A Day in the Life: Scale-up vs Big Tech

If you’re working in tech, chances are you’ve either been at a big company or thought about joining one. You’ve probably also wondered what life looks like at a smaller but fast-growing scale-up. Both paths can offer great careers, but the day-to-day reality feels pretty different. Let's dive in!

Meetings

At a larger tech company, calendars are usually more structured. There are set ceremonies, recurring syncs and well-defined stakeholder updates. You’ll often work within established frameworks that keep thousands of employees aligned across teams. At a scale-up, meetings look different. There are fewer formalities and more quick conversations designed to keep the momentum going. It’s not unusual to have direct access to senior leaders or even founders, which means decisions are made faster and your input is felt immediately.

Responsibilities

In a big company, roles are well defined. You’ll often go deep in one area and have the support of specialised teams around you. This can give you the space to master your craft without too many distractions. In a scale-up environment, responsibilities are more fluid. One day you might be refining backend performance, the next you could be jumping into a product discussion or testing out customer feedback. Wearing multiple hats is part of the experience, and it can accelerate how quickly you grow.

Pace

The pace of work is another key difference. Big tech tends to move in carefully planned cycles. Projects are scoped and resourced months in advance, giving you the structure and stability that comes with operating at scale. At a scale-up, things move quickly. Priorities can shift week to week, experiments are launched and iterated on fast, and code often reaches production within days. For many engineers, that immediacy makes the work exciting.

Impact

Impact also plays out differently. At a large company, your work might touch millions of users worldwide. Even small improvements can create a massive ripple effect. At a scale-up, the impact is more direct and visible. Ship a feature today and you might hear feedback from customers tomorrow. That kind of loop makes the connection between your work and its outcome very tangible.

The takeaway

Big companies and scale-ups both bring unique opportunities for engineers and developers. At a scale-up, you’ll likely have more ownership, visibility and variety in your role. At a bigger company, you gain stability, global scale and the chance to work within mature systems.

If you’re curious about scale-ups, it’s worth exploring what roles are out there and how they align with your goals. Whether you want speed, ownership and direct impact or you’re drawn to the resources and reach of big tech, understanding the day-to-day can help you make the right move for your future.

No matter which path excites you more, hackajob can help you get there. Whether you’re looking for your next adventure at a scale-up or aiming to join a global tech leader, our platform connects you directly with companies that fit your skills and career goals. Set up your free hackajob profile now and get matched to your next tech role.