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HackerRank SkillUp
About SkillUp
SkillUp is an enterprise platform that helps developers upskill through hands-on, AI-guided coding challenges while giving engineering leaders a live inventory of their teams' strengths, weaknesses and AI-readiness.
About SkillUp
SkillUp is an enterprise platform that helps developers upskill through hands-on, AI-guided coding challenges while giving engineering leaders a live inventory of their teams' strengths, weaknesses and AI-readiness.
Problems/Opportunities
For Developers
Most L&D platforms stop at videos and articles, leaving developers unable to apply what they learn on the job. SkillUp bridges that gap with bite-sized, repo-based coding challenges mapped to your tech stack equipping each developer with a personal AI tutor.
A clear, transparent, tangible path to aspirational roles/internal mobility.
For Engineering Leadership/L&D Team
Gain a real-time skill map of the org that exposes strengths, gaps, and AI readiness
Data-driven insights to plan and upskill teams onto new tech stacks.
Verified skill based role benchmarks with standardised expectations, giving every developer a clear career path.
Have a measurable ROI in L&D
Drive sharper performance and retention while fostering a merit-driven culture.
For HackerRank
Diversification: HackerRank's hiring suite drives most of its ARR, so growth is tied to hiring cycles. The L&D market, in contrast, tends to expand when hiring slows.
Native leverage: HackerRank’s auto-grading engine, already central to hiring, is ideal for an L&D platform. Some customers are already using the recruiting product to upskill their own developers.
Developer life-cycle lock-in: HackerRank Community and HRW handle early stages (practice and hiring). SkillUp completes the journey by driving post-hire growth and advancement.
Problems/Opportunities
For Developers
Most L&D platforms stop at videos and articles, leaving developers unable to apply what they learn on the job. SkillUp bridges that gap with bite-sized, repo-based coding challenges mapped to your tech stack equipping each developer with a personal AI tutor.
A clear, transparent, tangible path to aspirational roles/internal mobility.
For Engineering Leadership/L&D Team
Gain a real-time skill map of the org that exposes strengths, gaps, and AI readiness
Data-driven insights to plan and upskill teams onto new tech stacks.
Verified skill based role benchmarks with standardised expectations, giving every developer a clear career path.
Have a measurable ROI in L&D
Drive sharper performance and retention while fostering a merit-driven culture.
For HackerRank
Diversification: HackerRank's hiring suite drives most of its ARR, so growth is tied to hiring cycles. The L&D market, in contrast, tends to expand when hiring slows.
Native leverage: HackerRank’s auto-grading engine, already central to hiring, is ideal for an L&D platform. Some customers are already using the recruiting product to upskill their own developers.
Developer life-cycle lock-in: HackerRank Community and HRW handle early stages (practice and hiring). SkillUp completes the journey by driving post-hire growth and advancement.
My Role
As the team’s design owner, I crafted every pixel while partnering with three successive product managers (including the VP of Product), the VP of Design, and the CEO. My long-running context and sharp product instincts earned me the trust to act as de facto PM: running stand-ups, defining the product roadmap, shaping the GTM plan, and translating executive vision into concrete deliverables.
My Role
As the team’s design owner, I crafted every pixel while partnering with three successive product managers (including the VP of Product), the VP of Design, and the CEO. My long-running context and sharp product instincts earned me the trust to act as de facto PM: running stand-ups, defining the product roadmap, shaping the GTM plan, and translating executive vision into concrete deliverables.
Impact
Impact
My Learnings
PRDs are cheaper than design, design is cheaper than code. We all know this yet looming deadlines sometimes lure teams straight to wireframes. After making this mistake myself, I started holding the line until all stakeholders aligned on the persona and PRD, saving rework.
Early cross-functional workshops that involve the whole team from the inception, slash late-stage critique and turn customer feedback into shared ownership.
Developers (users) upskill willingly when the learning feels job-relevant and game-like; engagement beats obligation, so double down on making your pedagogy spark curiosity.
Figured out when to fork a design system for speed and when to merge back for consistency, a balance that will guide future platform decisions.
My Learnings
PRDs are cheaper than design, design is cheaper than code. We all know this yet looming deadlines sometimes lure teams straight to wireframes. After making this mistake myself, I started holding the line until all stakeholders aligned on the persona and PRD, saving rework.
Early cross-functional workshops that involve the whole team from the inception, slash late-stage critique and turn customer feedback into shared ownership.
Developers (users) upskill willingly when the learning feels job-relevant and game-like; engagement beats obligation, so double down on making your pedagogy spark curiosity.
Figured out when to fork a design system for speed and when to merge back for consistency, a balance that will guide future platform decisions.
Detailed case study
Detailed case study