Tal Raviv: belief

Transcript context

…I want to drill into something you said around compensation and just generally what you've done to stay down this path. Because I know the compensation, that's a real thing. Is there anything you've seen or done that has helped you be more comfortable with that in terms of getting the comp you think you deserve being an IC this long being basically a super IC? I think first of all, you have to believe your worth. You have to genuinely believe and understand that an individual contributor in product management is worth, can have a really big scope, really big ownership, really big impact and matters a lot. And I think the industry is coming around to that, right? We'll talk a little bit more about this, but the great flattening of the last few years, and I've seen talking to friends who are founders and the founders here at Riverside are really looking for people really experienced who are really hands-on. First of all, we just need people who get stuff done. And just recognizing that in yourself and believing that and recognizing that in the industry and remembering, there's a really good analogy here in engineering where it really makes sense to all of us that you shouldn't have to rise into management in order to increase your compensation, you're equally or just as valuable not as a manager, as a domain expert. And that's step one, really understand that you are really, really, really valuable as an IC. I think tactically speaking, one thing that I've done a few times in different interview rounds is when it comes to compensation, you've probably heard the line, "Well, that's a really high number, but we can't reach it. But don't worry, we're growing a lot, the product door is going to grow lot. There's going to be a lot of opportunities to rise into management, so there's going to be a lot of opportunities to increase compensation over time." And that's a classic line you might hear from a recruiter or hiring manager. And in those moments, it kind of puts you in a weird position where it's like, well, you don't think you're going to rise up, you can't debate that so well. And what I say in those moments is, "I'm glad you mentioned that, I actually have no intention of going into management or rising up in those ranks, and I know that you and I know that the industry traditionally undervalues the IC role so it's really important for me to have that number now," and that works. Wow, okay. Very straightforward. So maybe along those lines, just a final question on this track is just for people that are trying to create a space for an IC path at a company or as a company trying to do this, anything you suggest they do to make this a thing for people that actually want to stay ICs to set this up as a real career path?…

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