The Path to Senior Engineering Leadership

There’s no single roadmap to becoming a senior engineer -- but there are patterns, pitfalls, and possibilities worth exploring. This track highlights the many different ways experienced engineers grow into high-impact technical leaders -- whether by scaling startups, thriving as a solopreneur, climbing the ladder at FAANG companies, building careers through open source/standards, or steadily rising within smaller organizations. Our speakers bring radically different journeys to the table, but share a common thread: each has carved out a sustainable and influential role largely as an individual contributor. Through their stories, we’ll unpack the skills, strategies, and self-awareness it takes to grow into senior technical leadership, however you choose to make that journey.


From this track

Session

Lead Without a Ladder: How I Climbed Into Engineering Leadership

Tuesday Nov 18 / 10:35AM PST

Climbing into senior engineering leadership isn’t always a matter of following fixed rungs—it can be more like scaling a rugged, ever-shifting mountain. You know there might be a path somewhere on the south face but for some reason the North face has more appeal.

Speaker image - Pauline Jepp

Pauline Jepp

Head of Engineering @TicketSwap

Session

Beyond Coding: How Senior ICs Grow Influence and Drive Impact

Tuesday Nov 18 / 11:45AM PST

Many engineers reach a point where technical excellence alone isn’t enough to drive meaningful impact or advance their careers. Senior individual contributors must learn to influence without authority, build trust across teams, and navigate challenges like imposter syndrome to truly lead.

Speaker image - Kasia Trapszo

Kasia Trapszo

Principal Engineer @Netflix, Leading Architecture for the Commerce Platform

Session

A Solopreneur's Journey: From Engineer to Puzzle Master and Storyteller

Tuesday Nov 18 / 01:35PM PST

Solopreneur & Sustainable Business don't often go together, but that's what can happen when you create something "Good Enough" and hang around "Long Enough". Joe, a true Unicorn in the volatile games business, has survived for 16+ years by creating 19 games in his Clutter Franchise.

Speaker image - Joe Cassavaugh

Joe Cassavaugh

Creator of Clutter, Game Developer/Solopreneur - Previously @iWin, @WorldPlay

Session

Unconference: The Path to Senior Engineering Leadership

Tuesday Nov 18 / 02:45PM PST

Session

The Multiplier Effect: Transforming Technical Talent Through Strategic Soft Skills Development

Tuesday Nov 18 / 03:55PM PST

While technical competency remains foundational, senior engineering leaders recognize that sustainable competitive advantage stems from organizational capabilities that transcend code quality.

Speaker image - Arun Gupta

Arun Gupta

25+ Years Experience Across Companies Like @Intel, @Apple, @Amazon, and @Red Hat, Chaired the CNCF and OpenSSF Governing Boards, Organizer at the UN’s Tech Over Hackathon

Session

Turning Outward: Growing From Code to Influence

Tuesday Nov 18 / 05:05PM PST

As individual contributors we sharpen our technical chops striving to improve our code and craft.  But you may become aware you can do more, and could help others and the team. The path to make that shift isn’t always clear.

Speaker image - Brad Grantham

Brad Grantham

Software Architect and Team Lead @LunarG - Responsible for Cross-Platform, GPU-Independent Graphics API Capture and Replay Technologies

Track Host

Kaye Mason

Software Engineer @Meta, Previously @Google and @EA, 20+ Years in Real-Time Rendering, Spatial Computing, and Developer Platforms

Kaye Mason is a veteran graphics engineer, recovering game dev, and insatiable science nerd who works at the intersection of graphics, AI, and HCI. With over two decades of experience in real-time rendering, spatial computing, and developer platforms, she’s passionate about empowering artists and crafting great user experiences. Kaye shipped a dozen titles at EA--from Return of the King to The Sims 4 -- before moving to Google, where she worked on Google Earth Mobile, Daydream, and led Stadia’s graphics platform team. Along the way, she served as the spec editor for the first release of the OpenXR standard and now helps shape the future of XR at Meta.

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