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Clarity

Ayan Sarkar

Hyderabad, India

I help CTOs, VPs, Directors, and senior engineers
make better decisions — on careers, leadership
transitions, hiring, and org design.

22 years in engineering leadership. 11 years at
Amazon. Senior Director of Engineering (AI/ML &
PaaS) at DigitalOcean. 2,300+ interviews conducted
across both companies.

Author: The Thinking Engineer (2026)

I work on the problems that don't have obvious
answers — the decision you're sitting on, the
career move that feels unclear, the leadership
challenge no one around you has navigated before.

I give you frameworks, not pep talks. Direct,
precise, and worth every minute.

Areas I advise on:
→ Engineering leadership & career transitions
→ IC → Manager, Manager → Director, Director → VP
→ Senior/Staff/Principal interview prep
→ Hiring calibration & interview design
→ Org design & team scaling
→ AI/ML team building

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayansark/

$2.50/min

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Avg. call

Startup Consulting Executive Coaching Hiring Leadership Software Engineering Engineering Management Organizational Development Career Development Amazon Interview Preparation

Call me to talk about

Startup Engineering: Building Your First Technical Team

Hiring your first engineers is one of the highest-
leverage decisions a founder makes — and one of
the easiest to get wrong.

I've hired and assessed 2,300+ engineers across
Amazon and DigitalOcean. I know what a strong
early-stage engineering hire looks like, what
interview processes work at scale vs. what works
at 5 people, and how to set a hiring bar you won't
regret later.

In this call we can cover: what to look for in
your first 3–5 engineers, how to structure your
interview process, how to evaluate candidates
without a technical co-founder, or how to think
about IC vs. management hires early.

Best for: Non-technical or technical founders
building their first engineering team.

Engineering Leadership & Career Transitions

You're a senior engineer or engineering leader at
an inflection point — a promotion decision, a role
change, a new scope you're not sure you're ready
for, or a transition from IC to management you're
still calibrating.

I've led engineering organizations at Amazon (11
years) and DigitalOcean (Sr Director, AI/ML & PaaS)
and have conducted 2,300+ interviews across both.
I've seen this transition from both sides — as the
person making it and as the leader hiring for it.

In this call, we work through your specific
situation: the decision you're sitting on, the
feedback you can't decode, or the move you need
to make but haven't yet.

You'll leave with a clear framework and a concrete
next step — not a pep talk.

Best for: Senior ICs, EMs, Directors, VPs navigating
transitions or leadership challenges.

CTO & VP Advisory: Org Design, Hiring & Strategy

You're a CTO, VP of Engineering, or technical
founder dealing with the hard problems that don't
have textbook answers: how to structure your org
as you scale, how to calibrate your hiring bar,
how to navigate a difficult leadership situation,
or how to think through a major platform decision.

I bring 22 years of engineering leadership —
including building and scaling AI/ML and PaaS
engineering organizations — and a systems thinking
approach to every conversation.

This isn't coaching. It's a peer-level advisory
conversation with someone who's been in the chair
and has the pattern recognition to help you move
faster and with more confidence.

Best for: CTOs, VPs of Engineering, technical
founders at seed through Series B+.

Interview Prep: Amazon, FAANG & Senior Roles

I've sat on the other side of the table for 2,300+
interviews at Amazon and DigitalOcean. I know
exactly what interviewers are looking for — and
more importantly, what kills otherwise strong
candidates.

This call is for senior engineers and leaders
preparing for Staff, Principal, EM, Director, or
VP-level interviews at Amazon, FAANG, or
high-growth companies.

We focus on signal — how you communicate your
thinking, how you structure ambiguous problems,
how you demonstrate leadership principles without
sounding rehearsed.

Come with your target role, your biggest concern,
and your resume. We'll work through what matters
most in the time we have.

Best for: L5–L7 engineers, EMs, and leaders
targeting FAANG or senior tech roles.

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Member since April 2026