Breaking Into Big Tech Without a “Brand Name” Company (2 YOE Reality)

I recently had a conversation with a tech recruiter who has worked at several big tech companies. She mentioned that since my work experience is at a small service-based company and doesn’t include a well-known “brand name,” my resume might not move forward in the initial screening process. Hearing this left me a bit confused about how to realistically break into big tech. For context, I currently have around 2 years of experience as a software engineer in the U.S., working at a smaller service company. I’ve been gaining hands-on experience building backend systems and working on production applications, but I’m unsure how much the company name impacts my chances when applying to large tech firms. I wanted to ask people here who have gone through similar situations: • Is it actually difficult to move into big tech from a small or service-based company? • What steps helped you get past resume screens if you didn’t have a recognizable company on your resume? • Should the focus be more on LeetCode / DSA preparation, impactful projects, or moving first to a mid-tier tech company before targeting big tech? • How important are referrals and networking in overcoming the lack of a well-known company on the resume? I’d really appreciate hearing experiences from engineers who started in smaller companies and eventually made the transition to big tech. What worked for you and what would you recommend focusing on at this stage of my career?