The Startup Ladder Ping-Pong.

This issue is dedicated to one of the most notorious startup career paths.

While I also like to talk about broader topics, I’ll also sometimes deep dive into very specific ones, shaped by my own experiences over the years.

In most companies, becoming a manager feels like the only available path for top performers.

It’s the default. But it doesn’t have to be.

I’ve shifted back and forth between individual contributor (IC) and manager roles my entire career, and I’ve learned something crucial:

Management isn’t for everyone. And that’s completely fine.