Loved this advice, Andre. Sometimes it's better to live the present instead of always playing it for the future. If your side hussle brings you joy, then of course do it. But if it's draining you then focus on your primary job and also spend a little bit to make it worthwhile. Totally agree with you here!
Great post, Andre — I completely agree. For most people in FAANG, the highest ROI comes from expanding scope, not chasing a side hustle. I shared some additional thoughts from my own experience going from L3 to L10 across multiple big tech companies:
The key is not side hussles but always ensuring that you are EMPLOYABLE. It means never going 1 year without interviewing. It means upskilling consistently. It means updating your resume. It means keeping track of all accomplishments on a week to week basis.
People who advocate for side hussles are really advocating for CONTROL. You can have control in a W2.
Andre, thank you for this. Such a grounded perspective. A couple of questions: 1. With the rise in AI and the ease someone might have building scalable and repeatable business now, do you think a side hustle could be worth attempting? 2. With layoffs in high gear, and the rise of AI, I’m worried I’ll be laid off and struggle to find income again. Side hustle could help keep me afloat during this period, but curious what your thoughts are?
Hi Andre, a lot of us FAANG ex-employees are laid off/unemployed. Do you have resources or recommendations on business coaching? Like, how can we monetize the knowledge that we already have from years of working at FAANG? Tysm
Any advice for someone who is ex-FAANG prematurely due to layoffs? I went from 470k to probably going to make 210-250k a year. Big pay cut. And that was the best job I could find that even bumped me up a level.
Loved this advice, Andre. Sometimes it's better to live the present instead of always playing it for the future. If your side hussle brings you joy, then of course do it. But if it's draining you then focus on your primary job and also spend a little bit to make it worthwhile. Totally agree with you here!
Great post, Andre — I completely agree. For most people in FAANG, the highest ROI comes from expanding scope, not chasing a side hustle. I shared some additional thoughts from my own experience going from L3 to L10 across multiple big tech companies:
https://formertechbro.substack.com/p/forget-the-side-hustle-focus-on-scope
Well worth thinking about how to play the game while you're still in it.
The key is not side hussles but always ensuring that you are EMPLOYABLE. It means never going 1 year without interviewing. It means upskilling consistently. It means updating your resume. It means keeping track of all accomplishments on a week to week basis.
People who advocate for side hussles are really advocating for CONTROL. You can have control in a W2.
Andre, thank you for this. Such a grounded perspective. A couple of questions: 1. With the rise in AI and the ease someone might have building scalable and repeatable business now, do you think a side hustle could be worth attempting? 2. With layoffs in high gear, and the rise of AI, I’m worried I’ll be laid off and struggle to find income again. Side hustle could help keep me afloat during this period, but curious what your thoughts are?
Hi Andre, a lot of us FAANG ex-employees are laid off/unemployed. Do you have resources or recommendations on business coaching? Like, how can we monetize the knowledge that we already have from years of working at FAANG? Tysm
I enjoyed the article, but it didn't fully click.
> They have already won the income game.
This argument would have been stronger in 2021. Since the layoff madness, it feels more like a daily struggle rather than a game won.
Facts. You already hit the big leagues income-wise. No need to chase the hype—just optimize what’s already working.
But, is this still solid with the layoffs?
Any advice for someone who is ex-FAANG prematurely due to layoffs? I went from 470k to probably going to make 210-250k a year. Big pay cut. And that was the best job I could find that even bumped me up a level.