IC promotions and leadership at Netflix

Sep 18, 2019 124 Comments

I’ve heard that most ICs at Netflix have senior SE titles, and it seems there are even no internal levels like FB (from levels.fyi). So does that mean there is no promotion at Netflix? How do they reward top performers?

Also regarding technical leadership, how to decide who are tech leads for a team if there are no titles or levels?

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TOP 124 Comments
  • Amazon
    fHsj42

    Go to company page Amazon

    fHsj42
    The netflix way sounds a heaven to me. Engineers that chase titles and promotions are not truly great engineers. Engineers that need “tech lead” for directions are not proactive or driven or senior enough.
    Sep 18, 2019 10
    • Apple
      Justdance

      Go to company page Apple

      Justdance
      Same in Apple too. You have to inform manager before having official internal interview
      Sep 20, 2019
    • Amazon
      ChooChoo7

      Go to company page Amazon

      ChooChoo7
      I guess that’s one thing good about Amazon, we all do “unofficial” interview loops before transferring so it’s hard for the manager to block you. I’ve seen like 2/3 of a team transfer out (including me) and the manager couldn’t do anything.
      Sep 20, 2019
  • Netflix
    fQqJ67

    Go to company page Netflix

    fQqJ67
    No IC promotions is a welcome shift in corporate governance, in my opinion. Why focus on arbitrary "external" titles when we are all perfectly capable of learning and growing on our own?

    On the other hand, rewards are just increases in salary, measured in terms of shifting "top of market" which is heavily influenced by your manager. I feel more standardization is required in this area.

    And why does deciding on a tech lead matter to you?
    Sep 18, 2019 5
    • Netflix
      UpandDown

      Go to company page Netflix

      UpandDown
      We often do this by “farming for dissent”: write a doc with a vision that you want, and share it out with teams for feedback.

      You are entrusted with the task of doing what you think should be done. Some people find this scary, while others thrive in that environment.
      Sep 18, 2019
    • Twilio / Eng
      KNNY37

      Go to company page Twilio Eng

      PRE
      Twilio Inc.
      KNNY37
      Farming for dissent. What a great term/strategy. Also love the ownership aspect.
      Sep 19, 2019
  • Not having titles, levels or promotions is a huge limiting factor for Netflix to hire and retain the best talent. Most people I know are here for the $, and the talent quality here is pathetic. Someone in the internal forum had posted evidence of Netflix engineers writing 500+ lines within a single method and using GOTO statements in Java :)

    My two cents: Netflix at best has the engineers at L5/T5/E5 at top tech companies. I don't know a single personal that I can call Staff/Principal level. This all works because the problem domain is super simple - static content streaming with zero user generated content.
    Sep 18, 2019 10
    • Most technical problems that Netflix solves are pretty much standardized these days and can be scaled with commodity cloud services.

      Not having deep technical discussions is not an issue if they are not required in the first place. It’s actually a positive from my point of view: a pragmatic company that doesn’t generally downlevel and underutilize its talent.
      Sep 19, 2019
    • Uber
      sugarmama

      Go to company page Uber

      sugarmama
      Java have goto ? Wtf
      Sep 19, 2019
  • Netflix / Eng
    OA3

    Go to company page Netflix Eng

    OA3
    Netflix had an internal vote by engs and the super majorities of them hated leveling. Just FYI. I don't think Netflix has a simple product either. Very few companies run thousands of interconnected microservices.
    Sep 18, 2019 17
    • Tableau
      krxi15

      Go to company page Tableau

      krxi15
      I can make a hello world feature using 10 microservices, that doesn’t mean the problem was complex. I am pretty sure I have came across lectures and articles talking about how Netflix went a little overboard with the whole microservices thing and are paying the cost in some areas.
      Sep 19, 2019
    • Netflix
      Strngethng

      Go to company page Netflix

      Strngethng
      Chill, my dudes
      Sep 19, 2019
  • Mmm... I'm not sure I understand the advantages of a level-less ic system. Enlighten me?

    (And levels not always just vanity. In some companies they are not public)
    Sep 18, 2019 10