In this clip from Who Got Me Here, Kraig Swensrud explains why the most powerful relationships in your career are forged “in the trenches” — shipping products, solving problems, and going through real work together.

He shares how early teammates from cubicles and scrappy startups went on to become CROs and executives at companies like Dropbox, Zendesk, and Miro—and why those shared experiences created bonds that lasted decades.

Kraig’s message to early-career professionals: don’t underestimate the people sitting next to you right now. The projects you’re grinding on together today are the foundation of the network that will be leading the tech industry 10–20 years from now.

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