Truth behind CRORE package | Harkirat Singh salary revealed

Summary

In this podcast, Harkirat Singh discusses his impressive earnings in 2023, nearing 5 crores, with a breakdown including cash, equity, and NFTs. He shares his career journey starting from IIT to working in top companies and offers insights into the current job market, emphasizing the importance of specialized skills like React. Singh also talks about the challenges and benefits of remote jobs, the impact of AI on the industry, and the significance of open-source contributions. He provides advice for freshers, suggesting that despite market disruptions, high-paying jobs are still attainable, especially in startups and remote roles. Additionally, he touches on his hobbies, including filmmaking and music, and his investment strategies, primarily in crypto and real estate.

Takeaways

• 😀 Harkirat Singh, the guest, earned close to 5 crores in 2023, with a breakdown including cash, equity, and NFTs.
• 🎓 He started his career with a campus placement after graduating from IIT and had early experiences with internships like GSOC and Amazon.
• 💼 The current job market is disrupted, and Harkirat suggests that having specialized skills, like expertise in React, can command higher salaries.
• 🌐 Remote jobs are harder to get and require more effort and skills, but they offer the advantage of working from India without the need for relocation.
• 💡 Open source contributions are beneficial for showcasing one's abilities and can lead to job opportunities, but quality contributions matter more than quantity.
• 🤖 AI and automation tools like GitHub Copilot are enhancing developer productivity but are not yet replacing jobs; they are changing the nature of work.
• 💭 For freshers, Harkirat recommends building projects aggressively, maintaining good coding practices, and having strong communication skills to stand out in the job market.
• 🏆 Harkirat's investment strategy involves diversification with 50% in crypto, 30% in NFTs, 10% in cash or fixed deposits, and the rest in gold and commodities.
• 🎧 Outside of work, Harkirat enjoys filmmaking, listening to Punjabi music, and has a passion for teaching, especially with a focus on first principle thinking.
• 🏋️‍♂️ He also engages in sports like table tennis and basketball for leisure.

Q & A

What was Harkirat's approximate earnings in 2023?

Harkirat's earnings in 2023 were close to 5 crores, which included a pure cash component of 1.6 crores, equity worth around 200K USD, and NFTs valued at approximately 3.54 crores.

How did Harkirat's journey start after graduating from IIT?

After graduating from IIT, Harkirat got a campus placement. He also did internships, including one at Amazon during college, and participated in GSOC which gave him his first income.

What is Harkirat's perspective on the current job market for freshers?

Harkirat believes that despite the disrupted job market, it's still possible for freshers to earn well, especially if they are good at specific skills like React or if they are open to exploring full-stack roles in startups.

What are the challenges and requirements for getting a remote job, according to Harkirat?

Remote jobs are harder to crack and require more effort and skill from the candidate. They involve a broader set of factors and the competition is not limited to a specific region like India.

How does Harkirat view the benefits of open source contributions?

Open source contributions can demonstrate a candidate's ability to actually perform tasks and can be a differentiator in the job market. However, he warns against spamming contributions for the sake of having a green profile on GitHub.

What is Harkirat's advice for college students looking to get into remote jobs?

Harkirat suggests that students should be inherently motivated to build projects, maintain good coding practices, have strong communication skills, and be open to different time zones. He also recommends using Twitter as a platform to connect with potential employers.

What are Harkirat's thoughts on the impact of AI on the industry and job security?

Harkirat believes that AI and tools like GitHub Copilot are increasing productivity but does not necessarily lead to job loss. He draws a parallel with the introduction of IDEs, which made work easier but did not decrease the number of jobs.

How does Harkirat feel about the current state of AI tools in coding?

Harkirat thinks that while AI tools like Devin AI are fancy and can be helpful, they are not yet adaptable on day zero and are not a replacement for a developer's skills and context understanding.

What hobbies does Harkirat have outside of his professional life?

Harkirat enjoys filmmaking, listening to Punjabi songs, teaching (with a focus on first principle thinking), playing table tennis, and occasionally basketball.

How does Harkirat invest his earnings?

Harkirat invests his earnings with 50% in crypto, 30% in real estate, 10% in cash or fixed deposits, and 5% each in gold and commodities.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Introduction and Earnings Discussion

The podcast begins with a light-hearted conversation about conducting the session in Hindi, followed by an inquiry into Harkirat's earnings in 2023, which are revealed to be close to 5 crores. The breakdown includes 1.6 crores in cash and 200K USD, with the remainder being equity and NFTs. The discussion then shifts to the job market, the value of specialization, and the challenges and benefits of remote work. Harkirat also shares his views on open source contributions and the rarity of DSA questions in interviews outside India.

05:04

💼 Career Journey and Market Insights

Harkirat recounts his career trajectory starting from IIT, through internships like GSOC and Amazon, to placements at Goldman Sachs and subsequent freelance and full-time roles. He discusses the evolution of the job market, emphasizing the importance of skill specialization and how it can command higher salaries. The conversation explores the current opportunities for freshers, especially in startups and remote jobs, and the increased difficulty of securing remote positions due to higher competition and skill requirements.

10:05

🌐 Remote Work and Open Source Contributions

The discussion delves into the intricacies of remote work, highlighting the need for exceptional skills and the potential to work with smart teams in growing companies. Harkirat stresses the value of open source contributions, not just for improving one's skills but also for demonstrating practical ability to potential employers. He warns against superficial contributions for the sake of a green profile on GitHub and suggests that understanding code from open source projects can be beneficial.

15:06

🤖 AI and Its Impact on the Industry

Harkirat and the host discuss the impact of AI on the industry, particularly in software engineering. They compare the current AI tools like Devin AI and GitHub Copilot, with Harkirat suggesting that while AI can increase productivity, it's not yet at a stage where it replaces the need for skilled engineers. They ponder the future of AI in the workplace, including the potential for job displacement and the ongoing importance of coding skills.

20:07

🎥 Hobbies, Investment Strategies, and Final Thoughts

Harkirat shares his hobbies, which include filmmaking and a passion for Punjabi music. He also talks about his teaching style, emphasizing first principle thinking over bookish knowledge. The conversation wraps up with insights into his investment strategies, which include a significant portion in crypto and NFTs, real estate, and a small portion in gold and commodities. He encourages investing as a way to grow wealth and reflects on his journey and the advice he would give to college students navigating the current job market.

Keywords

💡IIT

The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are a group of autonomous public technical and research universities in India, recognized for their rigorous academic standards and high-quality education in engineering and technology. In the script, the mention of graduating from IIT signifies a strong educational background, which is a stepping stone for the guest's successful career start, including a lucrative campus placement.

💡Job Market

The job market refers to the arena where employers and potential employees interact to fill job vacancies. The script discusses the disruption in the job market, indicating challenges and changes in the dynamics of employment due to economic conditions and technological advancements. It suggests that the current job market is more competitive and requires specialized skills.

💡React

React is a popular JavaScript library used for building user interfaces, particularly for single-page applications. It allows for the creation of reusable UI components. In the context of the video, being good at React is highlighted as a valuable skill that can command higher salaries, reflecting the demand for specialized front-end development skills in the tech industry.

💡Full Stack

A full stack developer is a software professional with a broad skill set that allows them to work on both front-end and back-end software development. The script suggests that being a full stack developer is an advantageous career path, as it opens up more opportunities in startups and the tech industry, which value the versatility to handle various aspects of application development.

💡Remote Job

A remote job is a position where employees work from a remote location, typically their home, using technology to communicate with team members and complete tasks. The script highlights the increasing prevalence and desirability of remote jobs, noting that they require a higher level of skill and can be more challenging to secure, but offer flexibility and the potential to work with international teams.

💡Open Source Contributions

Open source contributions refer to the practice of participating in the development of open source software by adding new features, fixing bugs, or improving documentation. The script emphasizes the benefits of such contributions, suggesting that they demonstrate practical skills and a commitment to the tech community, which can be advantageous when seeking employment in the industry.

💡DSA (Data Structures and Algorithms)

Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) are fundamental concepts in computer science that provide the building blocks for efficient programming and problem-solving. The script discusses the varying importance of DSA knowledge based on the location of job applications, with more emphasis for roles in India and less in some international markets, indicating the different technical expectations in diverse job environments.

💡Recession

A recession is a period of negative economic growth that lasts for at least two consecutive quarters, typically characterized by a decline in GDP, high unemployment, and reduced industrial production. The script mentions the impact of recession on the industry, suggesting that economic downturns can lead to a tighter job market and affect the hiring practices and salary packages offered by companies.

💡Equity

In the context of employment, equity refers to shares or stock options given to employees, often as part of their compensation package. The script discusses the different components of the guest's earnings, including equity, which signifies a stake in the company's future performance. It highlights the potential for high returns but also the risk and illiquidity associated with startup equity.

💡NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens)

NFTs are unique digital assets that represent ownership of a specific item or piece of content, such as artwork or collectibles, on a blockchain. The script describes NFTs as a volatile financial instrument that the guest has invested in, reflecting the emerging trends and opportunities in digital assets and their role in the modern economy.

💡AI (Artificial Intelligence)

Artificial Intelligence refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. The script touches on AI's impact on the industry, suggesting a debate on whether AI advancements will lead to job displacement or increased productivity, reflecting ongoing discussions about the future of work in the tech sector.

Highlights

Harkirat earned close to 5 crores in 2023 with a breakdown of 1.6 crores in cash, 200K USD in equity, and significant worth in NFTs.

Harkirat's experience with NFTs showed high volatility, with his holdings increasing in value from 1200 USD to 30,000 USD per NFT.

Harkirat's journey started with an IIT campus placement at Goldman Sachs, followed by freelancing and then joining a company with a lucrative equity package.

The podcast discusses the current job market disruption and the importance of having specialized skills like React to command higher salaries.

For freshers, the advice is to focus on full-stack development and consider startups for potential high-paying roles.

Remote jobs are considered more challenging to secure, requiring a higher level of skill and effort from the candidate.

Open source contributions are beneficial for demonstrating practical skills and problem-solving abilities to potential employers.

The podcast touches on the impact of AI on the industry, suggesting that while AI tools like IDEs have made work easier, they haven't reduced job numbers.

Harkirat shares his strategy for dealing with a tough job market, including creating products similar to those made by companies and approaching them.

DSA (Data Structures and Algorithms) is considered important for job applicants in India, but less so for those applying outside India.

Harkirat's hobbies include filmmaking, listening to Punjabi songs, and playing table tennis and basketball.

Investment strategies discussed include a significant portion in crypto and NFTs, real estate, cash, and a small percentage in gold and commodities.

The podcast provides insights into the benefits of participating in Web3 and AI hackathons for college students, with potential earnings of thousands of dollars.

Harkirat emphasizes the importance of not ignoring DSA skills, even when applying for jobs outside India, due to the unpredictable nature of interviews.

The discussion highlights the value of having a strong network and the shift in priorities from money to work-life balance as one progresses in their career.

Harkirat shares his passion for teaching, particularly in the application of first principle thinking, despite the energy drain from long teaching hours.

Transcripts

Harkirat, we will keep this podcast in Hindi

Is it fine?

My Hindi is weak.... No am just kidding

I know Hindi

So the first question is

How much did you earn in 2023

Close to 5 cr

From where did you start?

As I graduated from IIT, so I got a oncampus placement

Job market is very disrupted these days

What do you think about it?

It really helps in the thing you are good at

Even if it is react, if you really good at react

then ofcourse, you can charge bigger numbers as well

So what do you think, like what are the options a fresher can explore at this moment

Full stack is the best

There are plenty of startups

A lot of them are doing well

So apart from them, what are your thoughts on remote job

They are little harder to crack

There is some effort required on your side

There's 10 times more skill required on your side

It's difficult but it's definitely possible

We talk lot about open source contributions

What are the benefits of it

You will come to know - Can you actually do it?

DO they ask DSA questions?

Very rarely. Interview rounds there are easier as compared to India

Should we talk a little about AI ?

There was a time when there weren't any IDEs. IDEs made our work easier, but it didn't decrease the number of jobs

So let's say, you were in college right now

How would you deal with this situation

When I was in college, I just thought that i will go where the money will be great

What do you think? Is DSA important?

If you are applying in India, then study it really well

If you are applying outside India, then you don't need to study it much

Now tell us about your hobbies

I love to listen to Punjabi songs

*Beeped*

We will have a controversy here

Just beep this

*Music*

Hi everyone, welcome to a new video

Today, we have Harkirat singh with us

and we are going to reveal his salary

But apart from that, we will also talk about lot of important things like

AI, how AI is impacting the industry

Whose job is going to get replaced

and what is the impact of recession on the industry

and the luring packages which we use to receive 2-3 years ago, are they still possible to receive?

What is the industry looking like?

It is going to be an informative podcast

It's funny and informative

So watch till the end

You can even watch it at 1.5x

Just adjust it according to the need.

If you are new to the channel

Subscribe to the channel. Like the podcast

And a small info for those who want to learn DSA

If you aren't interested, you can skip to the podcast part

We have launched our live DSA batch

It's going to start from 30th of April

but we have an extra offering for you

We are also giving free LLD course along with the DSA course

This LLD course is taken by Rohit

who is working at Google currently as a Senior software engineer

He has worked at Facebook, Amazon, and multiple other startups as well

It has very good curriculum of LLD

He has covered everything that is expected in interviews

So you will be learning LLD along with DSA

because some companies have this requirement even for the fresher level

and at the senior level, they definitely expect you to know system designing

So this is a very good offering

If you want to check it out, the link is in description

This offer is there only for limited time

I don't know when this video will be uploaded, but this might get over in a day or two

So do check it out

After this offer ends, you won't be getting the LLD course

So checkout the link in description

And we will start the podcast

Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode. So today we have Harkirat with us.

How are you?

First class, how are you?

I am also good.

So Harkirat, we will keep this podcast in Hindi, will it be okay?

Hindi, I am a little Hindi, I am kidding, I speak Hindi.

Alright, so the first question is, how much did you earn in 2023?

You want the big ballpark fancy bloated number, it's close to 5 CR.

5 CR, okay, tell us its breakdown, how much cash was there?

So Pure cash was 1.6

CR, 200K USD.

Okay, 1.6 CR

what else?

Other components?

There were two more components, so there was equity, equity is like any other web 2 company equity,

like Google's stock, Google's stock is public, you can sell it, start-ups are illiquid.

So around 200K, if I had to put a number, was the worth of my equity.

Okay.

Now maybe it would have increased, because the company did really well in the last one month.

But it's illiquid right, I can't sell it until there is no liquidity event,

then the company doesn't go public.

Another third component in this company was NFTs, do you know NFTs a little bit?

No, no, give me some idea about it.

NFTs, it's another financial instrument, like Bitcoin, there are NFTs.

I mean, you know, scammy, it seems from a distance, I used to think, they are very volatile in nature.

Which is exactly what happened in this company, since they are so volatile.

Did you hear the name of board apes in the last cycle?

No.

Okay, this is like the biggest NFT collection, one NFT cost 1 million, it's really crazy.

Okay.

Now it's worth 50,000 dollars, so 95% has fallen.

So they are very volatile, specifically for this company.

That's why people think it's a scammy thing.

It's a very risky thing, it goes up very quickly, specifically for this company,

every employee had the option to buy 12.

So when this company took out their NFT, 10,000 NFTs are coming,

so every employee got an option to buy 12, 12, so they took it, it was worth 1200 dollars, something like that.

So one NFT was worth 100 dollars, now it has gone up so fast that each NFT is worth 30,000 dollars.

Nice.

So it's more than that, it's like, yeah, it's a lot, 360k, which is a lot of money, 2 crore.

Okay, you bought 10.

I bought 12, I bought much more, I bought more from the secondary market because I knew it.

Okay.

I own a lot more, but every employee officially got 12, now someone sold it for 1200,

so it was sold, I didn't sell it, I have to put my wallet address somewhere here.

Well, this is very provable, right?

The thing about NFT is that you can literally see by going on the blockchain,

that how much this person has, how much its current value is, so that's pretty liquid.

Liquidity is liquid, so if I had to put a number, around 3.54 cr is liquid

1.5 CR is illiquid.

Alright, great, it's a pretty good number.

Well, you told us about 2023, so can you tell us a little bit about the timeline, from where did you start?

Yeah.

Where did you start?

So, I mean, I graduated from an IIT, so I got a campus placement, that was pretty good.

Even before that, I did a bunch of internships, at that time, GSOC gave a lot of money,

$5500, that was my first income.

So, GSOC, twice in college, Amazon intern in college, that gave me 40k a month,

that was first income in college.

College placement was Goldman Sachs, 21 lakh base, 7 lakh equity and 3.5

joining goals,

so 31.5 lakhs was the package at that time.

Okay.

Worked there for a year and a half, then freelancing full-time.

Over there, you quickly grew up the ranks, the first year 50 lakh, second year 1 CR,

then I did a full-time job where it was again 180k US plus some equity,

and then from there I moved to this company, which was what I told you.

Alright, that's great.

So, the title that we put in, income reveal, we have almost done that,

but now let's talk about the current scenario, is it possible to actually earn this much,

or maybe even one-fourth or one-tenth of this much,

because the job market is quite disrupted due to recession and due to AI, of course.

What do you think?

So, one-tenth is a good number, right?

For a fresher, for someone who is on YouTube looking for motivation,

starting at 30 lakhs, 20 lakhs, 40 lakhs, it's a great number.

So, if we talk from there, it's definitely possible.

How do you reach there?

Currently, of course, it's much more difficult.

It used to be like this three years ago, you know, it was a very easy hire.

You learn DSA, every company is hiring a bunch of freshers,

you get hired and then you're good to go.

It doesn't happen anymore because of a hundred reasons, I think everyone knows.

So, now, you have to provide a lot of value.

It helps if you already know what you have to do in the company.

It really helps if you're doing something very good, even if it's a small thing.

If you're good at React, but you're really good at React,

then, of course, you can charge the bigger numbers as well.

But if you want a 30-40 LPA job, then, you know,

you have to be really good at what you have to do in the company.

So, those skills are must have

Earlier it used to be like, you know...

We'll teach them.

We'll teach them.

For now, hire freshers.

Got it.

So, what do you think?

Like, what are the options that

maybe a fresher can explore at this moment?

Fullstack is the best, you know, there are start-ups in India.

Remote jobs are a little, you know, difficult to get.

Time is over, 10 different things you have to keep in mind.

But there are a lot of start-ups.

There are a lot of start-ups in Bangalore.

A lot of them are doing well.

Some are profitable.

Some raised a lot of money two years ago.

So, they have money in the bank.

But they're hiring.

I would assume so.

I mean, I haven't spent so much time in Bangalore that I can tell you.

But, you know, I would assume that, you know,

20 lakhs, 15 lakhs engineers, everyone needs them.

Everyone needs them, exactly.

I think I did a podcast with quite a few people

who have been hired even in the recession.

They have cracked like 5-6 offers from these start-ups only.

There's a Coinbase.

Oh, wow!

There are different start-ups in Bangalore itself.

They're hiring.

So, yes, the number you told me,

30-40 LPA jobs, they still exist in the market.

Coinbase does hire in India.

Yes, and they pay pretty aggressively.

So, apart from that, what are your thoughts on remote job?

Remote job is like, I mean, they're a little harder to crack

in the sense that, you know, there are 10 different factors that come into the picture.

If someone is sitting outside,

he is not bound to hire only from India

because in Bangalore, everyone has to hire from Bangalore or from India.

There's some effort required on your side.

There is 10 times more skill required on your side.

And the upside is that it's a remote job.

You'll always stay in India.

There's no office.

So, you know, it can never happen that you have to go out of the house.

In Bangalore, it's possible that they'll call you on site from time to time.

You work with a lot of smart people because if someone's hiring you from the US,

most probably it's, you know, they really like your skills.

And it's a pretty, it's a growing company.

At least that's happened for me.

Every company in which I've worked, they've done a blitz scale, right?

I mean, I joined Series A when the valuation was 200 million.

And in 3 months, the valuation was 1 billion.

Correct.

It happened with this company as well.

I mean, where...

So, the companies that you join are blitz scale.

When you join a company that's blitz scaling, you learn a lot.

That happens in Bangalore as well.

There are a bunch of startups in Bangalore.

The early employees of Swiggy Zomato,

they probably learned a lot technically.

So, you know, these are the startups that hire.

Upside is that if you take equity, if they can, it can be worth a lot.

Equity is also liquid, it can go down, you know, you have to be very choosy.

But it's a bet I would take.

It's difficult, but it's definitely possible.

Alright.

And you talk a lot about open source contribution.

So, is there going to be any benefit from that?

If somebody's in college and they try to, you know, contribute in open source.

So, what are the benefits of that?

The biggest benefit is that you'll know that,

can you actually do it?

I mean, you are wanting for a job.

You are going to someone and saying, yes, I can do it, I can do it.

US company, DSA, you know,

they're not giving you skills.

They say, come and work.

They don't ask about DSA?

Very rarely.

They ask, it's so easy to crack those rounds there.

In India, it's very tough.

Yes.

But the rounds there are very easy.

Because the people there don't do so much DSA.

So, you know, it's very simple.

So, usually, if it's a 45-minute interview,

the people that I see

they finish it in 20 minutes.

And, you know, people are pretty impressed.

Just because the standards are very low there.

In terms of the difficulty that's asked.

The next set of interviews are, you know, very live coding.

That, make this feature and show me.

Okay.

So, open source helps there because you can actually go and read it.

I know this thing or not.

You can shadow projects.

That, okay, this is how they fixed it.

He fixed this thing like this.

Was I thinking the same thing?

That's a good thing to do.

What's a bad thing to do is go and spam it.

I mean, take my contribution.

I made a small change.

Okay, I know it too.

But I don't know.

This is very trendy these days.

Just made a small change.

or just changed the name a little bit.

Just to, you know, make the profile green.

Yeah.

So that doesn't really help in a job, right?

They're not hiring based on, oh, this profile is green, so let's hire him.

So it definitely helps.

I do this a lot.

I mean, you know, I read the code.

Okay, this is how an exchange is made.

I mean, most of the web3 protocols are open source.

Same with AI.

A lot of AI companies are open source.

So, you know, you can actually read the code.

Okay, it wasn't that difficult to make.

So, if you know the basic programming, you can read through it.

That's the best thing about open source.

All right.

So, okay, we have talked about open source, but if you actually want to check a lot of

content about open source, you can check out Harkina's channel.

Here, I would like to know about roadmap.

It doesn't sound good, but I would like to know the roadmap for remote jobs.

How should they approach?

Yeah.

So I won't tell you my experience here.

I told it to the person.

Because, you know, it's a little senior engineerish and most people here are, you know,

beginners.

Okay.

You have to go for beginners, basically.

So for that, I'll tell people who have just started.

A lot of people have started from the cohort.

So I saw their journey like this.

Number one, very aggressively building projects.

Okay.

They make whatever I tell them to make.

I put a video on YouTube, 12 project ideas.

They tag me.

I mean, they have made 30 projects, 40 projects.

They are making it for free.

They are making it for someone on Upwork, for less, for cheaper.

They are making it.

I mean, no, I want it, I want it.

So, you know, they are very inherently motivated to build projects.

And not that, okay, this influencer is telling me to contribute to open source.

So I go and do this project quickly.

They are inherently motivated to build.

Okay.

This is the first property.

If you have this property, there is a high probability that you will be able to

crack it.

Number two, they are of course really good.

Their code is very, you know, maintainable, scalable, whatever you want to call it.

They know themselves how to check their code.

You know, they don't write bad code.

Standard things like don't write in JavaScript, write in TypeScript.

You know, these basic things they know.

Okay.

They are very polite.

Their English is really good.

So communication skills matter.

They are open at least to be in the US time zone.

These are some properties that you will have to keep with you.

After this, how will you connect ?

Correct.

So for that Twitter is the best resource.

Most of my jobs have happened through a Twitter DM that, you know, you are

or if I am contributing to their GitHub, they reached out to me on Twitter.

So, pretty underrated.

I keep saying that Twitter is the best place to find...

Is it better than LinkedIn?

100%.

I never found a job on LinkedIn personally.

Never.

Okay.

They have never come to me till today.

I only get that, you know, do a master's program in this specific data science.

Never have I seen, you know, a reach out on LinkedIn.

It is very common on Twitter.

I think, I don't know, I don't think, you know, CTOs or engineering managers are

spending a lot of time on LinkedIn.

Everyone is on Twitter.

They are scrolling, you know.

So, best way to reach them.

Yeah.

I think most people whom I know got job through twitter,

Alright.

Okay.

So, let's talk about AI.

You have also made a video on Devin AI and it has been a big hit because of the

promotion, like they promoted it, that AI software engineer.

I think we were already able to get code from ChatGPT

right.

So, what is different here?

It's the marketing.

It's, I mean, they have made a video like this because it's happening for a long time.

It's not difficult to make this thing and, you know, a lot of people built this.

It's actually slightly unusable that, you know, he himself thinks for 10 minutes that

what is my fault in the code, he is fixing it.

It's pretty fancy, but it's not, you know, adaptable on day zero.

What's adaptable is GitHub Copilot.

GitHub Copilot is being used by everyone.

People are getting code from ChatGPT and they are using it.

Absolutely.

That is very useful and Devin is nothing new basically.

I think, you know, there is a lot of good marketing.

I wish it does well.

I mean, it looks pretty fancy, but even if it doesn't, still, you know, people can

code faster, so does that mean less people will get hired?

I don't know.

I think, these things helps in increasing our productivity

at one time, there were no IDEs.

Yes, exactly.

When IDEs came, it's not like, jobs got decreased

So, that's my guess.

Could I be wrong?

Maybe.

We'll see.

Only time will tell.

You can't predict these things, unfortunately.

Yes.

So when, you know, ChatGPT was launched, we were just working in Google one day.

And our code base is huge.

Oh yeah, Google.

So we thought that, I mean, he won't be able to do this at all.

Right.

How can AI know where to go and change?

He doesn't have that context.

Right.

But when this Devin AI came, he was looking at it himself.

He is also looking at the files and debugging it himself.

So kind of, I felt the same way in the beginning.

Maybe that stage has come where it will take over.

But when you go to the roots, then you figure out that, no, he is still

dependent on our software engineers, that how to knit the codes, as you said.

Yeah, yeah.

But does Google use LMS?

Were you allowed to use ChatGpt?

Until I was there, it wasn't there.

After that, I don't know.

Got it.

Got it.

Makes sense.

Yeah, man.

It'd be interesting to see.

Now Microsoft is so aggressive on AI, right?

So it will be interesting that whether these people are using it themselves,

or not

yeah, we'll see.

We'll get to know if there is firing after some time.

Oh yeah, that's the thing.

I'm pretty sure this will happen.

If it is increasing productivity, then Google will bring some sort of an LLM.

Probably not a Microsoft LLM.

They will make their own LLM, whatever it is.

But I'm sure they'll increase developer productivity.

Now if that will cause lay offs or not, is the question

yes.

And apart from that, what I think is that the coding thing that used to happen,

we used to do it like maybe 30-40%.

Rest 70-60-70% was the discussions, the design doc and all the other stuff

that an engineer do.

So in the company, it's not just the coding work.

So there are many other things too.

Okay, which jobs are there that you think will be replaced?

Oh, interesting.

Look, in the daily workflow, as I see, people say that if a video is made,

the editors will be replaced.

It hasn't happened yet.

There are no strategy guys.

People were saying this about Storyboarding, you know, script writing will be over.

It didn't happen.

In coding, people say that manual jobs will be replaced.

Maybe it will be that, you know, one thing that I thought that yes,

this thing might get replaced.

That, you know, sometimes I had initial clients.

They were people who had the job,

there is a lot of salary in the US,

so they hired someone in India for 10 lakhs.

And they told me to make this.

Now it is possible that they can get that same work done using ChatGpt

okay.

So the freelancing job of initial stage might get impacted.

That yes, maybe they themself can build this

but can that also be done today?

Maybe not.

Can that be done in a year?

Maybe.

So that job I see that, man, there used to be an initial freelancing job,

which you used to get for a very less pay, but use to teach a lot

that is missing.

Alright.

By the way, students who are in college, they don't have so much idea

that what is going on in the market because they have a defined path in their mind.

That I have to follow this thing and this is what I want.

They also have already decided the package that I have to study DSA

i have to study WebD and make a project.

I will be getting into Microsoft.

So those students who have a straight forward mind, they are kind of stressed.

So suppose you are in college now and this is the situation.

So how would you deal with this situation?

That's a good question.

So when I was in college, I think most people, you chase money very heavily.

Everyone wants the highest package

i got into Microsoft, I got into Goldman, I got into third company, I forgot the name.

On day one.

But the one who gave the most money, I went there.

I told him that Goldman is the best.

Forget about Microsoft, the one who gave the most money, I went there.

Later I realised that I could have shifted to US if I had selected Microsoft

maybe Microsoft was a good option.

So you know, the company who gives more than 1,50,000 in college, we tend to go there.

Decent learning to have, I think initially that mindset remains.

Eventually it changes.

When you have a network at one point, you get peace in your life.

You know, so eventually that changes.

It stays in college.

So for that reason, when I was in college, I saw a recipe.

Wherever the money is, I will go there

Even today if I would have been in college, I would have done the same.

It is a privilege in IIT of a campus placement.

So your mind is a little narrowed down.

You have to do your best in campus.

You are bounded in that circle, you don't look outside.

So I had the same thing.

Most probably, if I had gone to college, I would have done the same thing.

That I have to get the best placement in college on day one.

The rest is not a problem.

Alright.

And how would you deal with the situation where there are no jobs at all?

Yes, okay.

Suppose there are no campus placements in IIT.

Or I was from Tier 3 college.

Okay.

That I won't know about campus placement.

So I would do the same thing that a lot of kids are doing now a days.

So I would approach them that somehow make a product that a company is making.

Suppose someone is making github Copilot make a competitor of that.

Open source a simple copy of the product.

A good version.

And then approach them that I have made this and that.

So at least they will be willing to talk to you.

If I am in college today and there is an influencer who is talking about a remote job.

He is talking about a fancy package.

So my first thought would be there.

I don't know if I can do it or not.

But I would definitely think about cracking that remote job

and if you are getting this much, then I will get a little less than this.

So I would definitely try for that.

At the same time, since I am from very humble background, I would take the first job.

If I would not have got the remote job, then I would take the first one.

Whether it is on-site, in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, it's okay.

One thing where there is a lot of money today is Web3 hackathons.

Even AI hackathons.

10,000 dollars, 20,000 dollars.

A lot of college people are making.

100% if I would have been in college, I would have gone in these hackathons

I would think why we are getting so much money in Web3 hackathons

absolutely.

Great.

Come on.

Now you have something to explore, right?

Come on, let's have a lighter note.

Generally, I do a course on DSA, but keeping that aside, what do you think?

DSA is important or not for engineers?

You will be asked everywhere.

It might be easy based on what company, it might be very hard based on the company.

I don't think you should leave things to chances.

That you know, we will see CGPA or DSA.

It doesn't hurt to have good CGPA, it doesn't hurt to have good DSA skills.

It shouldn't happen that one day your interview comes and you know everything right, but you got rejected because of the DSA or CGPA

absolutely.

So I think it's not too difficult to do.

You can do it for 6 months, do coreforces, whatever you want to do, do a course, if you want to really blitz scale and you know learn it faster.

There are different free platforms also, from where you can learn.

Read from anywhere.

Read from anywhere.

The point is to study, and you know, if you have to apply in India, then read it very well, if you have to apply abroad, then read less.

Don't ignore it at all.

Because you know one day you might face a bad day.

Okay.

You have to put a T here.

You might face a bad day where you know, you got cut off because of it.

Absolutely.

Okay.

Okay, we have done a lot of discussion.

Now tell us about your hobbies.

Hobbies, I like filmmaking.

So whenever you watch a video where it looks like a lot of filmmaking,

then understand that I have made it, because the editor has not edited it.

So I randomly get the idea that if I make a video today, then I will make it.

I love to listen to Punjabi songs more aggressively.

Bro, you will make me do controversy.

BEEP this

okay.

I like Karan Aujla and a bunch of other Punjabi songs.

Diljit, he is a non-controversial Punjabi artist.

What else do I love to do?

Nowadays, I enjoy teaching.

But I teach in a chill way.

So I enjoy teaching.

Whether I understand it or not, it doesn't matter.

But I teach in a certain way.

Which is taught with first principle thinking.

Got it.

I like it.

I don't have bookish knowledge.

I have to read like this, it happens like this.

They do it like this in the industry.

That's why I read this.

I like it.

Even though I get drained in 4 hours.

Still I take live classes of 4 hours.

But I began to like it a little bit.

I wouldn't say too much.

I like to play TT, played a match a while back.

Who won the match?

It was 2-0, right?

Yeah, 2-0.

That's why I won.

And basketball once in a while.

Alright, Harkirat, so we got to know everything.

Now tell us, where do you invest your money?

So, since this is the second time we are doing this.

Because the camera turned off.

Now I remember 50% crypto, not because I invested this much.

Because it grew very fast.

So I landed at 20x, NFT at 30x.

So it grew very quickly, 50% NFTs, 30% real estate.

10% cash over, FDs or otherwise.

And 5% gold, 5% commodities.

Alright, great.

So that's it.

Where do you invest your money?

Okay, abhi khatam nahi hua hai.

I still have to start that.

So primarily cash or...

Primarily cash, I got a house.

People say that it's not an investment.

It's a depreciating asset.

It's a depreciating asset.

Yeah, flat or land or what?

Flat.

Good, not great.

But okay, great start.

At least you are investing somewhere and not piling up cash.

I will invest once I get the money

yeah, for sure, should do it.

Alright.

Thank you so much, Harkirat, for being here and sharing this information with us.

Thank you for coming.

Alright.

Like the podcast, okay?