"Last year, when I switched jobs, I went from an organization with a few dozen engineers to one with only six, including our CTO. On a large team, roles and processes create a natural structure. On a team under 10, that disappears overnight. I underestimated how mentally tiring the individual pressure would be, but it's also liberating to have this much ownership of the product. The transition is all about mindset, trading specialization for flexibility, and structure for speed."
"The product, engineering, and design teams often blend together since there are so few of us. We are solving problems as a unit, rather than as separate functions, which feels great. Being involved in so many aspects of a product forces me to stretch beyond my comfort zone and become a bit of a generalist, as the scope of what I'm handling is new to me."
An engineer moved from a team of a few dozen to a six-person AI team and experienced a sharp change in pace and responsibility. Smaller teams lack the role-based structure of larger organizations, increasing individual pressure while granting greater ownership of the product. The shift demands a mindset change: trade specialization and formal processes for flexibility, speed, and creativity. Product, engineering, and design functions frequently blend, requiring engineers to become generalists and stay close to user needs. AI tools and automation support workflows, and experimentation with rapid learning becomes a central operating principle.
Read at Business Insider
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