Maven

How to Make Big Career Decisions

Uber

a16z

Andrew Chen

General Partner at a16z. Previously early-stage growth at Uber.

I'll share my personal story of how I chose to join Uber and refuse other offers.

Use my structured approach

Envision your future career goals and work back from there.

Make a plan for your "next, next job"

Figure out what you need to do to close your gaps and develop a superpower.

Find your superpower

You'll walk away with more confidence about what you want next and a roadmap for getting there.

Work/life expert and bestselling author

Simone Stolzoff

IDEO Design Lead and bestselling Author of The Good Enough Job

Cohort 10

Cohort 11

Design Thinking is a creative approach to finding clarity amidst ambiguity. In this course, you'll be guided through how to apply Design Thinking to your own career exploration.The course itself is broken down into four sessions: Ground, Diverge, Converge, and Plan which will help you articulate your values, explore the career possibilities available to you, design experiments to figure out what you want, and plan your short, medium, and long-term next steps.Instead of spinning your wheels about what's next for your career, you'll follow a step-by-step process to determine what you value and plan your next move.

Clarify what you want with the help of Design Thinking

A step-by-step framework for intentional career design

Tips for navigating job searches and career transitions

Research-backed tools becoming more fulfilled and resilient 

Curious explorers who are ready for a change in their life but aren't clear on exactly what they're looking for

Overworked professionals who move a mile-a-minute but don't have the space to take a step back and reflect

Passionate generalists who feel pulled in multiple directions but aren't sure which path they want to choose

When "successful on paper" stops feeling like enough.

Senior SWE @ MSFT & Licensed Therapist

Microsoft

Qualtrics

Univesity College London

Rachel Slater

Senior Software Engineer @ Microsoft | Licensed Therapist

AI Advisor, Leadership Coach, ex-MSFT

Techstars

Air France

Siemens

Co-Active Training Institute

Oumaima Talouka

AI Advisor & Leadership Coach | Director @ The AI Collective | Ex-Microsoft

Cohort 1

Cohort 2

You know the feeling. You've built solid experience and delivered results, yet something's off.The imposter voice keeps you playing small (louder than ever as AI reshapes what “valuable” means). Burnout drains your energy. The quiet plateau begins to feel less like stability, more like drift.You're not broken. You're navigating a market that shifted under your feet. Whether you're in transition, pushing for promotion, or tired of feeling stuck amid layoffs &amp; change, the old advice falls flat.That's why this 4-hour Career Lab exists. No fluffy motivation: a hands-on space for 2026 realities. We dig into what's holding you back, clear the noise &amp; fears, and help you see new possibilities.You'll audit what drains you vs. what lights you up, uncover your unfair advantage, craft an authentic narrative that opens doors, &amp; design experiments you can start tomorrow.By the end, the fog lifts. You leave with a concrete unstuck plan &amp; the edge that makes you stand out.Corporate professionals love the real traction. Those in transition love that it's honest &amp; doable when the market feels brutal.Spots are limited. If you're ready to stop spinning &amp; start moving forward, this is your entry point.

You've got the "perfect on paper" 9-5 job. But you're restless, stuck, and quietly done playing a role you've outgrown.

You're navigating a layoff, a career gap, or a pivot, and you're done waiting for clarity to magically arrive.

You've watched AI reshape the world of work. You're ready to get clear, get strategic, and take control of your next career move.

Strengthen inner confidence, inspire others, and sharpen leadership skills through hands-on exercises and real-world tools

Leadership Coach 

Ha Tran

Founder, Ex-Google, Chief of Staff, U.S Department of State Professional fellow

Cohort 3

In high-stakes moments, three things show up at once: 1. what you know is true2. what it might cost3. what you think you should do Most people try to resolve this by thinking harder or speaking better.It does not work. Because the problem is not clarity. The problem is authority. When no one is clearly leading, you: - hesitate even when you know the answer- over-explain to justify your position- say something, then walk it back- leave conversations feeling misaligned This is not a confidence issue. It is a governance issue. What changes after this workshop- You speak without over-explaining or softening your position- You make decisions faster without needing full certainty- You stop negotiating against yourself in real time- You handle pushback without collapsing or escalating- You stay aligned with your decision after the conversation ends This workshop is for you if: - You know what you want to say, but change it in the moment- You make decisions, then second-guess them after- You feel tension between what is true and what is acceptable- You are seen as capable, but do not feel fully in control under pressureMaximum 20 people/workshop to keep it intimate and practical.

You are not confused. You are running multiple leaders.

Make decisions under pressure without internal conflict

Senior leaders and managers looking to lead with conviction and assurance.

High-performing professionals who want to build stronger, more confident leadership skills.

Emerging leaders who seek to develop self-assurance, overcome self-doubt, and project confidence in high-stakes situations.

You'll learn to make consequential calls with confidence, understanding your own strength, using a practical methodology

4xCEO, ex-global COO, Strategic Advisor

Judit Petho

4xCEO, ex-global COO, Strategic Advisor (SMEs, startups, PE-backed)

You've been in the room when a decision stalled for weeks — because no one wanted to own it.You've also seen the opposite: a leader moves fast with total confidence, and gets it badly wrong in ways that took years to unwind.Both are decision failures, and both are far more common than anyone admits.AI is only making it harder, with more ability to analyse, which doesn't guarantee better judgment.What separates the leaders who consistently make sound calls — under pressure, with incomplete information, in high-stakes conditions — isn't intelligence or experience alone. It's a set of specific mental habits and structural practices that most leaders have never been taught explicitly.This is not a theoretical framework, nor a confidence-building seminar or a mindfulness approach to difficult decisions.It is a practical, rigorous programme built from decades of real executive experience — tested across multiple CEO roles, a Global COO position spanning international markets, and refined through advisory work with senior leaders and boards navigating the decisions that actually keep them up at night.Guest speakers: an AI scientist/founder, and a MedTech CEO

Make consequential calls with confidence - in the age of AI

Clarity on your own default failure mode

Dealing with trade-offs 

Apply my decision framework 

When to trust your instinct 

How to keep getting better at making tough decisions

How the best teams make decisions

CEOs, COOs, CFOs, MDs and board-level leaders who make high-stakes decisions regularly — and want to make them better.

Leaders who report directly to the C-suite and contribute to high-stakes decisions regularly — and want to understand them better.

Agentic AI

Coding with AI

AI Workflows

Claude Code

OpenClaw

Vibe Coding

AI Evals

AI Transformation

RAG & Search

AI for PMs

AI for Engineers

AI for Designers

AI for Marketers

AI for Founders

Product Sense

Product Discovery

User Research

Prototyping

Growth

Analytics

Tech Foundations

Strategy

Influence

Leadership

Career Growth

Machine Learning

LLM Ops

Context Eng

Security

System Design

Figma

Design Systems

Visual Design

Design Strategy

Automation

Content Marketing

Demand Gen

Go-to-Market

Product Marketing

Positioning

Social Media

Brand

B2B Marketing

SEO & AEO

AI for Leaders

AI Governance

Communication

Management

People Operations

Exec Presence

Storytelling

Goal-setting

Personal Brand

Fundraising

Everyone

Operators

Data Scientists

Business Analysts

User Researchers

Customer Success

Project Managers

HR Professionals

Sales People

Lawyers

Finance

Investors

Real Estate

Educators

Creators

Introduction: Andrew Chen on Career Strategy

The Flaw in Tactical Career Decisions

A Personal Story: Choosing Between Dropbox and Uber

The 'Next, Next Job' Framework Explained

Identifying and Bridging Your Career Gaps

Applying the Framework: The Decision to Join Uber

Q&A: Balancing Skills for Today vs. the Future

Q&A: Job Searching in a Difficult Market

Q&A: Advice for Aspiring Founders

Q&A: Common Pitfalls in Career Decisions

Q&A: Personal Dealbreakers and Non-Negotiables

Executives and senior leaders who set strategy, lead teams, and drive organizational outcomes.

Broad professional audience — content relevant across many roles and functions.

Getting promoted, navigating job transitions, and advancing to the next level in your career.

Developing leadership skills — inspiring teams, building culture, navigating organizational complexity, and driving results through others.

How to Make Big Career Decisions

What you'll learn

Why this topic matters

You'll learn from

Andrew Chen