EVERY COMPANY DRAWS A LINE
Above the Cut: Stay valuable through layoffs and AI, and make 2027 your best year yet
Below the line are the people who get cut when budgets tighten. Above it are the people who get the promotions and the best projects. Working hard won't put you above it by itself. In one live session, you'll learn how to get there before 2027 starts, and how to stay there.
In this live session, you'll
Get credit for 2026
Make it easy for your manager to defend you, and just as easy to push you up during stack ranking and performance review.
Pick your 2027 projects
With AI doing more of the work, the projects you choose matter more than anything else. You'll get a framework that all but guarantees you're working on the most impactful things.
Answer "do more with AI."
AI has put you in an impossible spot: Commit to finding a radical breakthrough nobody's thought of on a timeline, and you've promised something you can't deliver on. Or push back and you look like you're not on board and behind the times. There's a third way that keeps your manager happy and guarantees you come out ahead.
Facilitated by the founder of Top Tier, where over 350+ engineers and scientists compare notes on what their companies are rewarding right now
There are three ways to face what AI is doing to your career.
Door 1: Brace. Doom-scroll on Blind. Refresh the layoff tracker and hope your team isn't next.
Door 2: Grind. Add hours and hope someone notices. It's exhausting, and it doesn't work. It just adds more physical and emotional stress.
Door 3: Do something about it. Uncertainty is here to stay. The best response is to become adaptive and resilient, so you come out ahead, whatever happens next.
This session is about door 3. You’ll leave with:
Clarity on What Gets Rewarded
Every company rewards a short list of outcomes. Most people guess at it, and when they guess wrong they exhaust themselves on work that never shows up in the review. You’ll leave knowing where your current work stands.
A Way to Choose the Right Projects
It comes down to which projects you’re on. You’ll get a framework for scoring opportunities so you know which ones will give you the most visibility.
A Third Answer to the AI Mandate
Every manager got the same memo this year: get your team doing more with AI. Say yes and you’ve promised a productivity jump you can’t deliver. Push back and you look like you’re not on board. There is a third way to answer it, and it’s simpler than either.
A Plan to Be Seen
Doing the right work is necessary but not sufficient. Who knows about your work, and how you present it, decides how it gets rated. You’ll leave with a plan for reaching the people who decide your rating before reviews are written.
Less Effort, More Credit
Hard work and meaningful impact are not correlated. Knowing which work will count saves a ton of effort, in the weeks before year end and in every cycle after.
UPCOMING SESSION
Tuesday, November 17, 2026
05:00 PM
5 PM Pacific / 8 PM Eastern
Live with Q&A
Full replay included
$197
I Spent Eight Years Below the Line. Then I Became One of the People Who Drew It.
Every review cycle, someone decides who's above the line and who's below it. I was on the wrong side of it for most of my career before I was promoted to principal. Then, I spent years in the rooms where it gets drawn, and I learned exactly what puts
people above it.
If this year has you checking the layoff tracker, I get it. I was stuck at senior, keeping my head down through four reorgs and assuming good work would speak for itself.
It doesn't, and that matters more now than ever. The best insurance against layoffs is being a high performer.
Companies cut from the bottom first, and they're paying more for the people they can't afford to lose.
AI makes that harder. The work is changing fast, and what earned a top rating two years ago doesn't cut it now. We built a proven approach for staying at the top while the ground shifts. It's easy to execute. You just need someone to show it to you.
I had help getting there. Every big jump in my career came from help by someone who'd already made it. That's why I built Top Tier, 350+ developers and scientists who tell each other what works, and what doesn't work at their companies right now.
Most people won't think seriously about 2027 until it's half over. By then, likely there will be further disruption. You can anticipate it, be intentional about it, and be prepared before it starts. Reserve your seat for $197.
Steve Huynh and Top Tier by the numbers:
350+
Developers and scientists in the community
20 Years
On the evaluating side of promotions
1,000
Interviews conducted
$300K+
Steve’s annual comp increase at principal
Promoted to staff Engineer
"I got promoted to staff! The guidance, feedback and structure I got from Steve was invaluable. I really learned a lot from everyone and the folks in the mastermind were immensely helpful in my career journey to the next level. I am confident, the path is clear, and with this program, I have the tools I need to up-level."
John B.
Staff Software Engineer
PRINCIPAL ON FIRST ATTEMPT
"Steve helped me get to principal engineer in the shortest possible amount of time... Most of all, he instilled a mental model that I needed to become a technical leader, not just a deep technical expert."
Vinh T.
Principal Engineer
Promoted to Principal Engineer
“Steve's structured approach helped me get promoted months, maybe even a year ahead of time... Steve showed me that if you put in the effort to create an effective plan, you can avoid being stuck at a lower level than you're supposed to be.”
Mitch T.
Principal Engineer
PRINCIPAL ON FIRST ATTEMPT
"Steve was instrumental in me getting promoted to principal engineer on my first attempt, which is rare... Working with him definitely helped me get promoted faster, and I'm sure it will help you too."
Paul M.
Principal Engineer
NAVIGATED CAREER GROWTH
"I really love this program! It has greatly helped me successfully navigate my career and give me great perspective about the tech landscape and how to grow and get promoted."
Daniel C.
Senior Software Engineer
CLARITY & COMMUNITY
"I love having the direction and sanity checks along the way in this community! It's so great to have a room full of others going through a similar experience."
Dylan S.
Staff Software Engineer
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The testimonials and examples used on this site are individual results and may not reflect the typical experience. Your results will vary and depend on many factors, including but not limited to your background, effort, industry, and offer. We do not guarantee any specific financial or business outcomes.