Why FAANG Is Probably Not Right For You

& How To Change The Right Product Career Path Instead

I speak to 10+ Product Managers per week.

“What does your ideal career look like in two years?”, I ask them.

The answer?

For 30%, it is to work in a FAANG company

(I.E. Facebook, Amazon, Apple or any other well-known tech giant).

The problem? The moment I ask WHY they aspire to work at one of these companies.

In almost all cases, these PMs simply do not have a good answer.

Why You Think You Want to Work at A FAANG Company

I get it.

These companies represent the peak of the product industry!

Apple launched the iPhone, Meta runs half the world’s social media products & Amazon is, well, Amazon! They sell 45% of all e-commerce sales in the US!

It means working with the big name product leaders: Many product books you’ve read are written by ex- or current product leaders at these companies, for example (think Cracking the PM Interview, Working Backwards,

It also means big salaries, which are always attractive (for example, an average PM salary package at Amazon is pushing $175-180k, when including base salary, equity & bonus).

Source: levels.FYI

And, finally, it also seemingly promises excitement & impact: The ability to work on products that billions of people use on a daily basis.

The reality, however, is much different.

The reality, in fact, feels like going back to school.

In huge companies like Amazon, you’ll end up doing the following:

Getting an employee bus to campus every morning.

Enjoying your free meals & matcha lattes in the canteen.

Be assigned a certain level (like a school grade) & be told what to do to reach the next grade (example: Amazon product career levels).

Spend your time working on a pretty niche area of product where you’ll struggle to measure - let alone notice - the impact.

If you miss your prior life from 11-18 years old, with clear steps laid out for you, then great!

FAANG is probably the place for you.

If this reality sounds mind-numbingly boring & constrained, then FAANG is unlikely to be a good fit.

But it’s easy to be sceptical of this picture I am painting for you.

“Well”, I’ve seen loads of stories of PMs from FAANG companies that seem to work on cool new products & features”, you may say.

And you’re not wrong.

My counter-argument? Just do the maths:

Out of tens of thousands of Product Managers & leaders at these companies, there are only a handful of stories of innovation & free thinking that go from ideation to market.

Furthermore, as well as lacking impact, those high salaries can become a real trap.

I’ve met many PMs that work at FAANG companies.

As most companies push for some in-person work, these PMs moved to the Bay Area, suddenly earning over a whopping $2-300k, but end up in a tiny apartment paying crazy rent, in a city that is now downright dangerous & falling into the trap of what psychological call “hedonistic adaptation” (i.e. living a lifestyle where they spend more money & get used to a new, more expensive standard of living).

The problem?

If these PMs ever want to leave, it will be a huge psychological challenge to do so, as it inevitably means a big pay cut & the loss of perceived status that comes with working at a big brand like Meta.

How to Work Out What Your Career Goal Should Be

To work out what you should, in fact, aim for with your career, the best advice I can give is to follow this simple tactic:

Return to what we call first principles.

Essentially, ask yourself why you want to do something in order to understand what motivation may lie beneath the surface.

For example, say you believe your ideal 2-3 year career goal is to work at FAANG, do the following:

1. Ask yourself: “Why do I want to work at FAANG?”

Is it because you want a big salary? Is it because you want to maximise your impact by working on products that have a real impact on billions of people? Or is it because of the sense of accomplishment from working at a “top” company?

2. Whatever the core motive is, then see what other options may be available to you.

For example, say you are motivated by that sense of accomplishment you feel you will get at FAANG: Why do you feel you need that sense of accomplishment? Is it for your own extrinsic motivation (i.e. a feeling of success)? Or is it external? For example, a need for status you feel you will gain from working at a well-known company, so you can finally get some respect from friends & family? If it’s really about status, is this really a good reason to commit your life to a company? Will this motivation sustain you? Why do you feel the need for external recognition in the first place?

3. Once you dig deeper, you may find that 1) Your core motivation is misplaced (like above) & you need to go back to Step 1 or 2) There are other ways to achieve the same outcome.

For example, if you want to “maximise impact”, you could look at joining a startup, starting your own business, or consulting with companies that need to become more product-led in your home country

I’ve followed this approach of returning to first principles for over a decade.

It’s helped me stay the course & remain focused on what really gives me fulfilment: Working for myself.

Rather than being tempted by big salaries & the security of being an employee, first principle thinking has pushed me to start my own business.

But, even then, rather than just starting any business, I asked myself WHY I wanted to start another business.

That led me to the conclusion that I wanted to maximise financial freedom & freedom of time.

In turn, that meant I had to think deeply about the type of business I needed to create.

One without investment, without co-founders who might have differing goals, without custom code so that I can bootstrap to profitability as quickly as possible (which I achieved within 4 months).

And, rather than blindly following my assumptions or misplaced motivations, simply pausing to ask “Why?” & following where that question led me, I’ve been able to create a unique lifestyle & career path I never would have thought possible just 3-4 years ago.

So, if you’re at a career crossroads - or have never paused to ask yourself why you are pursuing a certain career goal - I suggest pausing & asking yourself the same question:

Why?