Growing WhatsApp User Base from 20M to 1.2 Billion: Insights on Influence, Engineering Culture, & Finding Meaning in Work

As the 19th engineer to join WhatsApp, I've witnessed firsthand the power of simplicity, prioritization, and likability in driving success - and I'm excited to share these lessons with others.

1. The speaker is a experienced engineer who has worked with thousands of others in the tech industry.
2. They define influence as being both likable and credible, which makes people want to come to you for new opportunities.
3. Likability is about being pleasant to work with and not making others feel bad, while credibility means being dependable and delivering on promises.
4. The speaker believes that being really good at something and having a clear focus can bring you more influence than trying to be average at many things.
5. Following trends blindly is not a good recipe for success, and it's better to explore your passions and what you're good at.
6. At WhatsApp, the speaker was the 19th engineer to join the company when they had around 20 million users, and they left when there were 1.2 billion active monthly users.
7. The speaker values likability and credibility because it helped them get new opportunities and be successful in their career.
8. They believe that being a smart engineer who can learn new things is more important than which specific programming languages you know.
9. At WhatsApp, the focus was on quality and core utility features rather than adding many new features to please every user.
10. The speaker values ownership, autonomy, mentorship, and direction in their work environment.
11. They believe that simplicity and prioritization are key factors for success.
12. At WhatsApp, the focus was on a few core features and offerings that were prioritized ruthlessly.
13. The speaker implemented these values in their personal team as an engineering manager, allowing team members to prioritize their own work.
14. When WhatsApp was acquired for $19 billion, the speaker was unsure of what that meant for them and had to calculate their earnings.
15. The acquisition brought financial freedom, but the speaker had to explore and redefine the meaning of work for themselves.
16. The speaker believes that viewing your work as a meaningful part of your life is important, even if you have financial freedom.
17. They believe that being really good at something and having a clear focus can bring you more influence than trying to be average at many things.
18. Following trends blindly is not a good recipe for success, and it's better to explore your passions and what you're good at.
19. At WhatsApp, the speaker was the 19th engineer to join the company when they had around 20 million users, and they left when there were 1.2 billion active monthly users.
20. The speaker values likability and credibility because it helped them get new opportunities and be successful in their career.
21. They believe that being a smart engineer who can learn new things is more important than which specific programming languages you know.
22. At WhatsApp, the focus was on quality and core utility features rather than adding many new features to please every user.
23. The speaker values ownership, autonomy, mentorship, and direction in their work environment.
24. They believe that simplicity and prioritization are key factors for success.

Source: EO via YouTube

❓ What do you think? What values or principles will you hold onto as your career evolves, and how will they shape your approach to influence, success, and personal fulfillment? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!