Services
$360 / month
Start free, decide later
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1
Free 7-day trial
No charge until day 7. Cancel anytime. -
2
Ongoing calls + chat
2 × 60-min calls per month, unlimited Q&A. Replies in 2 days. -
3
No lock-in
Month to month, no contract.
MentorCruise summary
Mikhail is a CTO and co-founder with previous Staff software engineer and tech lead roles at Google, YouTube, and Waymo. He spent eight years building YouTube.com at Google and four years working on ML and GenAI systems at Waymo, and he has run more than 200 interviews. He helps engineers prepare for technical interviews, strengthen resumes and career plans, and build production AI systems.
Based on 5 verified mentee reviews
- Reviewers often praise his practical, tailored guidance, including exercises for a streaming pipeline and advice built around specific challenges.
- Two reviewers mention valuable mock interview practice and guidance for upcoming interviews.
- Two reviewers value his technical knowledge, from building an end-to-end streaming pipeline to discussing technical topics.
About
I spent 12 years climbing big tech (L3 → L6 at Google & Waymo), then left to build. Wherever you are on that path, I've already run it.
🦄 If you use dark mode on YouTube, I built that.
- 8 years at Google / YouTube: Tech Lead on modern YouTube.com, shipping to 2B+ users.
- 4 years at Waymo (L6): ML and GenAI systems, including the SF autonomous rollout.
- Now: Technical co-founder (a16z Speedrun-backed) & creator of Pony Diffusion (1M+ downloads, 1B+ generations).
- Hiring side: Ran 200+ technical interviews and calibration across L3–L6.
❗ I want to get hired at a top company
Real-bar prep: System design, coding, and behavioral tuned to how panels actually calibrate, not generic blog advice.
Resume & narrative: Frame your impact for the level you want, not the one below it.
Intros & referrals: Direct connections to FAANG and top AI teams once you're genuinely ready.
Immigration & relocation: Hired directly from Russia to Google US; deep familiarity with H-1B and visa navigation.
❗ I want to level up where I am
What actually drives promos: Scope, visibility, and high-leverage work vs. busy work.
Org dynamics: Navigating how different orgs (YouTube vs. Cloud vs. Ads) reward different behaviors.
Stay vs. jump: Knowing when you have runway to push vs. when your ceiling is real and you should move.
❗ I want to build something
Production GenAI architecture: Training, deploying, and serving models at scale without burning 6 figures on throwaway infra.
Founding stack: Early technical hires, co-founder dynamics, and investor-ready technical narratives.
How I work
Bring the artifact, not abstract questions. The resume draft, the architecture diagram, the pitch deck, or the interview you just bombed. We work on real material.
I don't do vague cheerleading. If something isn't good enough, I'll tell you why and how to fix it. If you're ready, I'll tell you to stop overthinking and ship.
🎥 See me explain the YouTube.com rebuild: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TzF3Pshx2Y
or read about how I helped save YouTube by leading the world's largest WebP rollout in Ars Technica: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/04/cheaper-bandwidth-or-bust-how-google-saved-youtube/ [1]
What mentees say
5 out of 5 stars
Mikhail might be the single best possible mentor for anyone out there! As a software engineer fairly new to the industry, I had many concerns about the direction I should take my career, what my goals should be, how I should approach the technical and political aspect of the job, where my primary struggles should be, and an overall lack of direction on what my engineering path should like. Mikhail, at multiple points throughout the mentorship, empathetically understood my painpoints and helped me reason through what the best possible decisions I could make were. Mikhail also brings an unbelievable wealth of experience and perspective. From probably one of the most impressive trajectories an engineer can have in the industry, Mike provided countless knowledge drops on technical concepts related to Machine Learning, System designs and architecture, Founding and VC's, on top of an introduction into his network of fellow a16Z and Waymo peers. For the cherry on top, Mikhail is also just a super fun person to chat and connect with as he participates in some of the most unique hobbies (acting, improv, martial arts, wrestling) and he is always asking and wanting to learn more and connect with his mentee. I couldn't recconmend Mikhail more and no matter what step you are in your career, I am sure Mikhail can provide immense help and direction on top of being a great friend and person to connect with!
Avi
Standard Plan • 6 months
5 out of 5 stars
I sought mentorship because I had several important interviews coming up and wanted guidance from someone experienced to help me prepare effectively. Working with Mike has been an outstanding experience. He takes the time to truly understand the challenges you’re facing and provides thoughtful, practical guidance on how to approach them. He helped me focus on the right technical areas to prepare for my interviews and spent time helping me refine and frame my experiences so they communicate impact clearly. What truly stands out about Mike is how genuinely invested he is in helping his mentees succeed. I always felt that he approached my challenges as if they were his own, not just a task he was helping with. Even though I’m still in the early stages of my interview process, his guidance has already been incredibly valuable and helped me think about aspects of interview preparation that I hadn’t considered before. I highly recommend Mike to anyone preparing for technical leadership interviews or looking for thoughtful and supportive mentorship.
Nirmin
Standard Plan • 1 month
5 out of 5 stars
Mike is an excellent mentor and an equally wonderful person. He possesses a vast amount of knowledge and is always willing to share it with others. I have truly enjoyed our technical and non-technical discussions, mock interviews, and job search conversations, all of which have been incredibly valuable and insightful.
Sagar
Standard Plan • 3 months
Get to know Mikhail
What happens when you start
You tell Mikhail your goals. They see exactly what you want to work on before session one.
You meet within days. Mikhail reviews your application and books your first session, usually within a day or two.
You leave with a plan. Concrete next steps and a weekly rhythm from your very first week.
