Six Years at Google: The Real Stuff I Learned
What Caught My Eye This Week - #15
Each week, I'll bring you the most relevant and insightful tech stories, saving you time and keeping you informed.
Six years. In the tech world, that feels like an eternity. It’s been a blur of code, launches, and endless learning. It's easy to think there's some secret playbook to succeeding at a place like Google, but the real lessons are the ones you learn in the trenches.
Here’s what I’ve picked up, what I’m still working on, and what I wish I knew sooner.
You Can't Learn It From a Book
The old saying is true: the only way to learn it is to do it. The real lessons aren't in theory, they're in the messy details of getting something done.
Don't be afraid to dive in and get your hands dirty. It's the only way forward.
Your Toolkit is Your Leverage
I try to be a knowledge sponge.
Your leverage is how many tools—languages, frameworks, mental models—you can use. Your biggest constraint is always time, but the more tools you have, the more you can get done.
Learn From People Smarter Than You
I’ve been lucky enough to work with some ridiculously smart people.
My advice? Find the people you admire and learn from them. Ask them how they approach problems.
Don't be shy. The most valuable insights often come from a simple conversation with a teammate.
You're the Captain of Your Ship
No matter your title, you are responsible for your product's roadmap.
It's on you to communicate what you're doing and why—to your team, to your leadership, and to your users.
Own it.
Get Out of the Building
This one is burned into my memory.
If there's one thing to take away, it's this: know your customer. I mean really know them. That means talking to them every week, hearing their frustrations, and getting inside their heads.
I once worked on a product that failed right after launch. The painful part? There was a user study months earlier that told us exactly what would go wrong. I knew about it, but I didn't pay enough attention. I didn't internalize the user's pain. It was a hard lesson, but one I’ll never forget.
The answers are almost always right there, you just have to be willing to look, and more importantly, to listen.