Uploaded October 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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workatastartup.com/events/product-eng

YC says: make something people want.

Becoming an engineer at a YC startup lets you build products and try your hand at making something people want. An interesting role that's often overlooked is a Product Engineer -- a software engineer who codes every day and also cares deeply about what the customer wants.

Join two YC founders for a discussion about what it means to be a product engineer and how you can become the next product engineer at a YC startup:
James Wilsterman - Co-founder & CTO @ Volley (W18)
Kesava Kirupa Dinakaran - Co-founder & CEO @ Luminai (S20)

Sections & questions:
0:50 - Intro to Volley
4:17 - Intro to Luminai
10:39 - What is a Product Engineer?
17:03 - How does the product engineer role change as a startup grows (& finds product market fit)?
22:57 - How can a software engineer transition to a product engineering role?
27:59 - If you think of your best product engineers, what are their skills or superpowers?
30:40 - What is the career path for a product engineer?
40:23 - Favorite story related to product engineering?

Learn more & apply to open roles at Volley & Luminai: workatastartup.com/events/product-eng