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Kira Thompson
Building high-performing teams that ship great products.
I lead a team of 12 engineers at Stripe building fraud detection systems that protect millions of businesses. With 8 years as an individual contributor before transitioning to management, I bring deep technical expertise to my leadership role. I'm passionate about creating inclusive team cultures, developing career frameworks, and helping engineers grow into their full potential. My approach centers on psychological safety, clear communication, and celebrating wins—big and small.
My Story
I spent 8 years as an individual contributor before making the leap to management. For most of that time, I resisted the idea of managing—I loved coding, loved solving hard problems, and thought management meant giving that up. But when I looked around at the managers in tech, I didn't see many who looked like me. I realized that by staying an IC, I was leaving decisions about team culture, hiring, and promotions to people who might not prioritize the things I cared about.
The transition wasn't easy. I had to unlearn my instinct to solve every problem myself and learn to find fulfillment in watching others succeed. The hardest part? Letting go of being the smartest person in the room and embracing being the person who makes others smarter. Now I manage a team building critical infrastructure at Stripe, and my biggest wins aren't the code I write—they're the engineers I've helped get promoted, the inclusive culture we've built, and the trust my team places in me. Leadership is a skill, and Black women deserve more seats at that table.
my EXPERIENCE
Manages a team of 12 engineers building Stripe's fraud detection systems
Grew team from 3 to 12 engineers while maintaining high performance
Developed Stripe's engineering career ladder framework
Former principal engineer at Square
my SKILLS
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