook's boot camp, help new hires understand the company's culture, values, and mission.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: What does it mean to "move fast and break things" at Facebook?

Moving fast at Facebook means clearing hurdles, optimizing for impact, and avoiding bureaucracy. It's about focusing on what will have the most significant impact and not letting obstacles slow you down.

Q: How does audacity differ from recklessness in engineering culture?

Audacity in engineering culture means encouraging risk-taking and thinking big, while recklessness represents a lack of consideration for consequences. Audacity fosters innovation, while recklessness leads to conservative cultures that discourage innovation.

Q: How does Facebook prioritize goals and maintain focus in a large organization?

Facebook sets clear goals at all levels every six months. Transparency and communication help align teams and provide a collective sense of purpose. This allows for collaboration, support, and the ability to adjust goals if necessary.

Q: How does Facebook balance audacity in engineering with broader business and market risks?

Engineers at Facebook are encouraged to articulate how their audacious goals align with the company's mission. By explaining the importance and impact of their work, engineers can align their engineering risk with business and market risks, enabling a cohesive approach.

Q: How does Facebook reward failure and encourage risk-taking?

Facebook embraces failure as long as it is tied to audacious goals and innovation. Failure is celebrated as a learning experience, and teams are rewarded for taking risks even if they don't succeed. Communication and transparency are crucial in creating a culture that rewards failure.

Summary & Key Takeaways

  • Moving fast and breaking things at Facebook was about clearing hurdles, optimizing for impact, and avoiding bureaucracy.

  • The emphasis on audacity over recklessness encouraged engineers to take risks and think big, fostering innovation.

  • Clear goals and transparent communication helped align teams and create a culture of collaboration and support.

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