zlacker

>>bo0tzz+(OP)
I often see the "engineers copy FAANG infrastructure because they want to be cool, even though their needs are completely different" take as a kind of attack on engineers.

But I think a lot of it is also about knowledge and documentation. If I want to copy FAANG or another startup, and set up an infinitely scalable queue-based architecture, I can find dozens of high quality guides, tutorials, white papers etc, showing me exactly how to do it. Yes maintenance is higher, but I can get set up with redis, SQS, any of the 'scalable' solutions within a few hours of copy-pasting commands and code and configuration from a reputable source.

If I want to use NOTIFY in postgres? I googled "SQLALchemy notify listen postgres" and I find a few unanswered stackoverflow questions and a github gist that has some code but no context.

I would honestly love to use this approach for a side project, but I don't have 2-3 days to figure it out on my own. The direct choice for me might seem to be

* simple, but not scalable (ie just use postgres)

* complex, but scalable (ie redis, sqs, whatever)

and then it's a tradeoff, and the argument goes that I am blinded by cool tech and FAANG and I'm choosing complex but scalable, even though I don't need scalable.

But taking into account guides and other resources, the choice for me is actually

* complex and not scalable (this, because I don't know how to implement it and I can't predict what pitfalls I might face if I try)

* simple and scalable (what everyone actually does)

and that makes the engineer's choice to follow faang look a lot more reasonable.

>>ritzac+L21
Another point is: you don't need scalable now, but may (or even hope) to need it later, and you know that when you will need it you probably won't have time to invest into migrating this component.

Also: you may think that you may one day want to be hired by a FAANG.

>>natmak+G41
How relevant is it to be hired by a FAANG? I have some experience with "web scale" systems, but I tend to reject FAANG recruiters because Leetcode makes me want to become an apple farmer (no pun).

>>mkl95+f81
> How relevant is it to be hired by a FAANG?

If you want a job there, very relevant.

> I tend to reject FAANG recruiters because Leetcode

I understand the pain of leetcode interviews. They’re terrible. But optimizing your career based on the interview process seems… backwards?

FAANG companies (for example) are very relevant if you want to make a lot of money and live in Silicon Valley without being a successful founder/VC. Apple farmers… not so much. If you live in Tokyo, then FAANG companies might be less relevant.

Either way, doesn’t seem like the interview is where you should draw the line.

>>vineya+fa1
I guess my career is pretty close to optimal. I get to work on interesting problems from anywhere I want and save a ton of money. If you are an EU candidate, FAANG companies want you to relocate to some city in the UK or Ireland, which would obliterate my savings rate, and are worse places to live than most mainland EU areas. I understand not everyone is as fortunate as me, which increases their motivation to grind Leetcode and the like.