Xiangpeng Li

🎉 Big congratulations to our incredible team (Haoyu Chen, Nick Greenquist,Yuxing Wang, Sridevi Maharaj, Ruiyang Wu and many more) for delivering several quarters-long impactful features on the Play Store! 🚀 We’re thrilled to have launched key updates like Search Home, Sports Moment, and WearOS recommendations, all designed to enhance personalization and help billions of users worldwide search and discover content they love. 🌍✨ Check out the Play Store Q3 updates: https://lnkd.in/dn5wx8Mi #GooglePlay #Personalization #Recommendation

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Today I'm sharing this 🔥 video from our recent Engineering onsite at Demandbase HQ in SF! https://lnkd.in/eFAFR6QG We were so fortunate to host Zhengxuan Wu and Aryaman Arora, two upcoming AI researchers from Stanford University Department of Computer Science. Their approach to fine tuning, called ReFT, targets the representations emitted by neural net layers rather than the weights of the layers themselves. This makes it very flexible when using the same base model for swapping multiple fine tunes. The memory overhead is also very low for their intervention weights. Another highlight is how powerful it can be. One POC they showed forced the LLM to speak in only emojis exhibiting ReFT's power to control output. Control is crucial when, for example, you want to prevent your bot from offering customers unauthorized refunds!! If you're already familiar with LoRA, it should be pretty simple to use with only a few extra hyperparameters -- details in the video. Here's a link to the repo. Give them a star! https://lnkd.in/eJScNbzK Thanks again for letting us host your first external talk Aryaman and Zen. It's very exciting tech!!

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Come join us tomorrow in SF to learn more about the latest updates to run AI workloads on Google Cloud!

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Want a preview of what I'm going to be talking about in my keynote for RubyConf? You can catch a glimpse of it here!

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SWE job growth declined for the first time since 2000 The SWE market has had tremendous growth. Though now is the first time in two decades we’re seeing shrinkage in the number of job openings. Gergely Orosz wrote a wonderful, in-depth article on the state of the SWE job market. Learn more in the latest issue: https://buff.ly/4f5ldDe If you’re new to my content, every week I share a spreadsheet of recently posted, hand-picked software engineering roles to make your job search a little easier. To get the weekly jobs via email, subscribe here: https://buff.ly/4hkLOh0 Photo: Live Data Technologies

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Check out the latest in our "Debuggability" blog series! This blog is authored by Kevin Downey Jason Johl and me and talks about how we built a Debuggability Paved Road at Intuit using Ephemeral Containers and Argo Workflows. We'd love to hear your thoughts on the topic. Also, what tools do you build as-a-platform to help debug service, compute and network issues in Kubernetes at scale? #intuit #kubernetes #debug

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Fail often, fail fast and fail better

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My Journey to Securing 7 Offers for Management and IC Roles Across FAANG and Startups I’ve been considering opportunities beyond Amazon since 2020, but I was fortunate to be offered enriching experiences year after year, which kept me from making the leap. By early 2024, after laying the foundations for AWS App Studio, I decided to explore other roles within #Amazon. However, I realized that Amazon’s presence in the Bay Area was shrinking, and with its #RTO policies, the management opportunities in #bayarea were limited to just a few roles, none of which aligned with my interests and goals. A combination of limited internal opportunities, and changes in Amazon culture and policies, motivated me to explore external options. Initially, I had two interviews with a FAANG company and a startup, but I failed them miserably. Securing new interviews proved difficult due to factors like scarce roles, high competition, and increasing expectations in both technical and people-management skills. I quickly realized I needed to make every interview count by preparing more methodically and strategically. In a future post, I’ll dive into how I: a) Adjusted my job search to land new interviews consistently b) Staggered my interview timeline to maximize preparedness and increase the likelihood of receiving multiple offers c) Prepped for technical skills, as many companies now expect managers to be as technically competent as senior engineers I also decided to interview for individual contributor (IC) roles for several reasons: a) I’m still hands-on with my side projects b) Companies are reducing management layers c) I enjoy both IC and management roles d) Compensation for ICs at some companies can be higher than for managers at others e) Since I was preparing for technical interviews anyway, I figured I might as well explore IC opportunities too I segmented my job search into four categories: Startup/FAANG and IC/Management, staggering my applications to focus on startups first and then #FAANG. This approach created an avalanche effect: I started receiving IC and management offers from startups, followed by multiple FAANG offers across both IC and management roles. Here are the benefits of this approach: a) I was able to fairly evaluate startup opportunities without bias toward cash components. One startup came close to winning me over, but by that point, I had FAANG offers and ultimately decided to pursue those. b) I gave myself a chance to objectively reconsider an IC role, as I’m still mid-career c) I ensured that for any managerial role I considered, the company culture and its policies aligned well with my values. d) This approach helped me negotiate effectively and secure a top-of-market compensation package. e) I was at my best in the final interviews (both FAANG and startups) after having multiple real-world practice sessions with other companies.

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Distinguished Engineers (E9) at Meta make $4m/year. That's 16x the Bay Area median ($255k) Let's break it down [output = input x leverage] We all have 24 hours in a day, so there is a cap on [input] But hey, let's say they manage to have 2x-3x more focused time, so their [input] is 2x-3x There is still 5.3x-8x to go And that's [leverage] Here is the [leverage] they have: 1️⃣ Writing Every piece of text they write is clear to everyone, and they write a lot, for a lot of people 2️⃣ They create something from nothing And that something has clear value to the business 3️⃣ They influence other Engineers around them They are often described as having a "Midas Touch" in terms of their ability to uplift and develop other Engineers around them The best indicator is that the Engineers in their teams get promoted faster 4️⃣ They are well known and have an impact beyond Meta, promoting the brand 5️⃣ They have industry-leading experience in some areas There are rumoured to be <50 E9s at Meta

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** Unfortunate Experience with Amazon: Seeking Guidance ** On March 30, 2024, I placed an order with Amazon for a Boat neckband and Boat earbuds. While the neckband arrived in good condition, the earbuds turned out to be defective upon receipt. Naturally, I initiated a return order, and the defective earbuds were collected on April 19, 2024. However, over a month later, I'm still awaiting my refund. Each time I reach out to customer support, I'm told an investigation is ongoing, and worse, I've been accused of potentially returning a different item. Despite their agent verifying and collecting the item, I continue to face delays and blame for an issue that's beyond my control. I filed a complaint on the consumer portal, only to receive a response stating that the product wasn't returned, despite confirmation from their own agent. Here's an excerpt from their communication: "Dear Sir, On review of your complaint and on the information received from the third-party seller we find that you have not returned the product delivered to you vide Order Id 403-8363294-1083540. Accordingly, neither refund nor replacement order can be initiated. Please note that the seller initiates refund only after receipt of the original product as per return policy. Further, it is submitted that our role is limited to that of an intermediary and we are not the seller/manufacturer of the products listed on our e-commerce marketplace. The products listed on our e-commerce marketplace are sold by independent third-party sellers. In view of the above, the issue stands closed. Thank You." I find myself at an impasse and seek your guidance. What steps would you recommend I take next in this scenario? Your insights and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. #CustomerService #AdviceNeeded #AmazonExperience #boat

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𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐈 𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐨𝐧 (𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐢) 𝐶𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚 𝑀𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑗𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝑂𝑃𝑇𝐼𝑀𝐴 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑐𝑢𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔-𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝐴𝐼! 𝐁𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫: Drive the roadmap for HiTL annotation tooling, shaping the future of AI-powered shopping. 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭: Work closely with teams across operations, software development & privacy to ensure flawless execution. 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚-𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Prioritize roadmap features using metrics & insights, maximizing impact for our customers. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨: Lead flawless launches, manage expectations, and keep stakeholders informed. 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫? - 3+ years of experience leading successful programs/projects. - Proven ability to collaborate across tech & non-tech teams. - Experience using data & metrics to drive process improvements. - Strong communication & stakeholder management skills. 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫: - PMP certification and a Master's degree. - Experience building robust processes & managing project schedules. 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐴𝐼 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔? 𝐴𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑦 𝑛𝑜𝑤! #amazoncareers #optima #programmanager #ai #chennai #india

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What does it feel like to be an engineering manager at Amazon: Since the RTO announcement it became popular to write shit about Amazon, but it's still one of the best companies around the world. A few weeks ago, Gilad Naor shared with the 'Leading Developers' readers 3 lessons from his time as an engineering manager at Amazon. Here is the first one, read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dHBxv2Ha 𝟭. 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺𝘀 My first meeting at Amazon was baffling. I entered a room with about a dozen Software Development Managers (SDMs) and Product Managers (PMs). Everyone sat in silence and looked at their laptops or the printed papers they had before them. It was my second day at Amazon, and I picked up one of the extra sheets and started reading. After those first ten awkward minutes, everyone finished reading and the meeting began. Why do Amazon meetings always start this way? This is a specific example of how Amazon approaches problem-solving. It is the "Good Intentions Don't Matter" approach. In a famous internal video, Jeff Bezos talks about why good intentions are irrelevant. When things don't work, it does not matter what people wanted. All that matters is fixing the problems with mechanisms. For example, many busy managers come to meetings without first reading the prep material. They all intended to read the 6-Pager before the meeting. They just got sidetracked by the latest emergency. Scolding the managers won't solve the problem. A mechanism will. This is why all Amazon meetings start with a study period. The remaining meeting time is then spent on high-quality decision-making. Meta solves the same problem by creating cultural norms. I can't count the number of times that I heard a senior leader cut off the presenter: "Stop, assume that everyone here already read the slides. Let's get to the point." This is a culture-first approach. I have seen this work well in some teams, and not work at all in other teams. At Amazon, the solution is part of the company's "operating system". ------------------------- Anton here - by now everyone is familiar with the 6-pager concept, but that "operating system" thinking can be used almost anywhere. Think about something annoying that your developers do, and how can you solve it. For example, I remember being annoyed that people don’t update the Jira tickets. Finally, after requesting multiple times, now we just take 20 seconds from the standup to update them.

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I first joined Amazon in December of 2005. Even though I left for two years, my "Amaversary" still coincides with the end of the year and a natural moment for reflection. As I reached my 17 year mark this December, I also had the privilege of working with Amazon Careers to share some of my journey and thoughts about individual contributor technical leader and people manager career paths. In my ruminating, I put together far more content than could be used for a single article. So, I've decided to post here as a series of Q&As - in case others might find my observations, experiences, and perspectives interesting or useful. Below is the first of 6. 1. 𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮; 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙨, 𝙄𝘾 𝙫𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙧? I started my career as a software engineer 25 years ago. I've worked for startups, enterprise companies, and 7 different organizations over 17 years and two tours at Amazon. I've written firmware for robotic camera mounts; built highly scalable distributed systems; designed restaurant marketing, ordering, logistics, and operations software; created automated test harnesses for mobile games; tested HD DVD encoding; helped launch grocery delivery to customers around the globe - just to name a few of the many cool things I've had the privilege to work on. I've been an entry-level software engineer, a technical lead of teams, a software manager on a couple of occasions, chief software architect reporting to a CTO, and (for the last few years) Amazon Principal Engineer directly supporting a VP with about 200 engineers within my remit. I first became a manager because I mistakenly thought it was the only way to continue growing as a leader, and in many ways I failed. I learned some very humbling lessons about leadership through that experience, which I used to be a better individual contributor technical leader on my path to Senior Engineer. My second time as manager was because my organization had a need that I could fill. I had grown enough as a leader that this time I was much more successful. I said yes to an opportunity that started with managing a small team through delivery of a complex and critical project. Once I grew a high performing team that delivered that initial project, I took on more scope and expanded into multiple teams. After a couple of years of success growing and investing in my teams so that we could deliver greater value to our customers and business, I decided to prioritize being close to my family. For me, at that time, it meant giving up my people management role and returning to the role of an individual contributor technical leader that supports a globally distributed organization. Even though I really enjoyed my time as a people manager, there is no better job for me than that of a Principal Engineer. #amazon #careerdevelopment #technicalleadership #peoplemanagement

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Why Amazon changed their RTO Policy * Increase speed and ownership -> IC:Manager ratio change * Increase invention, collaboration, and culture -> In-Office 5 days a week Is this really why tho? Why Amazon is Enforcing a 5-Day Return-to-Office - according to a former AWS Engineer - https://lnkd.in/eRGmpNij #rto

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