I Quit My $130,000 ML Engineer Job After Learning 4 Lessons

A machine learning engineer explains the decision to leave a $130,000 job at a Big Tech company. The reasons for dissatisfaction included a slow, bureaucratic work pace that stifled rapid iteration and a lack of purpose from contributing to a massive, well-established organization. The extensive use of proprietary internal tooling also limited opportunities to learn transferable skills with industry-standard platforms like AWS. Ultimately, the small scope for making a substantial impact on mature algorithms led to a feeling of stagnation, prompting a move to a high-risk startup for more meaningful and entrepreneurial work.