A software engineer I worked in the same team with at Uber has gone back-and-forth between startups and large companies. Willem Spruijt shares the good, the bad and the ugly, about both environments.

Pragmatic Engineer is a blog authored by Gergely Orosz, covering topics related to software engineering, career growth, and technology leadership. With a focus on practical advice and real-world experiences, Pragmatic Engineer offers  insights for developers and tech professionals. Developers can learn about software design principles, career advancement strategies, and industry trends through Pragmatic Engineer's articles and essays.

The Pragmatic Engineer

The article discusses the experiences and perspectives of a software engineer who has worked in both startups and Big Tech. It highlights the advantages of startups, such as learning opportunities and the ability to make a direct impact, as well as the disadvantages, including financial risk and stress. In contrast, it explores the benefits of working in Big Tech, such as specialization and financial stability, while also addressing the downsides, such as lack of purpose and overhead.

Working at a Startup vs in Big Tech

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Uber had thousands of microservices, and our team regularly made changes to more than 20 of them. Many of the changes were simply to proxy a value from one service to another.
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This is why I hate traditional microservices architecture.

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Joining a Big Tech, and building up a “financial buffer” before going to a startup, is something I’ve seen plenty of engineers do. Things may always go south for a startup, so it’s good to have reserves!
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Amen.

I would add that, by having to swap so many “hats” in a startup, you can acquire a more holistic understanding of tech. That’s both good and bad; you are sort of the jack of all trades, master of none. Which is incompatible with big tech culture.