review.firstround.com · 2023-12-04
· 912d
Engineering Manager Transition: Why New Managers Fail and How to Fix It
Marcel Weekes, VP of Engineering at Figma, explores why approximately 50% of engineers transitioning to management roles fail and leave the position. He outlines a playbook for identifying suitable manager candidates based on motivations rather than technical excellence, and addresses common pitfalls in the IC-to-manager transition including misaligned selection criteria and managers remaining stuck in individual contributor work.
Metrics in this report
Engineering Manager Transition Failure Rate
50%
estimated
newly-promoted engineers leaving management roles
Top Engineering Manager Technical Percentile Ranking
not top 1%percentile
self-reported
world-class engineering managers as engineers