Ty is a Principal Engineer at Uber in Platform engineering and is the chairman of Uber’s Open-Source program. He’s focused on developer productivity and strives to help engineers ship fast high-quality products. He has a passion for AI, dev tools, frameworks, mobile apps, and open-source. He co-chairs the Mobile Native Foundation and is a Google Developer Expert for Android and Kotlin. He gives regular conference presentations, works on open-source, writes, and organizes community events. He is an angel investor, startup advisor, and a limited partner in several venture capital groups. Ty has been at Uber for 8 years and prior he worked at Twitter as a lead on Fabric developer tools, Evernote, cofounded a startup, and worked at a variety of smaller startups and consulting firms
Ty Smith
Principal Engineer at Uber, Platform Engineering
Advancing Beyond Staff: A Mobile Engineer’s Journey in Big Tech
Achieving promotion as a software engineer in big tech is a rare feat, with ascension to staff level and beyond being even more elusive. While many engineers aspire to reach these higher echelons, few truly understand the profound shift in responsibilities that accompany such roles. Misalignment in expectations can lead to significant struggles in these new positions, especially for specialists like mobile engineers, who face unique hurdles when advancing beyond senior roles without broadening their expertise.
In this talk, we will demystify the path to post-terminal levels, using Uber as a case study. We will outline what it takes to operate at these advanced stages, setting realistic expectations, and providing actionable examples and recommendations for those aiming to climb the career ladder. The discussion will also address the specific challenges faced by specialized engineers and propose strategies to overcome them.
Attendees will leave equipped with practical tools to steer their career growth, a clearer understanding of the dynamics at higher levels, and a refined perspective on their long-term career objectives.