Robinhood SWE Turned $1B+ Founder on Non-Linear Careers, Being Jaded About Promos, Startup Learnings
Robinhood SWE Turned $1B+ Founder on Non-Linear Careers, Being Jaded About Promos, Startup Learnings  
Podcast: The Peterman Pod
Published On: Sun Nov 30 2025
Description: Jayendra Jog left Robinhood and raised $35m to start his own crypto startup (Sei Labs). Before he left, he got jaded about software engineering career ladders yet was coasting through promotions at Robinhood. I asked him about how he did that along with a bunch of questions about when to leave your job, how to raise money, and what to expect as a founder.𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀:• Transcript: https://www.developing.dev/p/quitting-robinhood-and-raising-35m?open=false• YouTube: https://youtu.be/f4eeoetb8t4• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-peterman-pod/id1777363835𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:54 - Big tech internships00:04:51 - Joining Robinhood00:07:58 - Big tech vs startups discussion00:10:16 - Getting jaded about Robinhood career growth00:16:04 - Coasting and getting promoted00:18:54 - Gamestop stories from the inside00:22:34 - Leaving Robinhood00:30:25 - Learnings from raising $35m00:34:07 - What value does crypto provide?00:37:47 - Learnings and when to leave00:40:41 - Advice for his younger self00:41:58 - Outro𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗝𝗮𝘆:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayendrajog• X/Twitter: https://x.com/jayendra_jog• His Company: https://x.com/Sei_Labs𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 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• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryanlpeterman