Forget the Side Hustle. Focus on Scope — and Prepare for the Endgame

Andre Nader recently wrote a great piece titled “You Don’t Need a Side Hustle”. He’s right. If you’re in big tech — especially at a FAANG — your best ROI isn’t from a podcast, a newsletter, or spinning up a weekend SaaS project.

It’s from doing your job better.

I started my career as an L3, FatFIRE’d and retired at L10 after multiple FAANG tours. That journey didn’t happen because I had clever side projects. It happened because I kept taking on more — more scope, more risk, more responsibility. I said yes to the things no one else wanted to touch, and I made sure they shipped.

That’s the game. Promotions in FAANG aren’t just about compensation bumps — though they matter. They’re about leverage. You get one shot at the compounding effect of rising through levels at a place where each level jump could mean a 7-figure swing over time. That’s the real hustle. And it happens inside the org, not outside of it.

But here’s what people don’t like to talk about: even if you do everything right, you might not get to finish the game.

I’ve watched too many smart, capable people get caught in reorgs, RIFs, AI budget pivots ($100b CAPEX anyone?), fake RTO, span of control changes, etc etc. Your path can get cut short overnight, and often does. If you make it to 50 in FAANG, be grateful — and also be real: your days are probably numbered. The machine moves on. You won’t be the exception.

So here’s my advice, for what it’s worth:

Double down on scope while you’re in it. Be the person who delivers the hard stuff. Extract every bit of value while the window is open. And once you’ve got enough — or once the game moves on without you — be ready.

FIRE isn’t about maxing every income stream. It’s about playing your position well — and knowing when it’s time to walk off the field.