Choose a start-up over a tech corporation.

Instead of taking the familiar path of joining large tech corporations, Trung Vu joined Uplimit with five engineers, becoming the first person to provide on-site customer support at an event attended by 50,000 people.

Trung Vu (left) shares his insights at the recent seminar "Building Early Entrepreneurial Capacity: Lessons from Working at a Startup Company" at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: TAM VU

At 22 years old, Trung Vu is currently a software engineer at Uplimit, a business learning platform that applies artificial intelligence (AI) in San Francisco, USA.

This company is backed by leading Silicon Valley investment funds such as Salesforce Ventures, Greylock, and Cowboy Ventures, and has raised $21 million.

From Coursera to a surprising decision

After graduating from the International School of Ho Chi Minh City (ISHCMC), Trung went to the US to study computer science at the University of Southern California. During high school, Trung said he was fascinated by economics and mathematics, and enjoyed solving problems related to technology and products. "I still thought I would pursue economics, but gradually realized that coding and product development were much more interesting," Trung recalled.

In the summer of 2022, Trung interned at Coursera, working on the platform infrastructure serving approximately 190 million learners globally. This was an opportunity for this Gen Z student to understand how a large company operates, and it also helped him realize how meaningful his work was in contributing to helping people learn, develop, and find opportunities in education .

Trung graduated from university in 2024, and conventionally, he could have easily joined a major tech company with numerous opportunities. However, his experience at Coursera helped him better define what he was looking for.

It's an environment where you can learn quickly and be exposed to many different aspects of the product, not just the technical aspects.

And Trung chose a different path with the thought: "I want to learn faster and more broadly instead of specializing in just one area." The search began. One day, while browsing LinkedIn, Trung saw information about Sourabh Bajaj – CTO of Uplimit – hiring a software engineer. "I applied immediately and about 15 minutes later I received a response from him," Trung recounted.

At that time, Uplimit only had four engineers. The company was building an AI-powered learning platform for businesses, serving many large clients. Trung joined as the fifth software engineer.

That decision puzzled many friends, who asked why he didn't choose a more stable, established tech giant when he had the chance, since it was a big brand anyway. Fortunately, his family shared and supported his decision.

At large companies, you're often stuck in your assigned role. If you want to work on a different product feature, you need to talk to many stakeholders, which slows down your learning process and limits your opportunities to interact with departments outside of engineering. At a start-up, you take on multiple roles, helping you become a more well-rounded engineer and learn much faster. - TRUNG VU.

From code to customer

At Uplimit, Trung led many important projects. He worked on core user learning experiences and then moved on to developing enterprise features such as integration with external LMS systems, organizational team management, and single sign-on, even taking on the task of redesigning the company website before a funding round.

But the most memorable moment for Trung was last June. He was sent to San Francisco to support the Data and AI Summit (the annual conference of Databricks, a software company and one of Uplimit's biggest clients). With over 50,000 attendees over three days, Trung was on-site supporting clients and handling technical issues immediately.

This was Trung's first time working directly with clients, and he realized he enjoyed the job. He said, "Seeing users actually use the product and get value from it makes me very happy."

That experience helped Trung develop strong communication skills, which he believes are the most important thing to learn at a start-up, rather than technical skills, especially how to convey ideas clearly.

Uplimit CTO Sourabh Bajaj believes Trung has become a key part of the company, helping to expand the product to serve larger clients. "Sometimes I have to work with clients to set up integrations or help them solve technical problems and they need to understand what I'm saying. Other times I have to lead projects and explain complex ideas simply to multiple stakeholders," Trung said, reflecting on his personal lessons learned.

Currently working with Uplimit, he aims to continue developing his comprehensive skills, both technical and business-oriented, and thinks about what he can contribute to the Vietnamese tech community. "I'm fortunate to work in the field of education, which can create a long-lasting impact. I hope my story provides information to other young people, encouraging them to find and recognize different paths, not just those leading to tech giants," Trung shared.

Focus on personal development over brand building.

Based on his past experiences, when asked what advice he would share with young Vietnamese people who are torn between tech giants and startups, Trung succinctly replied: "Focus on your personal development rather than brand and reputation."

Explaining his reasoning, Trung said that many people think working for a large company is better for their career, but what's more important is whether that environment helps you learn what you want. Start-ups aren't for everyone, but if you want to learn quickly and are ready to face pressure, Trung said, "this is a path worth considering."

Reassuring the young people, Trung said not to worry too much if they make the wrong choice because you can absolutely start at a start-up and then move to a bigger one, or vice versa, as each experience teaches you something different.

"If a large company helps you learn how to work within an existing system with clear processes, then at a start-up you'll learn how to build a system from scratch. And both are valuable, it just depends on your career stage and what you want to learn," Trung expressed.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chon-start-up-thay-vi-tap-doan-cong-nghe-20251218102109018.htm