How to Survive and Thrive in a BigCo
Submitted to J-Spring 2026 (Utrecht) on . Accepted. Given .
This talk was given. See the talk page for slides, the recording, and (usually) a transcript.
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- Technical Session
- Track
- Culture
Abstract, as submitted
If you work at a small, cool company, you can skip this talk. The rest of us in large, slow moving companies that rely on meetings, email, and inbox 2,000 to get the daily work done need some therapy and advice for thriving in big, "dumb" companies. I've worked in such companies and figured out how to thrive in the "back to back meetings" world we're taught to avoid. I'll tell you my tactics: avoiding work by assigning work, the power of boring corporate PowerPoints, champions and mentors, and how to innovate in a BigCo.
This is the text that went into the CFP form, kept as submitted - not a later rewrite of it. Talks get retitled and reworked between submission and stage, so what was actually delivered may differ.