Imagine a world where the absolute best software engineers – the ones shaping the future of technology and commanding astronomical salaries – are virtually invisible online. Sounds counterintuitive, right? A former Meta "coding machine" is blowing the lid off a Silicon Valley secret: the most sought-after engineers aren't hustling on LinkedIn. But here's where it gets controversial... this isn't a strategy for everyone.
Michael Novati, who spent nearly eight years at Meta (back when it was Facebook and before its all-in bet on AI), rose to the rank of principal software engineer. He recently shared some eye-opening insights on the "A Life Engineered" podcast. When asked point-blank if the top 5% of engineers are on LinkedIn, Novati didn't hesitate: they aren't.
His reasoning? These aren't your average coders passively waiting for job offers. "When I was at Facebook, the top engineers were like, 'If you had a LinkedIn account, people would be wondering if you're job hunting,'" Novati explained. And this is the part most people miss... their skills are so in-demand that they don't need to actively search for opportunities.
Novati described a hidden network, a sophisticated recruiting machine operating behind the scenes. He calls it the "secrets of the industry." Top-tier tech companies employ highly specialized recruiters who cultivate long-term relationships with elite engineers. Think of it as an exclusive club where connections are more valuable than meticulously crafted LinkedIn profiles.
So, how do these connections form? Novati painted a picture: an engineer dedicating a week to campus recruiting at a prestigious university like Stanford. During that time, they forge a strong bond with the company's recruiter. These interactions, he says, are part of the "secret backroom dealings of Silicon Valley."
"These engineers' names are nowhere, but they are the ones that are the most desirable by these recruiters," Novati emphasized. "The $100 million engineer is not on LinkedIn with a tagline that's like, #100millionengineer." He's suggesting that true expertise speaks for itself, attracting opportunities through reputation and word-of-mouth, not self-promotion.
The reality is that tech recruiting is a massive, multi-billion dollar industry. Big Tech companies invest heavily in both internal and external recruiters to stay ahead of the curve and secure the best talent. The competition is especially fierce in cutting-edge fields like AI, where companies like Meta have reportedly shelled out huge sums to poach engineers from rivals for initiatives like their Superintelligence Labs. We even heard rumors of CEOs, like Mark Zuckerberg, personally getting involved, even hand-delivering soup to potential recruits!
But being completely offline isn't a magic bullet. Novati himself stressed that this applies to a very specific subset of engineers. "It doesn't mean that your strategy should be: delete LinkedIn and all the offers will come," he cautioned. It's a rarefied world, reserved for those who shun personal branding and operate on a different playing field altogether.
"I don't know any of those top engineers, who get special equity grants and special dinners with Bezos or whatever stuff like that, who have big personal brands," Novati concluded. They're the quiet geniuses, the ones who let their work speak volumes.
Now, here's where things get interesting... Does this mean LinkedIn is irrelevant for most engineers? Absolutely not! For the vast majority of tech professionals, LinkedIn remains a crucial tool for networking, job searching, and building a professional presence. But Novati's comments raise a fascinating question: Is there a point where actively promoting yourself online becomes less effective, even detrimental, to your career? Could focusing solely on honing your craft and building genuine relationships be a more powerful long-term strategy for achieving elite status? What are your thoughts? Share your opinions in the comments below!
