AI Architecture Review
with Mikhail Sychev
Review your AI system with a former Waymo Staff Engineer, a16z Speedrun-backed founder and creator of Pony Diffusion (1M+ downloads, 1B+ generations). Bring a prototype or architecture diagram and one … Read more
Mikhail Sychev
CTO & Co-founder | Ex-Google/Waymo Staff SWE and TL at Alphabet
Scheduling conflict? No-show? Cancel session & get your money back instantly.
About this session
Review your AI system with a former Waymo Staff Engineer, a16z Speedrun-backed founder and creator of Pony Diffusion (1M+ downloads, 1B+ generations). Bring a prototype or architecture diagram and one technical decision. We'll examine model choice, evaluation, deployment and cost, then identify prioritized risks and next experiments. This 60-minute session focuses on one system or decision; implementation and ongoing support can be scoped separately.
Your mentor
If you use dark mode on YouTube, I built that.
I spent 12 years at Google/YouTube and Waymo, growing from L3 to L6, then left to build. I help engineers land senior and staff roles, grow into technical leadership, and take AI products from prototype to production.
WHAT I'VE BUILT
• GOOGLE / YOUTUBE — 8 years. Tech Lead on modern YouTube.com, shipping to 2B+ users. Built dark mode and led the world's largest WebP rollout.
• WAYMO — 4 years, L6. Worked on ML and GenAI systems, including the San Francisco autonomous rollout.
• STARTUP / GENERATIVE AI — Technical co-founder of an a16z Speedrun-backed startup and creator of Pony Diffusion: 1M+ downloads and 1B+ generations.
• HIRING & CAREER GROWTH — Conducted 200+ technical interviews and calibration across L3–L6. I've been on both sides of the interview table and navigated that progression myself.
WHAT WE CAN WORK ON
• LAND YOUR NEXT ROLE: System design, coding and behavioral interview preparation, mock interviews, and resume feedback. Learn to communicate your technical judgment and impact at the level you're targeting.
• GROW WHERE YOU ARE: Promotion strategy, finding work with greater scope, technical leadership, and navigating team and organizational dynamics.
• BUILD AN AI PRODUCT: Architecture, model choices, evaluation, training, deployment and serving. I also help technical founders think through founding hires, co-founder decisions and their technical story for investors.
HOW WE WORK
We choose one priority and work on your actual resume, design, project or career decision. The monthly plan includes two 60-minute calls and chat support, with replies within two working days. Expect candid, specific feedback and clear next steps.
See me explain the YouTube.com rebuild:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TzF3Pshx2Y
The story behind YouTube's WebP rollout:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/04/cheaper-bandwidth-or-bust-how-google-saved-youtube/
Send me your goal, current situation and timeline. I'll tell you where I can help and what a useful first month could look like.
What mentees say
“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 s…”
Avi
Standard Plan · 6 months
“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 …”
Sagar
Standard Plan · 3 months
“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…”
Nirmin
Standard Plan · 1 month
“Mikhail is a great mentor. He helped me build an end to end streaming pipeline. I think he can understand exactly what you need out of mentorship very well and come up practices/exercises that make sense for someone to …”
Sriram
Standard Plan · 1 month
“I really enjoyed my resume session with Mikhail. His process is very thorough and collaborative, starting with understanding your background and career goals before creating a new version of the resume and incorporating…”
Oscar
Session
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is a session?
A session is a focused one-on-one call with your mentor. Use it to get feedback, work through a specific problem, review your work, or get unstuck. You reserve up to 1 hour of their time.
How do I pick a time?
After checkout you pick a slot from Mikhail's live availability, and it's confirmed on the spot.
How does the session take place?
Sessions happen over video call. Your mentor shares the meeting link ahead of time, so all you need is a quiet spot and a stable connection.
Can I reschedule?
Yes, up to 24 hours before the session. Message your mentor and find a new time that works for both of you.
What if my mentor doesn't show up?
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Scheduling conflict? No-show? Cancel session & get your money back instantly.