At Meta, engineers are often the decision makers. They're given the freedom and trust to own their own projects, build their own solutions and as a result, make a bigger impact.
This autonomy is critical, especially for engineers on the network and Infrastructure team who are tasked with ensuring that Meta scales properly and remains reliable and efficient for the two billion people around the world who use the platform every day. It allows them to move fast while pushing themselves to think critically to identify potential potholes before they arise. They’re also challenged with discovering new solutions that will improve efficiency and simplify processes.
To learn more about how leaders at Meta cultivate a culture of autonomy and innovation, we spoke with three engineering managers on the Infrastructure team. Below, they share how they empower their teams and keep them motivated.
Make sure people have the support they need
“We spend a lot of time upfront onboarding engineers because we want them to feel supported and know they have the resources to move fast and be successful. Support comes in all different forms at Meta -- from onboarding and training programs, to mentors and even software. When engineers join Meta, they first go through Bootcamp, a six-week program designed to immerse engineers in our code, expose them to different teams and meet engineering managers. Once they join a team, we have a mentorship program to ensure they get the guidance and support they need to feel successful. And when they start building, we have really good software for engineers to try out different solutions and test products before they ship.
One of my biggest surprises when I joined Meta was the amount of support I was given from day-one. I thought I would have to prove myself and that people wouldn’t be approachable, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. There’s a big focus on learning here, and it’s incredibly empowering.” —Omar B. Director, Network Systems
Play to people’s strengths
“As a manager, I focus on identifying my team's strengths and championing them to work on projects that excite them. This is critical because it ensures people stay inspired and energized by their work and gives them the opportunity to build solutions for things they truly care about. Another part of this is transparency. Being open about the rationale and process behind certain decisions empowers individuals and teams to take ownership of their work while keeping in mind the company’s broader vision.” —Carmen Au, Software Engineering Manager, Traffic Infrastructure
Cultivate a bottom up culture
“One of the most unique things about Meta is that we place a lot of trust and autonomy in our engineers, which allows us to move fast. Engineers don’t have to wait for decisions to move through the manager chain of approval. They drive their own decisions, and if they need support, there’s no shortage of partners who want to collaborate to tackle new challenges. This type of culture is really effective at a place like Meta where we embrace risk-taking. As managers, we encourage engineers to make bold bets and try new things. If a project fails, we support them by helping them fail fast and understand what they learned from taking the risk and how they can apply it to the next project.” —Puneet M., Manager, Transport Layer Security
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