#15-Ken Kao, VP of Engineering at Rad AI

Is Big Tech actually faster than startups? Is AI making engineering managers obsolete? Ken Kao (VP of Engineering at Rad AI, ex-Meta, Airbnb, and Palantir) joins Lucas Mendes (CEO of Revelo) to reveal the hard truths about engineering leadership, AI’s impact on teams, and why startup founders struggle to scale.

Key Takeaways from This Episode:
✅ Big Tech vs. Startups: Why Meta, Airbnb, and Palantir move faster than most startups.
✅ AI & Engineering: How AI is eliminating bad managers and forcing leaders to be technical again.
✅ Scaling Teams: Why hiring great engineers isn't enough—you need autonomy + accountability.
✅ Remote & Hybrid Work: How Rad AI thrives with a fully remote team in a post-COVID world.
✅ Startups Hiring Mistakes: What founders get wrong about engineering talent and scaling teams.

📌 Timestamps:
00:00 Intro: How AI is Reshaping Engineering
00:30 Meet Ken Kao (VP of Engineering at Rad AI)
00:57 Ken’s Journey: Palantir → Airbnb → Meta → Rad AI
04:18 Management Lessons from the Taiwanese Marines to Silicon Valley05:58 Why AI Will Expose Bad Engineering Managers
07:44 Are Big Tech Engineers Really Better Than Startup Engineers?
11:58 The Key to Building High-Performance Engineering Teams
23:17 Remote vs. Hybrid: What Actually Works?
26:59 Ken Kao’s Most Controversial Opinions on Startups & Tech Leadership
29:52 Closing Thoughts & Where to Find Ken

🎧 Now available on all major podcast platforms!

👀 What do you think? Are startup engineers really faster than Big Tech engineers? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

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