Saumil MehtaNo Authority? No Problem. Six Tactics for Leading With Influence15+ years ago, I sat in a small windowless room and tried to convince a bunch of hyper-smart startup people to give me a shot at being a…Sep 17, 202310Sep 17, 202310
Saumil MehtaFrom Alien to American, from Jail Cell to General ManagerThe small office in downtown San Francisco was drab, windowless, awash in fluorescent light and screamed “GOVERNMENT ISSUE”. An old desktop…Jul 2, 202352Jul 2, 202352
Saumil MehtaFeedback Is a Gift, But Your Performance Review Might SuckA step-by-step guide to make performance reviews betterApr 27, 2023Apr 27, 2023
Saumil MehtaThe Overton Window — Why Some Ideas Stick While Others StruggleOver the last decade in tech, we have been inundated with talk of the empowered employee. In this fantasy, most of the stuffy hierarchy is…Feb 23, 202312Feb 23, 202312
Saumil MehtaThree Simple Hacks to Manage your ManagerIn one of my startup jobs, I worked with a colleague who had suddenly gained one of the founders’ strong trust and support. The two of them…Feb 8, 202321Feb 8, 202321
Saumil MehtaAvoid the Reorg from Hell with Six Key PrinciplesNearly 2 decades ago, I sat in the Taco Bell drive-through with a senior Engineer from Microsoft Hotmail. I was a lowly Engineering intern…Nov 20, 202221Nov 20, 202221
Saumil MehtaWhy You’re Paid What You’re Paid — Five Key Tech Compensation TakeawaysWhat do you make every year? What kinds of raises have you gotten over the last few years? How are you valuing cash vs. equity? How much…Apr 2, 202213Apr 2, 202213
Saumil MehtainDev GeniusBuilding a Pandemic Superpower — a Culture that WritesIt was my second week at Square and a meeting titled “Six Week Review” had just appeared on my calendar. The invite showed dozens of…Jan 18, 20221Jan 18, 20221
Saumil MehtainThe StartupWell That Escalated Quickly — Building Better Products with EscalationAfter the basic pleasantries were concluded, I sat across from the seasoned Amazon Eng leader and asked him one of my favorite questions —…Jun 22, 2020Jun 22, 2020
Saumil MehtaI’m An Entitled Tech Worker In Need of Attitude AdjustmentThe cashews in the giant plastic jars aren’t cheap, they said. I worked at a small startup and there was a rumor going around amongst the…May 2, 20182May 2, 20182