Stripe new grad's AI-era guide: master a niche or be the model's 'meat proxy'
emilygsands · x · 2026-10-21
Stripe engineer Vikram Singh published "Increase your slope", a new grad guide endorsed by Emily Sands for anyone working with AI. Core thesis: in the AI era, become an expert in something small or risk being "a meat proxy for the model".
Key points:
- Carve out a narrow expertise: you can't out-know GPT-6 broadly, but you can become your team's point person in one area, then expand.
- Take ownership of problems around you rather than waiting for assignments.
- Get comfortable having opinions early.
- The whiteboard defense: can you explain and defend what you shipped? If not, you're a meat proxy.
Based on the author's 1.5 years at Stripe plus interviews with fellow former new grads.
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