26 Year Old Meta Staff Eng (IC6) On Promotions, Redefining Expectations, Secret Equity Bonuses
26 Year Old Meta Staff Eng (IC6) On Promotions, Redefining Expectations, Secret Equity Bonuses  
Podcast: The Peterman Pod
Published On: Fri Jul 04 2025
Description: Simon Kindström is a Staff Software Eng (IC6) at Instagram who joined the company as a new grad and got promoted every year. He also achieved the highest ratings ("Redefines Expectations") twice which is almost unheard of. He shared stories about his high performance including what it's like to receive secret equity bonuses.In this episode, we discuss:• His promotions to Staff in 3 years• The story behind his "Redefines Expectations" ratings• What it's like to receive performance-based equity bonuses• His transition to management• Why he switched from management• Advice for his younger selfTimestamps:(00:00) Intro(02:34) Staff promotions in 3 years(10:32) “Redefines” expectations ratings(20:01) Redefining expectations without promotion?(29:55) Staff promotion story(41:00) Transitioning to and from management(54:50) Secret equity bonuses(58:14) The best interns(1:07:50) Where most of his growth came from(1:12:04) What keeps him at Meta(1:15:20) Advice to his younger self(1:17:05) OutroWhere to find Simon:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonkindstrom/Where to find Ryan:• Newsletter: https://www.developing.dev/• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ryanlpeterman• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlpeterman/• Threads: https://www.threads.com/@ryanlpeterman• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanlpeterman