OpenAI employee's advice for success in Big Tech

Michael Bolin worked at Google, Meta, and OpenAI. He is the tech lead on Codex and spent almost 12 years at Meta before joining OpenAI in 2024. On "The Peterman Pod" he shared three steps for making an impact in Big Tech. First, figure out what you like to do. "It's good to broaden that, but it's also good to be honest with yourself," he said.

He described a "hero quest" he went on at Google—an effort to solve a problem others could not—that he called "embarrassing" because there was "something about ego" involved, and he realized he didn't love the work. Second, learn what's "really valuable" to your employer.

He used his time at Google as a counterexample: "I did stuff that I was really excited about, but it wasn't AdWords for Google or anything like that." Finally, find the intersection of what you enjoy and what your employer values, and lean into it.

michael bolin, openai, google, meta, codex, big tech, career advice, peterman pod, adwords, hero quest