In today’s fast-moving tech industry, stories of young engineers making bold career choices are both inspiring and eye-opening. One such story is that of Manoj Tumu, a 23-year-old Indian-American machine learning engineer who surprised many by leaving his ₹3.36 crore per year job at Amazon to pursue a new opportunity at Meta (Facebook’s parent company).
From Amazon to Meta – A Bold Move
Manoj’s career journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. Despite landing a highly lucrative role at Amazon, he chose to move on within just nine months. His decision wasn’t about chasing money alone—though his new role at Meta reportedly offers compensation over $400,000—but about working on cutting-edge artificial intelligence research.
At Meta, Manoj now contributes to the advertising research team, where he blends machine learning research with real-world implementation to help keep Meta ahead in the AI race.
Manoj’s Key Career Lessons
1. Experience Over Projects
According to Manoj, professional experience speaks louder than academic or personal projects. While projects may look good early in a career, once you gain real industry exposure, companies value your work experience far more. By the time he applied to Amazon and Meta, Manoj had completely removed project details from his résumé to highlight his job experience.
2. No Need for Referrals
Manoj’s journey proves that you don’t always need internal referrals to break into big tech. He applied directly through platforms like LinkedIn and company career sites, showing that a strong résumé and relevant experience can carry enough weight.
3. Prepare for Behavioral Interviews
Technical preparation is important, but Manoj emphasizes that behavioral interviews are often underestimated. For Amazon, he aligned his answers with their leadership principles. For Meta, he tailored them to the company’s cultural values. This made his responses stand out and match what recruiters were looking for.
4. Rigorous Hiring Process
Meta’s recruitment journey took nearly six weeks. It included a screening call, multiple rounds of coding, machine learning challenges, and behavioral interviews. Manoj highlights that candidates should be prepared for a long and demanding process when aiming for top tech firms.
5. Follow Passion, Not Just Paychecks
Earlier in his career, Manoj was offered a high-paying software engineering role. Instead, he chose a lower-paying ML role because of his deep interest in artificial intelligence. That decision, driven by passion rather than money, eventually opened the doors to bigger opportunities like Amazon and Meta.
Educational and Career Highlights
- Manoj completed his undergraduate degree in just one year, leveraging credits earned during high school.
- While pursuing a Master’s degree in AI, he simultaneously worked full-time as an engineer.
- He joined Amazon after his postgraduation but quickly realized his true calling lay in AI research, leading him to transition to Meta within nine months.
Why Manoj’s Story Matters
- For Students: It’s a reminder that building solid real-world experience is more valuable than just stacking academic projects.
- For Job Seekers: Applying directly and tailoring résumés for relevance can work, even without referrals.
- For Professionals: Passion-driven career moves can lead to long-term rewards, even if it means short-term sacrifices.
Final Thoughts
Manoj’s journey from Amazon to Meta shows that success in today’s tech world is not just about the biggest paycheck, but about making strategic career decisions that align with personal passion and future growth. At only 23, he has already set an example for young engineers worldwide—proving that with the right mindset, experience, preparation, and courage, the sky is the limit.
