Namrata Kohli’s Post

That's all folks! 👀👀 Learnings from my year at Meta. As this contract wraps, I'm taking a moment to reflect on the past year and the gems I've unearthed along the way. Leading a global team, from the bustling streets of India to the vibrant markets of São Paulo, was an eye-opener. With projects from all corners of the world – Tokyo, Philippines, France you name it – and connection was key. Sure, Meta has the fancy schmancy tools to connect everyone, but it's the little things that truly make a difference. A simple Monday morning hello, a team catch-up, even just sharing snippets of our daily lives – these seemingly insignificant interactions weaved an understanding and built bridges across continents. It's a reminder that conversation is the superpower for connection, and connection is the lifeblood of any team, no matter the distance. Now, leading in a corporate giant compared to an agency is like comparing apples and, well, spaceships. In an agency, decisions are made swiftly, a quick huddle with the big wigs and bam, that's the plan. But in a large corporation, there's a whole orchestra of stakeholders, each with their own tune and tempo. Getting everyone in harmony takes finesse, patience, and a whole lot of "side conversations." It might slow things down a tad, but it also opens doors to diverse perspectives and a wealth of knowledge from every corner of the company. It's like a symphony, truly, and I've learned to appreciate the beautiful cacophony of it all. Speaking of learning, this year has been a masterclass in embracing the unknown. Jumping into the world of AI was both exhilarating and humbling. It's been a year of asking those "silly questions," not being afraid to make a mess and learning from every glorious blunder! From diving into academic courses to simply playing around with the latest AI toys, I've thrown myself headfirst into this wave of innovation, eager to learn and grow. Is it all sunshine and rainbows? Absolutely not. There are challenges, there are uncertainties, and there's always the potential for misuse. But the answer, as I see it, is to dive right in, learn as much as we can, and explore the possibilities with open eyes and a critical mind. Whether it's finding new ways to integrate AI into the creative world or using it to find unconventional solutions, staying on the sidelines simply isn't an option. It's an adventure, and frankly, I'm having a great time. This year has solidified my belief in technology's potential to break down barriers. From connecting rugby fans across continents to bringing educational resources to remote Brazilian schools, technology has proven itself to be a force for good, fostering connection and accessibility. As I look ahead in 2024, I'm excited to continue this journey, armed with the lessons of connection, lifelong learning, and a passion for leveraging technology for positive change. Here's to the next chapter and all the extraordinary things it holds! #learning #leadership

Celebrating 2 incredible years at Meta. I remember starting this journey some years ago by simply reaching out to a friend that works at Google and asking her if my desire to work in tech was achievable or not. That short 30mins conversation led to me taking strategic actions that got me an employment offer letter from Meta 3 months later. In my 2 years at Meta, I have learnt two key lessons: - People are currency: your network is a currency that should be built and nurtured. Invest in making meaningful connections, ask questions and tap into others’ expertise. - Continuous learning: The desire to learn more should be at an all time high. Information and knowledge is power. Opportunities cannot be leveraged or taken if the knowledge of it being available is not known. If you would like to chat with me about my experience and journey so far, send me a message 😊, always happy to help. #CareerGrowth #Networking #ContinuousLearning #Mentorship #CareerTransition

As I approach my 3rd anniversary at Meta, I've realized that it's never too late to start working on my new year's resolution of sharing my accomplishments more proactively. So here goes nothing. Ever since I can remember, I was always fascinated by technology and wanted to be part of it to further help innovate the world. But tbh, I never imagined the magnitude in which a kid de un pueblito en Michoacán, Mexico, would help drive innovation at a cutting-edge company like Meta. Over the past years, I've had the privilege of partnering and leading the planning, execution, and delivery of AI/ML programs to achieve strategic goals and milestones for Meta’s top priority products. Some of my favorite achievements include: - Delivering high-quality Meta AI features that are harmless, honest, and helpful to our users - Improving similarity and recommendation models for Reels and posts across our platforms - Developing ML models to more precisely classify civic and health-related information during the pandemic and turbulent political climate - Launching Meta's Explore feature across multiple markets It's an honor to work alongside the brightest minds at Meta, where everyone is expected to lead. Sometimes it feels surreal to say that I "lead" initiatives at such a renowned global company, but that's what we're all here for. I'm not a big fan of writing posts like these, but I hope that my story can inspire that first-gen student or young professional who needs that extra motivation today. I know that student Misael would have appreciated a post like this. p.s. it felt more appropriate to share a photo of the two individuals that I owe everything to with this post, my parents.

Stepping Off the Meta Rocketship! After 10 incredible years, I left Meta last month. I had always dreamed of but never really believed I would be working on teams that shipped products impacting billions of lives daily, in areas as diverse as Messaging, Health, and Generative AI. Thank You to everyone at Meta for trusting me with such important work and for being amazing colleagues (also for all the free food! 😊)! - So, why am I doing this? To regain more control over my time and the work I do, and to better balance life’s ~4 important buckets (please check out "Designing Your Life"). - What’s next on the work front?  Take up projects aligned with my mission to “Create new things and make many people happier.” Here are a few directions I’m exploring: * GenAI for Good: Start something new to help make AI more private, safer, and better aligned with humanity’s well-being. I’m thrilled to be brainstorming with a few friends and industry leaders on this. Please ping me if this excites you among all the exciting things in GenAI! * Well-Being: Launching apps and services in the spirituality and well-being space, an area that all of us in our family are passionate about working on. * More of what matters: Focus more on learning, mentoring, hacking, and writing, and do less of what matters less. - How does it feel to quit a dream job? TBH, still unbelievable and a li'l scary to step out of a regular paycheck and a supportive corporate environment that took care of most product/people things. I do miss meeting people. But, after a month of this life, I can say that the biggest feelings mostly sound like "lightness, freedom, optimism, and an openness to whatever life brings". So, I guess it was the right thing to do! ;) PS: If you want to discuss more about the thinking and planning behind a decision to quit, please DM me. I'm happy to chat 1-1. Thank you for your support as I enter this new phase! Wish you all the best, Vishy

Reflections for my 5 years at Meta aka my 5MV! Metaversaries (MV) are a big thing here & every 5 years we get extra 4 weeks off to recharge & celebrate this milestone. Thru this perk Meta recognises we can’t just keep going nonstop. Kids get 2 months+ of holidays every year, it’s crazy to think we don't need rest during our working lives. I'm looking forward to disconnect, get bored, breathe & do something outside of my script. I want to create some space, take inventory of where I am & what I've done, and think of my next 5. So here’s my key 5MV reflections, grouped into 3 topics. I hope some of you can resonate with any of that. What's cool about my job: - I moved roles 3 times & watched myself grow unexpectedly with each one. This gave me more confidence in my abilities & soothed the imposter syndrome! - The context I have & the network of exceptional people who support me means my ramp-up is now my playground. And it's the easiest way to learn new skills. - New challenge is a new opportunity to re-invent myself and deconstruct the job spec. Being "new" is humbling, but also gives better perspective, which means I can become more relevant & become part of bigger things. - In my different Meta endevours I: [1] pitched to our global CAO what to do with some barter transactions within my probation period, [2] told stories to help reframe how others see Finance from custodians of backend processes to trusted partners & product enablers, [3] flattened JSON files to squeeze them thru APIs (and yes, this non-technical language is how I still talk about data solutions 2 years into my current role) [4] wrote product briefs, hacked genAI projects, managed vendors, brainstormed with the world's biggest rating agencies on their innovative products & helped create solutions that I trust can revolutionize risk management [5] made friends for life, worked with 110+ nationalities in our Dublin office, and teams around the world; I get to mentor and am mentored; lead comms & advocacy for everything accessibility/ mental health/ neurodiversity at Meta Ireland, do dozens of HIIT classes at lunch break, eat buckets of free ice-cream and feel unapologetically me! What I don’t regret I didn’t achieve: - The title that I thought will make others proud - Polish Certified Accountant qualification (I regret doing 6/10 exams 😅 ) - Thanks to doing minimum planning in my early career, there's not much I didn't cross off my To Do's (to all my MSc students & mentees, this is not career advice!) What I’d like more of in the next 5 years: - Opportunities to grow & learn & show up vulnerably - The same support, inclusive treatment & freedom that I've received from all of my managers so far - Daily stretch goals, reasons to laugh, inspiring projects - In the spirit of Meta's open source strategy: more thought leadership & collaboration on the cool things we & our peers are building - More supporting the local community! What's your next 5?

What's the surprising strategy Rahul Pandey used to get promoted to Staff Engineer at Meta? 👇 Rather than job hopping, he actually stayed put. A radical concept in today's job market… but one that can pay off if you have a growth plan. Rahul graciously shared his Meta story (plus 3 key career hacks he learned along the way) in a guest newsletter, linked below: 🔗 https://educat.tv/3C4zQbh Want more expert career tips from FAANG insiders? 📨 Join Educative with a free account to get our weekly newsletter featuring pros like Rahul. #SoftwareEngineering #Meta #Programming

Communication is everything! Something might not be working but the knowledge and solutions are in your peers if you can tap into it. Knowing when you don’t know is key to success.

Every performance review at Meta, there were usually 1 or 2 engineers in my organization who would mysteriously disappear. At first, I had no idea why. After learning about Meta's near 0 tolerance policy for low-performers, I was able to put 2 and 2 together and figure out the dark truth. There was a common theme among all these folks who couldn't make it: I had no clue they were struggling. In fact, I didn't even know what they were working on. All of these engineers were quite cloistered and almost never asked for help. I assume they did this to save face, but clearly it didn't work out for them. If you want to survive at a top company like FAANG, you must be open, collaborative, and vulnerable. Ask for help when you need it, and do it gracefully. I taught this to my 20+ Meta mentees and none of them came close to being put on a PIP or fired. Even now in this much tougher market, they continue to thrive at the company. To learn what I taught all my mentees and start asking great questions to get help while also building up your respect among the team, check out my free in-depth explainer video here: https://lnkd.in/gmFuk7PR #techcareergrowth #softwareengineering #meta #pip #performancereview

The best part of working at Meta? Hint: It’s not the free snacks or fancy offices. Let me take you back a few months. Our team was deep in the weeds with the Meta Smart Glasses, trying to solve a tricky challenge: how do we make voice commands feel completely natural, even in noisy, chaotic places? We’d been brainstorming ideas for weeks when one of our newer engineers (joined just six months ago) casually said, “What if we trained the glasses to recognize the user’s specific voice instead of just filtering noise?” At first, it sounded like one of those “sounds cool but probably impossible” ideas. But by Monday and yes, Monday morning! He’d already built a prototype. The result? Not only could the glasses respond faster, but they also worked like a charm in crowded streets and noisy cafés. Basically, it felt like they’d read your mind. 🤯 Here’s what I realized that day: the best part of working at Meta isn’t the perks or the tech—it’s the people. You get to work with some of the sharpest minds who push boundaries, think differently, and inspire you to constantly up your game. So here’s my advice: Don’t waste time envying people ahead of you. Surround yourself with them. Learn from them. Grow with them. The more you do, the more you realize just how much you’re capable of. And honestly? That’s the real perk. ✨ #Meta #TechLife #SmartGlasses #LearnAndGrow #GrowthMindset