Episode 517: Is it good for my career to work at a SaaS company and why am I being asked to manage two teams?

Working for companies where software serves as the primary revenue-generating product provides greater job security and career leverage than roles focused on internal tooling, which are frequently treated as cost centers vulnerable to budget cuts. When organizations demand that engineering managers oversee multiple teams without offering promotion paths or salary increases, managers must proactively negotiate trade-offs. Rather than attempting to maintain previous output levels, they should identify lower-leverage tasks to deprioritize or delegate to ensure sustainable performance. This shift reflects a broader industry trend toward flatter hierarchies and lean operations, where management roles are increasingly expected to handle expanded scope. Navigating these transitions requires clear communication regarding capacity limits and a focus on protecting the most critical business outcomes to maintain team effectiveness during organizational restructuring.