Workshop

Manager vs. Super IC: How To Make Your Next Career Move

Yue Zhao

CPTO, Executive Coach, Writer

Your career ladder just got a new rung. Do you know how to best climb it?

The old playbook said: manage people to get ahead. But with AI, managers are being pushed into IC roles. Super ICs are taking over the work of multiple people. How do you navigate these shifts and come out ahead?

People around you are giving you a lot of hot takes ("management is dead!" "SaaS is dead!" "We're all builders!"). But it's daunting to figure out what's right for you based on your strengths, your situation, your career goals.

This workshop gives you the tools to reflect, map, and iterate on your career path (because no one else is going to do this for you). Whether you're debating whether to go Super IC, trying hard to stay in management, or figuring out what to do now that you've been pushed into a Super IC role without asking for it, this is the workshop that will help you map a path forward.

What you’ll learn

Understand whether the Super IC path is right for you, and how to build influence, impact, and career momentum in either scenario.

  • Use a concrete framework to assess whether management, Super IC, or a hybrid role is the right move

  • Learn what a Super IC role actually looks like: deep, focused, and high-impact

  • Learn why AI across more areas is a trap

  • Understand what success in the role looks like

  • Know which skills you've built as a manager translate directly to leading AI agents so you don't start over

  • Learn how to pitch those skills to make the transition laterally upwards

  • How to prove you can still build: Get a practical approach for demonstrating IC credibility to future employers and teams

  • Understand why it happens and the signals beforehand

  • Learn how to set yourself up for success in the long term

Workshop agenda

  • The New Career Landscape

    Why AI has fundamentally changed the Manager vs. IC calculus. Brief overview of how companies are actually restructuring and what that means for your options.

  • The Decision Framework: Should You Go Super IC?

    A structured way to think through the choice. Your superpowers, your environment, your goals. Live coaching component.

  • How To Be a Successful Super IC

    The biggest mistakes companies and individuals make when setting up Super IC roles. What executive presence looks like without a team, and how to build your influence.

  • How to handle a forced transition

    What to drop, what to delegate, what to build with AI, and when to look for a way out.

  • Live Q&A

    Bring your specific situation.

Learn directly from Yue

Yue Zhao

Yue Zhao

Contact

Chief Product & Technology Officer, First PM @ Thumbtack, Ex-Instagram & Meta.

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Who this workshop is for

  • The Manager Who Misses Building: You've been a manger and are good at it. You got into management because it was the only way to move up.

  • The Manager Who Got Pushed To IC: Your company just eliminated a layer, or stopped backfilling, and you're asked to take on IC work.

  • Early Career Figuring Out the Path You're trying to understand how AI is changing the career ladders. You want more than a "hot take".

What's included

Yue Zhao

Live sessions

Learn directly from Yue Zhao in a real-time, interactive format.

Lifetime access

Go back to course content and recordings whenever you need to.

Community of peers

Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.

Certificate of completion

Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.

Influence Without Authority Cheat Sheet

The specific moves Super ICs use to build credibility, drive decisions, and show up with more presence than people with positional power

Yue's curated Newsletters archive

Access to relevant posts on executive presence, influence without authority, and navigating career transitions in the AI era

The Manager vs. Super IC Decision Framework (PDF)

A one-page tool you can use to reflect and revisit what may be best for you.

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Frequently asked questions

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Reimbursement

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Team discount

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Save 20%+ when 2 or more teammates enroll in the same cohort.

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Private cohort

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A dedicated cohort with a custom schedule and curriculum, tailored to your team.

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$300

USD

Jul 2
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