I Asked My Manager Why I Got Laid Off... | Principal Product Manager @Roblox, Derek Yang

It's been about 2 years and 3 mo since I was infamously laid off from my dream product manager job at Discord. And today, I finally sit with my old manager to talk about life after layoffs.

Derek Yang is now a Principal Product Manager at Roblox, and before that he was at YouTube, Twitch, Yik Yak, Facebook, and Discord where he was also my last ever corporate manager.

In this ep, we talk about:

→ What it actually means to "make it" in tech (spoiler: he still doesn't think he has)

→ the performance review that humbled him and forever changed

→ how he approaches his career

→ why working hard is not enough and what actually gets you recognized

→ what he gave up becoming a new dad

→ and why sustainability is his whole era right now

This episode is for anyone who has ever put their whole heart into their work and still felt like it wasn't enough. Derek is one of the most thoughtful people I know and I learned something new about him even after years of friendship.

→ Find Derek on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dereklyang

Submit your Coworker Confessions 👇

https://bit.ly/coworker-confessions

If you like what you hear please follow, rate 5 stars ⭐️ and leave a comment! 🫶

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