Ex-React team member breaks down the 'senior engineer death spiral'
generativist · x · 2026-09-20
Sunil Pai (threepointone), formerly of the React team, published an essay on a common failure mode: senior engineers who spiral at new big jobs by over-proving themselves and losing trust. He says he joined his dream job and failed exactly this way within a year. The post, written as advice for a friend starting a major role, resonated widely.
- Written after a friend asked for advice before a big new job
- Author: 'I knew it was common but didn't realise how badly people needed to see it acknowledged'
Related event: React Alum Warns of the Senior Engineer Death Spiral(3 posts)→
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