Experience and Opportunities at Databricks

January 7, 2024 7:00 PM PST

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This meeting focused on career experiences and opportunities at Databricks, highlighting the company's growth, culture, and hiring processes. The discussion included insights into the engineering environment, career growth, and the importance of cultural fit.

Presenter: Y, Engineering Manager

Career Experience and Opportunities at Databricks

Company Insights

• Databricks Overview

  • Partner integration, ecosystem, and DBSQL.
  • High growth with over 1000 engineers.
  • Pre-IPO with a promising track record.
  • Engineering-centered culture inspired by Google.
  • Products include Spark, AI tools, Lakehouse architecture, notebooks, jobs, ML workflows, and Unity Catalog for data governance.

• Industry Comparison

  • Databricks is positioned alongside companies like Snowflake, Microsoft, and Google.
  • Distinction between large companies (predictable processes, formal performance reviews) and smaller companies (less formality, personal outreach).

Hiring and Interview Process

• Big Companies

  • Standardized recruiting process with technical and hiring manager interviews.
  • Emphasis on team matching and structured offers.

• Small Companies

  • Hiring managers have more influence and can initiate conversations with candidates.
  • Feedback collection and offer preparation are more personalized.

Audience Insights

• Interview Preparation

  • Importance of resilience and perseverance.
  • Job hopping viewed negatively; stability is preferred.
  • Candidates should prepare thoroughly for interviews and understand company culture.

• Career Growth

  • Growth is based on impact rather than tenure.
  • Self-advocacy is crucial for long-term career development.
  • Opportunities for mobility across teams.

Engineering Culture

• Work Environment
  • Quarterly planning with a focus on prioritization and trade-offs.
  • Emphasis on engineering-driven culture balancing velocity and stability.
  • Diverse backgrounds contribute to shaping the company culture.

Q&A Highlights

• Team Functionality

  • Focus on building the best Databricks experience through partnerships.

• Research Support

  • Data science team integrates research into engineering, focusing on ML and model training.

• GenAI and LLM

  • Utilization of GenAI for query generation and tools for compute resource management.

• Infrastructure Comparison

  • Databricks provides a control plane and has developed the Photon engine for improved performance over Spark.

• Relevance of Experience

  • Relevant experience is highly valued; candidates are encouraged to customize their resumes to align with company requirements.