A little over a year ago, I reached out to my mentor and former professor, Tim, for advice. I was stepping into a fast-paced software environment, navigating a career transition, and trying to find my footing.
During that call, Tim shared a simple piece of guidance that stuck with me: Always bring more social capital into every interaction than you expect to receive in return.
It sounds straightforward, but putting it into daily practice requires intentional effort. Over the past twelve months, I took that advice to heart. I focused on working harder than I ever had, stepping up whenever a teammate needed help, and staying patient when things didn’t immediately go my way.
Looking back now as I pass my one-year mark at Cerebras, I’m amazed at how profoundly that mindset shift changed my trajectory.
What Giving First Looked Like in Practice
Instead of sticking strictly to my own task list, I looked for high-leverage friction points across the organization where I could add value:
- Lowering hiring friction: I worked with our recruiting team to overhaul and integrate AI programming assessments directly into our software engineering interview process.
- Internal AI transformation: I spearheaded initiatives across engineering and business units to streamline our workflows using fast LLMs and internal tooling.
- Cross-functional ownership: I jumped across team boundaries to write and ship production code wherever projects were stalling or needing an extra hand.
The results followed naturally. Within just seven months, I was trusted with significantly broader technical ownership and leadership across major projects, opening up exciting long-term growth opportunities within the engineering team.
60-Hour Weeks and Trail Miles
I won’t pretend it was easy. The environment here is filled with incredible, ridiculously smart people pushing the boundaries of fast AI inference. To keep pace and drive impact, I ended up working 60-hour weeks—often spending Saturdays and Sundays in front of my monitor. Honestly, I haven’t worked this intensely since my PhD. Throughout my entire first year, I took only four days off.
When you work at that intensity, you need a pressure-release valve to keep your mind sharp and your life sustainable. For me, that’s always been running.
Because my schedule leaves almost zero buffer time for sports like Pickleball, trail running became my primary solitude. It’s flexible: you lace up your shoes, step out the door into the Pacific Northwest, and run.
According to Strava, I logged 1,661 miles (over 2,500 kilometers) across the PNW trails over the last 12 months. Every mile was a necessary mental reset.
First Year at Cerebras: By the Numbers
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• Workweeks: 60 hours
• Days Off Taken: 4 days
• PNW Trail Miles: 1,661 miles (2,500+ km)
• Milestone Hit: 1-Year Anniversary
The Real Return on Investment
While celebrating my one-year mark and reflecting on the technical milestones achieved feels fantastic, the professional gains aren’t the primary reward.
The true compound interest of investing social capital came in the form of community:
- Deep Friendships: The people I work alongside have become some of my closest friends. Outside the office, we hike, play board games, share meals, travel together, and occasionally fit in a game of Pickleball.
- Mutual Trust: By showing up for others first, trust was established effortlessly, making complex, cross-team engineering efforts run infinitely smoother.
- Clarity of Purpose: Whenever I feel uncertain about what step to take next, I return to Tim’s rule: Find where people are struggling, and go help.
Taking a chance on a high-intensity role at Cerebras truly transformed my life. If you ever feel stuck or unsure of your next move, try turning your focus outward. Focus on building social capital, doing unprompted good work for others, and letting the long-term results take care of themselves.