Career frameworks from leaders at Microsoft, Google, OpenAI & more.
Playbooks for every stage of the career.
Before we begin.
You opened this edition because you truly want to grow your career. And to your career in this AI-first world, you need to upskill in AI, implement it into your work & learn from people who are ahead of you in their careers. That’s exactly what the GrowthX community is all about.
You learn to implement AI through weekly live classes, attend events that help you build AI workflows & a vibrant private online community that guides you along the way. Over 5,000 members from Meta AI, Google, Microsoft, Adobe, ScaleAI & Palantir trust the GrowthX community with career growth.
Careers are hard.
Growing a career exponentially is harder. And, finding your next gig is a nightmare. What do you chase? The title? The salary bump? Or the “cool” new startup logo?
We know, we’ve all been there. It’s time we created a framework (as we are known to do, at GrowthX) to help you ace your next move.
So, we got to it. Over the past few weeks, we spoke to hundreds of GrowthX members through 1:1 conversations, our events & through our online community. Plus, we spoke to people who have cracked roles at companies like Microsoft, Google, OpenAI to dissect how they did it. This edition condenses the insights from all those conversations into a short, 7-minute read.
It’s simple.
The salary you make is directly proportional to the size of the business problem you solve. The bigger the problem, the more you get paid. For example, the biggest problem for an early-stage startup is finding PMF. If you make it happen, you command a higher salary.
But impact isn’t the only reason we pick roles. So, what should really drive our choices? It often comes down to these 3 things — People, Money & Product.
Rarely would a company give you all three at once (if they do, why are you even reading this? Go all in). On the other hand, just because a role promises one of them doesn’t mean it’s the right fit. So, how do the best in tech actually choose their next move? Here’s the blueprint no one tells you about.
For the early-stage folks
At this stage, you’re still trying to figure out your unfair advantage. You’re asking yourself questions like, “How do I know what I want?” The key here is to focus on breadth: try 10 new things and fail at most of them. Over time, you’ll know what you have a natural talent for and enjoy doing.
Look at internships, full-time roles, and freelance projects to see what you like. Don’t chase titles here. Even a job with a boring title can offer the best learning. Instead, focus on doing meaningful work with people you admire.
Once you find something that brings you joy, double down & build depth. Always lead with value before you ask for help. We wrote an edition on cold emailing your idols. Take a cue from here. Once you have some depth, you have four options —
Want to get really good at your craft? Work with a +1 operator.
A +1 operator is someone doing your job, just one career step ahead. Shadow them, ask questions, and watch how they work. You’ll pick up better systems, improve your judgment, and level up faster.
Chasing the money bag? Join a mature-stage company.
Real talk: startups are optimising to save every penny while getting the most out of you. On the flip side, mature-stage companies have teams and defined processes. Learning isn’t their top priority, since they offer super-specialised roles. That also means that they pay you more.
Want a strict 9-5? Avoid start-ups with <50 people.
If you’re going to work at a small start-up, the expectation is that you are quick to solve problems when they crop up. After all, a lot could go wrong quickly when you‘re doing things fast. So, forget work-life balance while you’re here.
Want to look good on your CV? Join an early-stage start-up. You’ll wear multiple hats, own outcomes, and move up quickly because the organisation chart isn’t set in stone. It’s chaotic, but you’ll learn a ton and get visibility fast.
For the mid-career folks.
By the time you’ve reached this stage, you’ve built both depth and breadth in your work. You’re no longer only chasing experience; you’re also chasing recognition.
Before going ahead with a role, ask yourself these questions. Who is this category serving? Is there scope to grow, learn or innovate here? Do I want to expand into different categories? These questions help you figure out your niche and growth potential. Once you have a sense of what you’re optimising for, here’s how to think about your next move —
Want to get better at your craft? Work with a +1 leader. At this stage, growth looks like making sharper business decisions. Shadowing a +1 leader helps you see how they think, prioritise, and problem-solve. You’ll get honest feedback, learn to reach the root of problems, frame them in ways that matter, and pick up soft skills almost by osmosis. Bonus: your visibility (and network) will grow too.
Fancy more money? Join a mature-stage company. Larger organisations tend to pay better not because they value you more, but because they can. Established pay structures, employee benefits, and clear growth ladders make this a good move if financial stability is your top priority.
Want to become a people manager fast? Join a Series A company with a first-time founder. Flat structures and small teams mean your work gets noticed quickly. Do a good job, and you’ll likely be managing people sooner than you think. Plus, you’ll get to wear multiple hats, sharpening skills that add up later.
Need work-life balance? Avoid a startup with <100 people. When you’re at a medium-sized company and a mid-senior employee, you’re expected to manage employees and put out fires. You’ll learn a lot, but your personal time will take a hit.
Optimising for visibility and trust? Work with a big brand. Working with a big brand and driving impact there signals credibility to your future employers. That’s why people at big companies usually get hired by other big companies, too.
For whoever’s eyeing leadership roles.
At this stage, you’ve got all the expertise and depth you can. Now, it’s all about creating impact. How to do it? Ask yourself these questions. Is your category growing? What do you think about the founding team? Why do you want to make the switch now?
Want to have the biggest impact? Join a distribution-focused organisation. Working in a B2B company means your impact is limited to a few enterprise customers, since each deal is high-value. In contrast, at a D2C brand, you can reach thousands of customers at once. So, decide the kind of scale you want for your work — this will help you choose a company where your skills and network can create impact faster.
Want a better paycheck? Try an emerging market role. These roles have a high demand for skilled professionals and usually offer higher compensation.
Dream of being a country leader? Horizontally move to a mature-stage company. Leadership roles in mature organisations require industry context and credibility. This is why, instead of moving up the ladder, it’s easier to move horizontally into a new company, country, or continent-leader role.
Want work-life balance? Avoid a sub-1000 employee start-up. A start-up with over 1,000 employees usually has established processes, steady revenue, and, by extension, fewer fires to put out. But it doesn’t guarantee fixed work hours. As a leader, you may find yourself working around the clock, talking to international clients and making tough business calls at odd hours.
And this is the starting point.
Now that you understand the game structurally, go and build your own unique path. Don’t let other people tell you this is how you should do it. Once you act on this foundation, you will find the next steps organically and do what you think is the right bet for your career.
That’s all for now.
We are launching something cool next week, stay tuned.
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