Aman Manazir is a software engineer who's worked at companies like Amazon and Shopify. In the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast, he interviews successful engineers to break down strategies and tools they used to land their dream jobs.
In addition, Aman focuses on helping listeners improve their lives through topics in entrepreneurship, self-improvement, and technology.
ex-Jane Street Quant: The Simple Formula to Make $800,000/Year at 22!
Lihong went from pre-law kid to Jane Street intern, IMC trader, and founder of Freeport Markets.
He breaks down how he prepped for quant interviews, handled competing offers, and why he left a $350K+ role to build in AI. Plus why Jane Street is seen as the top firm in quant, and why so many quants are leaving for AI labs.
Computer science students, new graduates, and software engineers...want to make $500k+/yr in quant at Citadel, Two Sigma, or Hudson River Trading? Click here 👉 https://www.sweaccelerator.com/quant?video=qEp6mwNw68g&utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcasts_description&utm_campaign=Lihong_JaneStreet
Complete the free 60-second profile here 👉 https://www.sweaccelerator.com/quant?video=qEp6mwNw68g&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=lihong
🚀 Get my free Software Engineering Crash Course – https://www.amanmanazir.com/7dayengineer
🎧 Listen to all episodes of the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/AmanManazir
Listen to our new podcast, @TheEntropyShow: https://youtu.be/MDJQXbXPngg?si=vQqITmNzy3fhfcV1
I’m Aman Manazir, a career coach and software engineer. I interned at companies like Amazon, Shopify, and HP in college, and the day I graduated I landed a $168,000/year* full-time software engineering job. I help you make it as a computer science student & software engineer and get your dream job offer.
Want a team of FAANG engineers + recruiters to help you land your dream software engineering job/internship at big tech guaranteed? Click here 👉 https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcasts_description&utm_campaign=Lihong_JaneStreet&video=qEp6mwNw68g
📄 Get my free resume template – https://www.amanmanazir.com/resume
🧠 Get my free LeetCode Roadmap – https://www.amanmanazir.com/leetcode
💌 Free weekly productivity insights/advice – https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter
📕 All my free Notion templates – https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion
📝 Sign up for Notion – https://affiliate.notion.so/2nh3pjr6l5l6
📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amanmanazir/
🐦 Twitter – https://twitter.com/amanmanazir
👉 Lihong’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lihong062?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios
👉 Lihong’s Website: https://freeportmarkets.com/
—
⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:00 Why He Wanted To Be A Lawyer
02:08 Humanities Kid Obsessed With Soviet Math
06:00 Did Math Help Break Into Quant?
07:10 Why Duke Over Cambridge And Columbia
09:45 Humanities Kid To Quant Trader
11:14 Apply Here to Get into Quant
12:33 The Freshman Year Pivot To Trading
16:16 Ditching Law For Trading
18:25 Exploring Before Declaring A Major
20:31 Software Engineering Accelerator
21:24 Almost Kicked Out Of Duke
25:11 What The Duke Saga Taught Him
26:00 Landing The Akuna Internship
28:42 Interview Prep Strategy And Resources
30:58 How Many Prep Hours It Takes
33:33 Intern Pay At Akuna Vs Jane Street
35:17 How It Felt Earning At 19
36:53 Inside The Akuna Internship
39:36 Where Akuna Interns Ended Up
41:14 Second Recruiting Cycle And Jane Street
44:04 7-day Software Engineering Roadmap
44:33 Why He Didn't Negotiate Offers
46:47 Why Jane Street Is Top Dog
49:25 Quant Brain Drain To AI Labs
52:30 Why Not Everyone Leaves For AI
53:48 What Jane Street Does Differently
56:20 Choosing IMC For Full-Time
57:27 IMC Pay And Salary Trends
58:26 Trading Semiconductors At IMC
59:28 Where Quant Is Heading
1:01:19 Why He Left To Found Freeport
1:05:11 Would He Ever Return To Quant?
4 Sept 2026
ex-HRT Quant: Why 99% of People Fail in Quant
Ex-HRT quant Olivia breaks down why most people never crack quant trading, the resume bar candidates miss, and why smart isn't enough.
From a perfect AMC 8 score to a $400K offer at 22 to getting fired within a year, she gives the real, unfiltered picture of what it takes and why even she couldn't sustain it long-term.
Computer science students, new grads, and software engineers…want to land your dream software engineering job or internship? Click here 👉https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcasts_description&utm_campaign=Olivia_Ex-quant&video=cmnXNkby2SE
🚀 Get my free Software Engineering Crash Course – https://www.amanmanazir.com/7dayengineer
🎧 Listen to all episodes of the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/AmanManazir
Listen to our new podcast, @TheEntropyShow: https://youtu.be/MDJQXbXPngg?si=vQqITmNzy3fhfcV1
I’m Aman Manazir, a career coach and software engineer. I interned at companies like Amazon, Shopify, and HP in college, and the day I graduated I landed a $168,000/year* full-time software engineering job. I help you make it as a computer science student & software engineer and get your dream job offer.
📄 Get my free resume template – https://www.amanmanazir.com/resume
🧠 Get my free LeetCode Roadmap – https://www.amanmanazir.com/leetcode
💌 Free weekly productivity insights/advice – https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter
📕 All my free Notion templates – https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion
📝 Sign up for Notion – https://affiliate.notion.so/2nh3pjr6l5l6
📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amanmanazir/
🐦 Twitter – https://twitter.com/amanmanazir
👉 Olivia's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/su-min-l-011515118?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_android
—
⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:06 Perfect AMC 8 Score Despite No English
02:05 Korean Math System vs. US Curriculum
04:15 Moving to America at Age 10
06:11 Learning English and Building a Mindset
07:59 Competition Math Comes Easy in the US
08:50 Path to Perfect AMC 8 and AIME
11:32 High School Peak vs. Later Decline
16:55 Software Engineering Accelerator Ad Break
17:51 How High Schoolers Discover Quant Trading
19:46 College Admissions Process and Caltech Decision
21:03 What the Caltech Experience Was Actually Like
22:37 Does GPA Really Matter for Quant?
24:37 High School Network vs. College Network
27:38 Building a Resume to Break Into Quant
29:49 Understanding the Quant Recruiting Cycle
32:21 Which Firms She Interviewed and Prepped For
37:43 Inside the HRT Interview Process
41:02 Getting the HRT Offer and Reaction
41:50 HRT Total Compensation Breakdown
45:11 Day-to-Day Life on a Quant Salary
51:20 What Quants Actually Spend Money On
55:34 Getting Fired From HRT After One Year
58:04 Immediate Reaction to Losing the Job
1:00:25 Understanding the Non-Compete Payout
1:02:21 What She Did During 18 Months Off
1:05:18 Deciding to Pivot Into Big Tech
1:06:30 Comparing Instagram Culture to HRT
1:07:55 Instagram Compensation and the Salary Cut
1:10:08 Getting Laid Off From Instagram
1:12:33 Chasing Fulfillment Over High Compensation
1:14:12 Reflecting on Two Job Losses in Five Years
1:15:41 Advice to Her 13-Year-Old Self
7 Aug 2026
How This 23-Year-Old Actress Makes $200,000/yr (With No CS Experience)
She wanted to be an actress with zero CS experience, now she's a software engineer at Meta making $200K+ by 23.
Marilyn joins Aman to unpack her rejection, the layoffs she survived, and why she chose stability over passion. A raw, practical look at building a career in big tech.
Computer science students, new grads, and software engineers…want to land your dream software engineering job or internship? Click here 👉https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcasts_description&utm_campaign=Marilyn_Actress&video=nO5Yzt3rLYM
🚀 Get my free Software Engineering Crash Course – https://www.amanmanazir.com/7dayengineer
🎧 Listen to all episodes of the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/AmanManazir
Listen to our new podcast, @TheEntropyShow: https://youtu.be/MDJQXbXPngg?si=vQqITmNzy3fhfcV1
I’m Aman Manazir, a career coach and software engineer. I interned at companies like Amazon, Shopify, and HP in college, and the day I graduated I landed a $168,000/year* full-time software engineering job. I help you make it as a computer science student & software engineer and get your dream job offer.
📄 Get my free resume template – https://www.amanmanazir.com/resume
🧠 Get my free LeetCode Roadmap – https://www.amanmanazir.com/leetcode
💌 Free weekly productivity insights/advice – https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter
📕 All my free Notion templates – https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion
📝 Sign up for Notion – https://affiliate.notion.so/2nh3pjr6l5l6
📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amanmanazir/
🐦 Twitter – https://twitter.com/amanmanazir
👉 Marilyn's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mareomni
👉 Marilyn's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mareomni
—
⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:40 Software Engineer at Meta, Aspiring Actress
01:54 From Classical Pianist to Computer Science
06:05 Why She Randomly Chose Economics
07:57 Discovering a Passion for Acting
10:58 Landing the Atlassian Internship
11:15 Coasting Through Her First Internship
13:25 The Devastating Return Offer Rejection
14:25 Freezing Up, Ghosting 12 Interviews
17:57 Grinding LeetCode to Land Meta
19:36 How to Recover From Rejection
21:19 Don't Attach Your Identity to Companies
22:41 Cracking the Technical Interview Code
24:34 Is LeetCode Overrated or Underrated
25:58 What Changed During the Meta Internship
29:33 A Manager Who Trained Her Like a Senior
33:09 Earning the Highest Rating, Return Offer
35:18 Meta's Layoffs Hit Close to Home
37:44 Why Big Tech Keeps Cutting Jobs
40:12 Losing Her Team's Culture Overnight
41:26 Posting Online and Facing Hate Comments
46:07 Should Engineers Post Content Online
48:34 Is Big Tech Actually a Scam
51:01 Do Perks Still Matter at Work
52:04 Why People Get Disillusioned With Big Tech
54:39 Recruiting Right After Layoffs Happen
56:24 Revealing Her Meta Salary at 23
59:27 Personality Determines How Money Changes You
1:00:04 Choosing Stability Over Her Acting Dream
1:02:38 Why Influencing Beats Acting for Stability
1:04:00 Should You Follow Passion or Logic
1:05:45 Finding Time to Build a Side Hustle
1:07:30 Becoming a Translator Between Tech and Creativity
1:08:45 Where to Find Marilyn Online
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
5,983,803
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
3.6 / 5
13 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
16 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 54 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
32
Social presence
94
YouTube
93
Engagement
50
Contact Lift Off with Aman Manazir
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