In the middle of a hyper‑competitive Silicon Valley job market—tightened further by AI disruption and layoffs—a CEO has shared hacks with young job seekers to improve their chances of getting AI-proof jobs with tech giants like Meta, Apple, and Amazon. Asana CEO Dan Rogers himself has spent rising through the ranks at major tech companies, including Microsoft, Dell, Amazon Web Services, Salesforce, and ServiceNow.
Rogers argues that despite Gen Z’s fears of AI killing off early‑career roles, landing a job at these companies “has always been a long shot.”
Speaking about breaking into Silicon Valley, he told Fortune, “I don’t remember it being easy back in the day, honestly. For me, for example, it was never going to be possible that I’d go straight to the hottest tech company in the hottest role. I always felt like I was going to have to work my way in, and I was going to have to work through experiences elsewhere that I would shine at.”
Rogers said that even decades ago, the competition for entry‑level tech roles was brutal and often required multi‑step, roundabout paths rather than a straight entry into Silicon Valley’s biggest names. Growing up in the English town of Grimsby and beginning his career far from elite tech pipelines, Rogers said he had to build credibility role by role, shining in smaller positions before earning opportunities at top companies.
“There are incredible experiences that you can get, maybe in smaller companies, maybe in a slightly different region, maybe in a slightly adjacent category. After a stint there, you would be super valuable,” he told the publication.
The real hack: build a résumé AI can’t compete with
Rogers’s core point is that candidates should focus on crafting a résumé “impossible to ignore”—not through stunts, but through projects, roles, and technical knowledge that AI cannot easily replicate.
He urged applicants to treat their CV like a long‑term investment, even if that means taking detours through less prestigious companies to gain real, valuable experience.