Formation Monthly Deploy: August 2025

Welcome to the Formation Monthly Deploy, our monthly blog highlighting achievements, insights, and innovations from across the Formation ecosystem. Whether you're a current Fellow navigating challenges, an Alumni building your career, or a Mentor guiding others, this space is designed to keep you connected to your community.

🌎 Engineering tip from Daniel Tomko

How to turn a question into a conversation
Asking good questions is a core engineering skill, and the best questions come with your own opinion or hypothesis baked in.

Here’s how to do it well:

✅ Share your thinking as part of the question: “If the function is given X as input, then the output should be Y?”“I’m wondering if we should use X or Y technique here. I’m leaning toward Y because…”“Do we need to handle the case when the input is shaped like this? I’m thinking yes because…”

❌ Don’t just toss out a blank question — you’re not outsourcing your thinking. You’re showing that you’ve engaged with the problem first.

🧠 Why it works: Engineers aren’t just executors; they’re decision-makers. Having an opinion shows ownership and initiative — both on the job and in interviews.

💬 Bonus: You’ll spark better discussions. If someone disagrees, they’ll explain why, and you’ll learn more about what makes a great solution.

🌊 Last month’s Rising Tide winners

Each month, we recognize Fellows who go above and beyond to lift others up. These standout Fellows showed up with support, positivity, and generosity, making Formation better for everyone around them:

Dixon Kavanaugh was recognized for his thoughtful participation and leadership by example. His nominator shared: “He actively participated in each session with good questions and solid focus. His example helped me set the tone for how I want to participate going forward.”

Kornelia Błaszczuk earned praise for her collaboration and technical skills. Her nominator shared: “Kornelia joined me in a session this week with Kevin Khuong, a former Fellow now at Meta. She did a great job listening, giving input and sound advice, and an even better job coding. I was really impressed and proud to have worked beside her!”

Mercy Muiruri stood out for her positivity and presence in the community. Her nominator shared: “She’s very nice to work with both in sessions and outside! Always enjoy studying with her for sure.”

Liam Gentile was celebrated for his determination, growth mindset, and supportive attitude. His nominator shared: “Liam always has a positive attitude and is willing to go the extra mile to understand why a solution is working or why it's not. Being in a session with him always motivates me to improve. When I'm struggling, he steps back and makes sure we’re on the same page — and when he’s unsure, he’s always eager to learn new methods.”

🌟 Last month’s Lighthouse Award Winners

The Lighthouse Award recognizes mentors who go above and beyond to guide, support, and light the way forward. Last month’s winners exemplified what it means to meet Fellows where they are and leave them better than they found them.

Shubham Sharma was recognized for his collaborative and focused facilitation. His nominator shared: “This session was expertly facilitated, really helpful guidance and encouraged collaboration between us all.”

Candice Seay-Angotta stood out for her tactical advice on negotiation and post-onsite conversations. Her nominator shared: “Candice walked me through step-by-step what to say and what to ask for during post-onsite conversations! She gave me great tips for how to argue for top-of-band compensation and how to ask for clarifying information about the company's compensation structure. I feel super prepared going forward!”

Malcolm Hill earned praise for his dynamic mock interview style and in-the-moment coaching. His nominator shared: “The roleplay and dissect approach was very effective. I could instantly tailor my responses based on Malcolm’s feedback, especially around including tech stacks. Thank you for the leader question at the end and for giving insight into what goes on in a recruiter's head.”

🏆 Job placement celebrations

We’re celebrating Fellows who turned persistence into progress and landed new roles this month.

Vivek Nagarajan → Meta

“It doesn’t matter how many rejections you face. You only need one ‘yes.’ Keep going, trust the process, and take care of your mindset along the way. You've got this.”

Will Gatlin  → Meta

“Never give up! Finding a new job in this market is hard, and cracking the big interviews is really difficult. Keep going and practicing, and you will absolutely get there.”

🚀 Don’t miss this upcoming event: Shipping fast at OpenAI vs. Big Tech

📅 Tuesday, August 19
🕔 5–6 PM MDT
👉 RSVP now

Have you ever wondered what it actually looks like to ship fast inside OpenAI?

​What practices, decisions, or cultural norms enable that kind of velocity—and how does it compare to life inside Big Tech?

​In this candid conversation with Philip Su, former engineering leader at OpenAI, Meta, and Microsoft, we’ll explore how high-performing engineering teams work when the stakes are high and the speed is real.

​👂 What you'll learn:

​This session is for experienced engineers who want to better understand:

• ​What engineering velocity looks like inside OpenAI vs. Big Tech
• ​How decision-making and tradeoffs differ across orgs
• ​What lessons can be applied to your own team, especially as AI becomes part of the stack

This is a behind-the-scenes conversation you won’t want to miss!

See you next month!

We’re always proud of how this community shows up — with generosity, determination, and drive. Keep asking questions, lifting each other up, and pushing the limits of what you thought you could do.

Until next month,

The Formation Team

This blog is adapted from our monthly newsletter, The Monthly Deploy. If you're not yet part of the Formation community but would also like these updates directly in your inbox, subscribe to our blog.