Tech Lead Journal

Why do the best developers often make the worst software architects? The skills that make someone a hero developer can become the habits that hold their team back once they move into architecture.

In this episode, Lee Atchison, software architect and author of “The Software Conductor”, explains what changes when you move from writing code to leading through other people. He shares why he rewrote his book three times before settling on a story format, and how the orchestra conductor analogy captures the architect’s role. Lee walks through the four ways architects fail in hero mode, the five questions a conductor asks that architects can use to spot problems early, and why most system failures are really broken connections between people. He also explains why architects should act as mentors who remove obstacles and offer a test for whether you taught or just decided. Finally, he shares his view on AI, why judgment matters more than any particular role, and why he expects the dark factory trend to fade.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Lee Atchison’s Bio
Lee Atchison is a software architect, author, and speaker focused on cloud computing, scalable system design, and the developer-to-architect transition. He is the author of Architecting for Scale (O’Reilly), Overcoming IT Complexity (O’Reilly), and The Software Conductor, and the creator of courses for O’Reilly Media and LinkedIn Learning. He writes the Software Architecture Insights newsletter and guest hosts on Software Engineering Daily. With three decades in the industry, including seven years at Amazon and AWS and eight at New Relic, Lee has worked with engineering teams at Nike, Disney, Starbucks, MLB, and Bank of America, and presented at AWS re:Invent and similar conferences. He works with organizations through his practice, Atchison Technology, and most recently served as CTO at Product Genius.

Follow Lee:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/270.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Why can’t you “move fast and break things” in a factory? Because a small software bug doesn’t just crash an app, it can shut down a plant the size of a small city. David and Willem explain the hidden world of operational technology, where safety always comes before speed.

In this episode, David Ariens and Willem van Lammeren, co-authors of “The IT/OT Handbook” and hosts of the IT/OT Insider podcast, break down the divide between IT and OT, information technology and operational technology, and why closing it matters more than ever as manufacturing digitalizes. They explain why OT prioritizes safety and integrity over confidentiality and share a war story where a single form change in China left hundreds of trucks stranded outside a factory. David and Willem walk through the seven cooperation patterns from their book, from “good shadow IT” to facilitation, project teams, and full product teams, and explain why breaking down silos too early can backfire. They also discuss why factories still run Windows XP decades past the end of life, why generative AI’s impact on manufacturing will be slower and different from software, and why the real shortage in this industry isn’t AI, it’s automation engineers.

Timestamps:

_____

David Ariens’s Bio
David Ariens is a mathematical engineer, co-founder of The IT/OT Insider and The IT/OT Handbook. Previously the Industrial Digitalization Director at BASF Antwerp and former manager of Analytics For Industry, David focuses on industrial cybersecurity, data platforms, and bridging IT and OT through human-centric digital transformation.

Willem van Lammeren’s Bio
Willem van Lammeren is a chemical engineer, co-founder of The IT/OT Insider and The IT/OT Handbook. He serves as Tech Lead for Industrial IT at Syensqo (formerly Solvay) with extensive experience spanning Barry Callebaut and BASF, focusing on industrial digitalization and operational data architectures.

Follow:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/269.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

What’s the one rule that matters most when AI writes most of your code? Emilie says it comes down to a single line: don’t outsource your thinking.

In this episode, Emilie Schario, co-founder of Kilo Code, unpacks what it actually means to lead in a world where AI can write most of your code. She explains why Kilo went all-in on being model agnostic, supporting over 500 models instead of betting on a single lab. Emilie shares her core rule for using AI responsibly: never outsource your thinking, especially when it comes to auth, billing, or security. She introduces a metric more companies should be tracking, spend per merged pull request, as a better signal of value than raw AI cost. Emilie also talks about the “killing problem” that comes with software becoming nearly free to ship, and why teams now discover product-market fit after shipping rather than before. She closes with how engineers are shifting from producers to reviewers, and what that means for anyone now managing a team of AI agents instead of just their own code.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Emilie Schario’s Bio
Emilie is VP, Engineering at Anaconda and the former cofounder of Kilo (acquired by Anaconda), where she focuses on turning AI investment into real engineering output. She operates at the intersection of AI tooling, engineering org design, and the day-to-day realities of running high-performing teams, helping organizations translate innovation into measurable impact.

Follow Emilie:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/268.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

If you’re not using AI five times an hour, you’re already behind, says the man who built the first AI assistant back in 1998. Kevin explains why that pace is now the baseline, not the exception, for developers who want to stay employed.

In this episode, Kevin Surace, the inventor of the first AI assistant and CEO of Appvance, joins to unpack six decades of AI evolution, from hidden Markov models to the LLM breakthroughs now powering coding agents. Kevin shares how his work at General Magic became the licensed technology behind Siri and Alexa, and how he ended up inventing post-training before anyone had a name for it. He explains why the only developers losing their jobs are the ones refusing to adopt AI, and how the role is shifting from writing code to specifying, coordinating, and testing it across a fleet of agents. Kevin also introduces AI Script Generation Bug Hunter, the testing technology uncovering thousands of bugs humans never catch. The conversation closes with his new book, Joy-Success Cycle, and why he believes joy has to come before success, not after.

Timestamps:

_____

Kevin Surace’s Bio
Kevin Surace is an AI pioneer and human effectiveness authority helping people thrive while AI reshapes how we work and live. Widely recognized as the father of the virtual assistant, he holds 95 worldwide patents and has been named INC Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year, a CNBC Top Innovator of the Decade, and a World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer. He is the author of The Joy-Success Cycle, a practical framework for sustained human effectiveness during rapid change.

Follow Kevin:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/267.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Does moving faster with AI mean you get to skip the laws that governed every software project before it? Milan Milanovic argues the opposite, the old laws of software engineering now apply twice as hard.

In this episode, Milan Milanovic, CTO and author of Laws of Software Engineering, returns to unpack why the laws that have quietly governed software projects for decades are more relevant than ever in the AI era. He walks through Gall’s Law and why AI lets teams generate complex systems on unvalidated assumptions faster than ever, Conway’s Law and how it now runs twice, shaping both human organizations and agent topologies, and Goodhart’s Law and the trap of “tokenmaxxing” as a metric. Milan also covers Hofstadter’s Law and the 90-90 rule, explaining why the last 10% of a project still takes as long with AI in the loop, and the Dunning-Kruger effect, where vibe coders overestimate their skills while senior engineers underestimate theirs. The conversation closes with his advice for juniors entering the field, his top five must-read books, and how he personally uses AI for research and planning rather than implementation.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Milan Milanovic’s Bio
Milan Milanović is the CTO and the author of Laws of Software Engineering. He holds a PhD in Computer Science, has more than 20 years of experience across .NET, Azure, and mobile development, and is a Microsoft MVP. He runs Tech World With Milan, a software engineering newsletter and community followed by more than 400,000 engineers. He writes about architecture, engineering leadership, and how AI is changing the way software gets built.

Follow Milan:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/266.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(04:48) Brought to you by SpeechifyAI

Tired of text-to-speech that sounds robotic or costs too much at scale? SpeechifyAI's new Simba 3.2 model ranks #1 on Artificial Analysis for realness, priced under $10 per million characters. Building something conversational? Check out the Simba Voice Agents API for low-latency, natural back-and-forth interaction. Try it free at speechify.ai.

Why do the same software delivery illusions keep fooling smart engineering teams? Elisabeth and Joel show how systems thinking, through signals and levers, helps you spot the illusions of progress, predictability, and control before they cost you.

In this episode, Elisabeth Hendrickson and Joel Tosi, co-authors of Signals & Levers, share the story behind the book and trace the “software crisis” back to a 1968 NATO conference, arguing it never actually went away. They explain why software delivery is an adaptive sociotechnical system, and why treating it as a simple linear process leads leaders to pull the wrong levers.

Elisabeth breaks down why proxy metrics like velocity are made-up numbers dressed up as science, and why cycle time tells a truer story. Joel walks through the CREATE framework (capacity, risk, execution, adaptability, trust, and economics), and how it can help leaders spot unintended consequences before they happen. They also dig into the three illusions leaders live under: illusion of progress, predictability, and control.

The conversation closes with a candid look at where AI fits into all of this, when it amplifies good systems, when it makes bad ones worse, and why optimizing for learning matters more than ever.

Timestamps:

_____

Elisabeth Hendrickson & Joel Tosi’s Bio
Elisabeth Hendrickson is a technology leader with 30+ years of experience, having served as VP R&D at a public company and VP Engineering at a Series B startup. She’s the author of Explore It! and There’s Always a Duck, and now helps tech leaders improve collaboration, decision-making, and execution.

Joel Tosi has spent over 25 years delivering software products. For the past decade, he’s helped teams see the systemic issues holding them back and stop “change theater,” using the techniques from Signals & Levers to give everyone a shared view of reality. He’s presented these ideas internationally for over five years.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/265.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Is vibe coding quietly draining the thing that makes teams effective: their shared understanding? Margaret breaks down her new “triple debt” model, and why cognitive debt might be the one nobody’s tracking.

In this episode, Margaret-Anne Storey, co-author of the SPACE framework and a leading developer experience researcher, returns three years after her first appearance to unpack her new “triple debt” model. She explains how technical debt is now joined by cognitive debt, the erosion of shared understanding across a team, and intent debt, the loss of the “why” behind decisions that agents also lack.

Drawing on her Startup Studio course, where student teams built MVPs in minutes only to lose track of their own architecture weeks later, she walks through what pushed her to name these problems. The conversation covers cognitive surrender, developer fatigue from managing swarms of agents, and the warning signs leaders should watch for on their teams.

Margaret also introduces Cognitive Tours, a tool inspired by sailing waypoints and log books, and the idea of strategic friction: deliberately slowing down to preserve understanding. She closes by revisiting the SPACE framework and why its five dimensions still hold up even as AI changes every question we ask about them.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Margaret-Anne Storey’s Bio

Margaret-Anne Storey is a professor of computer science at the University of Victoria and a Canada research chair in human and social aspects of software engineering. She is coauthor of the SPACE framework and a leading researcher in developer experience (DevEx). Her research focuses on how developers and teams understand complex software systems and how tools, AI, and collaborative practices shape that understanding. Her recent work examines how generative AI is transforming software engineering by changing how understanding is created, shared, and maintained. She collaborates with industry partners including Microsoft and DX. She holds an honorary doctorate from Lund University.

Follow Margaret:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/264.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

If expertise is becoming almost free, why is judgment becoming the most expensive skill in tech? Ajey Gore, former Gojek CTO, explains why the age of AI agents rewards builders over typists.

In this episode, Ajey Gore, former Group CTO of Gojek and Operating Partner at Peak XV Partners, explains why coding agents are forcing software teams to rethink what “correct” really means. He argues that as expertise becomes cheap, judgment becomes the scarcest and most valuable skill in engineering. Ajey walks through why the classic developer-to-reviewer workflow no longer makes sense when agents can generate thousands of lines a day, and why trunk-based development, feature flags, and rigorous testing matter more than ever. He also shares how he built ClawStation solo, coordinating specialized AI agents through story cards instead of writing code by hand. The conversation covers why most organizations still fail to see returns from AI adoption, and what happens when leaders cut headcount without redesigning how work actually flows.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Ajey Gore’s Bio
Ajey Gore is a technologist, builder, and founder who has spent two decades turning engineering into scale. As Group CTO of Gojek, he grew the platform from 300K to 120M monthly orders and built a 2,000-strong engineering org powering one of Southeast Asia’s largest super-apps. He was an early employee at ThoughtWorks India, founded CodeIgnition (acquired by Gojek), and served as Operating Partner at Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia India & SEA), advising founders across the region. Today he builds and advises at the intersection of AI, infrastructure, and product — and is a hands-on practitioner who still ships code.

Follow Ajey:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/263.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

What if optimizing for AI output is actually slowing your company down? When code becomes nearly free to produce, the organizations still measuring productivity by output are solving the wrong problem.

In this episode, Mik Kersten, author of “Project to Product” and the forthcoming “Output to Outcome,” shares why the real challenge of the AI era isn’t generating more code — it’s building organizations that can turn that output into customer and business value. Drawing on Carlota Perez’s model of technological revolutions and the theory of constraints, Mik explains how AI has removed the output bottleneck that software organizations were built around, and where the new constraints now live.

He introduces three core models from the book — the outcome loop, the product operating model, and the outcome tree — as a framework for adapting how organizations plan, fund, and deliver value. Mik also addresses one of the most pressing decisions leaders face today: whether to cut headcount based on AI productivity gains, and why doing so without outcome visibility is a dangerous bet. The conversation covers how organizational structure, decision-making accountability, and leadership roles all need to shift — not just development practices.

Timestamps:

_____

Mik Kersten’s Bio
Dr. Mik Kersten is an independent technology strategist and creator of the Flow Framework, best known for his bestselling book Project to Product. He founded Tasktop and led it as CEO until its acquisition by Planview in 2022.
Mik began his career at Xerox PARC, where his team created the first aspect-oriented programming language. He then earned his PhD in Computer Science at UBC, pioneering the integration of software development and collaboration tools — work that laid the foundation for Tasktop and the field of Value Stream Management.
Today, he helps leaders shift from output-driven to outcome-driven operating models, enabling organizations to harness AI in a human-centric way.

Follow Mik:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/262.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Why do 70% of change efforts fail — even when leadership is fully committed? The answer isn’t strategy or resources; it’s the hidden stories people unknowingly carry that silently block every initiative.

In this episode, Ronica Roth, author of “Practice Makes Culture” and co-founder of The Welcome Elephant, shares a practical framework for creating lasting organizational change. Drawing on 25 years of experience helping teams and companies transform, she explains why culture declarations and vision speeches alone never work — and what leaders at any level can do instead. Ronica introduces the concept of “welcoming elephants” — the emotional, systems, and room elephants that surface whenever change is attempted — and why acknowledging them is the first step toward real progress. She also unpacks why most culture lives beneath the surface, in hidden stories that employees carry without realizing it, and how those stories quietly undermine even well-designed initiatives.

The conversation covers how to build psychological ownership so people invest in change rather than just comply with it, and why small, intentional daily practices — not grand overhauls — are what actually shift culture. The discussion also touches on applying these principles to AI transformation, where the emotional stakes are especially high and the hidden stories especially loud.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Ronica Roth’s Bio
Ronica Roth is a transformation expert dedicated to revolutionizing how organizations work. As cofounder of The Welcome Elephant consultancy, she helps leaders build thriving cultures where both business results and human potential flourish. With deep expertise in product management, business agility, and organizational change, Ronica brings a unique perspective shaped by her certification as a Leadership Circle® practitioner and her distinguished background as a Certified Scrum Trainer Emeritus. Her approach is informed by an MS in Journalism from Northwestern University and enriched by her earlier career in newspapers, giving her exceptional skills in storytelling and communication crucial for effective organizational change.

Follow Ronica:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/261.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

What if your AI coding agent is quietly cheating on your tests — and how do you stop it? Julien Verlaguet, who built the type system Meta used to migrate tens of millions of PHP lines, is now building Skipper: a closed-loop coding agent designed to make AI-generated code verifiably correct, without human intervention.

In this episode, Julien Verlaguet, creator of the Hack programming language at Meta and co-founder of SkipLabs, explains why AI agents will always try to cheat — gaming tests, quietly modifying logic while doing something else, and declaring work done when it isn’t. He draws on his experience migrating Meta’s PHP codebase to a statically typed system, drawing sharp parallels between convincing engineers to trust a new type checker and building systems that can trust an LLM. Julien makes the case for spec-driven development with validation layers at every step, where separate AI instances verify correctness and the code-writing agent is locked out of touching tests.

He shares the story of an LLM that silently swapped a union for an intersection while splitting a file — a subtle bug that passed all tests — and why no human would ever have made that mistake. He then walks through how Skipper works: you write a spec, hand over control, and a compiler-like agent produces correct, runnable TypeScript without back-and-forth, backed by a sound incremental type system, reachability analysis, and a reactive runtime that applies diffs in milliseconds.

He closes with a grounded take on how the developer role is shifting — not disappearing — toward the kind of design, integration, and oversight work that always mattered most.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Julien Verlaguet’s Bio
Julien Verlaguet is a programming language designer and the Founder and CEO of SkipLabs. He is best known as the creator of Hack—the gradually typed language he built at Facebook that currently powers over 100 million lines of the company’s production code. After creating the open-source reactive framework Skip, Julien founded SkipLabs in 2022. His company recently launched Skipper, a closed-loop coding agent that takes a single prompt from a developer and returns a running, validated service.

Follow Julien:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/260.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Why do companies with the best intentions end up betraying their customers, employees, and mission? Eric Ries calls it “financial gravity” — an invisible force that pulls even the most principled companies toward corruption, and understanding it is the first step to resisting it.

In this episode, Eric Ries, entrepreneur and author of The Lean Startup and Incorruptible, shares why building a great company isn’t just about having a strong vision — it’s about building structures that protect that vision from external pressure. Eric revisits the core ideas behind the Lean Startup and MVP, explaining how the purpose of a minimum viable product is not to ship fast but to learn fast. He then introduces the central thesis of his new book: that the corruption we see in companies isn’t caused by bad people, but by a financial system that pulls organizations away from their values. Drawing on stories of Sol Price, FedMart, Costco, HEB, Novo Nordisk, and Anthropic, he shows that incorruptible companies are built through a combination of ethos — a deep operational commitment to doing right — and structural governance that resists outside pressure. He also unpacks how false metrics like OKRs can hollow out a company’s integrity over time, and how Mary Parker Follett’s concept of the “invisible leader” helps culture survive beyond any single founder or CEO.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Eric Ries’s Bio
Over the last two decades, Eric Ries’s ideas about continuous innovation, long-term thinking, governance, and market reform have reshaped company building and management practices. He is the creator of the Lean Startup method, and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Lean Startup; The Leader’s Guide; and The Startup Way.

As a founder, he has put his own ideas into practice with The Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE); Answer.AI, an AI R&D lab; Virgil, a legal services startup; and IMVU. On The Eric Ries Show, he talks with world-class technologists, thought leaders, and executives building for the long-term. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and three children.

Follow Eric:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/259.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

What if faster coding is actually slowing your software delivery down? Most teams are pouring AI into the coding phase, but the real bottleneck is everywhere else.

In this episode, Andrew Haschka, Field CTO at GitLab for Asia Pacific and Japan, explains why most AI strategies in software engineering are failing and what it takes to fix them. He introduces the AI paradox: teams invest heavily in AI-assisted coding, yet coding accounts for less than 20% of the software delivery lifecycle, leaving the biggest bottlenecks untouched.

Andrew makes the case for intelligent orchestration — moving from isolated AI interactions to governed, end-to-end agentic flows that span planning, coding, testing, security, compliance, and release. He shares how a unified system of record forms the foundation for high-quality AI outcomes, and why fragmented tools and siloed context actively limit what AI can deliver. Drawing on real customer examples — including Ericsson’s 50% faster deployments and 130,000 hours saved in six months — he shows what a holistic approach actually looks like in practice.

The conversation also covers how tech leads, developers, and junior engineers need to evolve their skills in a world where AI handles routine implementation. Andrew closes with a compelling argument: in the agentic era, governance isn’t just a compliance burden, it’s the primary source of competitive advantage.

Timestamps:

_____

Andrew Haschka’s Bio
Andrew Haschka serves as Field CTO for Asia Pacific & Japan at GitLab, where he acts as a trusted strategic advisor to enterprise customers and partners navigating complex technology transformation. With over 20 years of experience spanning software delivery, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, and organisational transformation, Andrew brings a rare combination of technical depth and executive-level counsel to the organisations he works with.

Prior to GitLab, Andrew held senior leadership roles across APAC at Google and VMware, and has led large-scale digital transformation programmes for organisations including Downer, IBM, Jones Lang LaSalle, Thomson Reuters, Optus, and across the Fiji and Pacific Islands.

Follow Andrew:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/258.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(07:22) Brought to you by Mailtrap

Mailtrap is a modern email delivery for developers with native SDKs support along with security compliant API & SMTP. Plus, you get 4,000 emails a month completely on their free tier! It also provides 24/7 support where you actually talk to real people, not an AI chatbot. Try Mailtrap for free at ⁠mailtrap.io⁠.

What does code review mean when AI writes most of the code? The answer isn’t to review more carefully. It’s a fundamentally different process, one built around rules, agents, and governance rather than diffs and comments.

In this episode, Itamar Friedman, founder and CEO of Qodo.ai, shares how AI is forcing a complete rethink of code review — from inline comments on code diffs to multi-agent governance systems that verify intent, architecture, and business logic at scale. He traces the evolution of code review through successive generations, explains why traditional static analysis is no longer sufficient, and lays out what a modern quality and governance layer actually looks like. Itamar also introduces the concept of “shift up” — extending quality checks into the planning phase so that technical product managers can contribute directly to shipping features — and explains how teams can move from vibe coding to viable, grounded development. The conversation also covers the race between AI labs, the role of open-source models, and a frank look at where the software developer role is heading by 2030.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Itamar Friedman’s Bio
Itamar Friedman is the CEO and Co-Founder of Qodo, an AI code review platform used by 1M + developers. Before founding Qodo, Itamar was a founder of Visualead, which was acquired by the Alibaba Group. He then worked for Alibaba Group for 4 years as the Director of Machine Vision. Now, Itamar is dedicated to quality-first code generation.

Follow Itamar:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/257.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(05:00) Brought to you by Mailtrap

Mailtrap is a modern email delivery for developers with native SDKs support along with security compliant API & SMTP. Plus, you get 4,000 emails a month completely on their free tier! It also provides 24/7 support where you actually talk to real people, not an AI chatbot. Try Mailtrap for free at mailtrap.io.

What happens when AI ships code faster than your team can review it? As agentic development accelerates your SDLC, the guardrails matter more than ever — and most teams don’t have them.

In this episode, Egil Osthus, CEO of Unleash, makes the case for FeatureOps as a strategic capability — not just a developer convenience. He explains the shift from a project mindset to a product mindset, where releases are decoupled from deployments and business outcomes matter more than shipping scope. Egil breaks down the four pillars of FeatureOps — gradual rollout, full stack experimentation, surgical rollback, and lifecycle management — and why each one becomes even more critical as AI-generated code flows faster into production. He also warns against building your own feature flag solution in-house, and shares what the rise of agentic development means for engineers who must now act as guardians of an oversight layer.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Egil Osthus’s Bio
Egil Østhus is the co-founder and CEO of Unleash, the world’s leading open-source feature management platform. As a seasoned enterprise technologist and product strategist, he operates at the cutting edge of business and software engineering.

Egil’s mission is to help technology leaders and businesses move beyond traditional DevOps by embracing FeatureOps, a new methodology that provides a critical safety net for the accelerating, and often risky, world of agentic software development. He has a unique ability to speak the language of both engineers and senior executives, making complex topics accessible and actionable.

Follow Egil:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/256.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

What if vibe coding is the worst thing you could do with AI agents? The developers seeing the biggest gains aren’t prompting harder. They’re planning smarter, spec-first, and treating AI as a facilitator rather than a code generation engine.

In this episode, Brian Madison, creator of the BMad Method, shares how a year of late-night AI experiments led him to a structured, Agile-inspired approach to building software with AI agents. Brian explains why jumping straight into agent mode without upfront planning (what most people call vibe coding) reliably hits a wall, and how a disciplined spec-first workflow breaks through that ceiling.

He walks through the BMad Method’s core workflow: brainstorming, PRD, architecture, UX design, and context-rich user stories, each feeding into the next so the agent always has exactly what it needs. Brian also recounts a transformative two-week sprint he ran with his team where engineers were given permission to fail, and how that single experiment changed the way his entire organisation works with AI.

Finally, he reflects on what this shift means for the future of software engineering — where the unit of work is moving from tasks and stories to full features and epics, and every engineer can operate more like a tech lead.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Brian Madison’s Bio
Brian Madison is the creator of the BMad Method, an open-source framework that treats AI as a facilitator for workflows across any domain—software development, product management, operations, and beyond. Used globally, the BMad Method helps people work through complex processes using AI personas, from engineers driving spec-driven development to product managers crafting better PRDs and requirements.

Currently a Senior Engineering Manager at Extend, Brian led product engineering teams toward becoming an AI-native organization and now leads the entire AI SDLC transformation for the company, using the BMad Method as a framework, reimagining how AI flows through the full software development lifecycle.

Brian’s approach to leadership was forged during his service in the U.S. Army, where he learned the values of servant leadership, discipline, and mission-first execution.

Follow Brian:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/255.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Why do 80-95% of AI initiatives fail — and why is your organization’s structure to blame? Most companies are treating AI like a software upgrade, when it actually demands a complete rewiring of how work gets done.

In this episode, Melissa Reeve, author of Hyperadaptive and organizational change expert, shares a practical model for transforming legacy enterprises into AI-native organizations built to thrive — not just survive — in the age of AI. Drawing on her experience with the Toyota Production System, Scaled Agile, and deep research into leading AI adopters, Melissa argues that the real barriers to AI adoption are structural: Taylorist hierarchies, functional silos, and decision bottlenecks that organizations have never been forced to dismantle — until now. She introduces the Hyperadaptive model, a five-stage maturity path that gradually rewires how organizations operate, from establishing AI governance and identifying champions, to deploying agentic AI and organizing around customer value streams. Unlike past transformations, AI will compress both the strategy-to-execution and concept-to-delivery dimensions simultaneously — and the organizations that fail to adapt will be displaced by AI-native competitors rising far faster than Uber or Airbnb ever did.

Timestamps:

_____

Melissa Reeve’s Bio
Melissa Reeve creator of the Hyperadaptive Model and author of Hyperdaptive: Re-wiring the Enterprise to Become AI-Native. Hyperadaptive brings together process excellence, systems thinking, and the human side of AI integration to help leaders reimagine how their organizations learn and adapt.

Prior to leaning into AI, Melissa spent 25 years as an executive and Agile thought leader, which led to pioneering work in Agile marketing and her role as the first VP of Marketing at Scaled Agile and co-founding the Agile Marketing Alliance. She lives in Boulder, CO, with her husband, dogs, and chickens, where she enjoys hiking and gardening.

Follow Melissa:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/254.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

What does it take to build a world-class engineering culture when you start with five engineers on minimum wage? Tommy Sullivan did exactly that at Vidio — and the team’s average tenure of seven years tells you everything about whether it worked.

In this episode, Tommy Sullivan, CTO of Vidio (Indonesia’s largest streaming platform) shares how he built an engineering culture from almost nothing, growing a team of five to over two hundred using Extreme Programming principles and a relentless focus on hiring for attitude over aptitude. Tommy traces his journey from Pivotal Labs in San Francisco to the early days of Indonesia’s tech boom, explaining why Vidio survived when well-funded competitors like Hooq and iFlix all shut down.

Along the way, he gets into where AI has worked and where it has failed at Vidio, how the team is rethinking pair programming in the age of AI agents, what it takes to stream four terabytes per second during live events, and why protecting code quality is ultimately a culture problem, not a tooling one. Tommy also shares a hard-earned view on the agentic AI trend and why understanding the underlying mechanics matters more than chasing the hype.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Tommy Sullivan’s Bio
Tommy Sullivan leads the software engineering behind Vidio — Indonesia’s leading video-streaming platform. Before joining the Vidio / Emtek group, he helped startups and global enterprises implement agile engineering and lean product development practices in Silicon Valley and Southeast Asia. As a founding member of Vidio, Tommy shaped its early development and steered its evolution from a user-generated content platform to a premium streaming service supporting millions of subscribers. He leads with a focus on data-driven decisions and a humble, collaborative developer culture.

Follow Tommy:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/253.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Why do so many talented senior engineers struggle the moment they step into a tech lead role? Most of them are promoted based on their coding ability, but that same strength becomes a liability the moment they start leading a team.

In this episode, Anemari Fiser, tech lead coach and author of “Leveling Up as a Tech Lead”, shares the three mindset shifts that define the transition from senior engineer to effective tech lead: moving from an “I” to a “We” mindset, shifting focus from code to value, and trading short-term thinking for long-term impact. She explains why so many engineers hold on to coding out of fear, how to delegate without losing accountability, and why most technical problems are really people problems in disguise. Anemari also addresses how AI is reshaping the tech lead role and why the fundamentals of leadership still apply regardless of the tools your team uses.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Anemari Fiser’s Bio
Anemari Fiser is a tech leadership trainer, coach and O’Reilly author of Leveling Up as a Tech Lead. With over a decade in tech, she has coached 500+ engineers and trained 400+ tech leads worldwide, and shares practical leadership insights on LinkedIn with a community of 30,000+ tech professionals.

Follow Anemari:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/252.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

In a world where AI can build your MVP overnight, what actually gives you a lasting competitive edge? Andrew Stevens argues it’s not the software — it’s the data, the trust, and the systems you build around them.

In this episode, Andrew Stevens, CTO of Sakura Sky and a technology leader with 30+ years of experience building, scaling, and selling companies, shares hard-won lessons from his journey across startups, enterprises, and AI ventures. He explains why product-market fit matters more than shipping fast, why data outlasts software as a competitive moat, and how leaders must design systems that don’t depend on their own heroics. Andrew also shares how a near-fatal accident reshaped his thinking on resilience, delegation, and what it truly means to build something that scales. From hiring for attitude over technical skill to building AI governance that accelerates rather than blocks innovation, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom for anyone leading in the AI era.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Andrew Stevens’s Bio
Andrew Stevens, CTO of Sakura Sky, is an executive leader and hands-on technologist who has scaled AI and cloud ventures from idea to acquisition. Based between Europe and the US, he blends deep expertise in cloud architecture, machine learning, and security with a track record in fintech, media, gaming, and AI.

Known for making complex tech relatable - often with pop-culture twists - Andrew brings sharp insights on AI guardrails, infrastructure resilience, and the creative edge humans hold in an AI-driven world. Whether advising founders, investing in early-stage startups, or speaking on global stages, Andrew helps audiences cut through the hype and focus on what matters most.

Follow Andrew:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/251.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

With AI generating code faster than ever, coding alone is no longer enough. The engineers who will stand out aren’t the ones who write the most code, but the ones who know what to build and why.

In this episode, Drew Hoskins, author of “The Product-Minded Engineer”, shares how engineers can develop the product thinking skills that will define their careers in the AI era. Drew draws on his experience as a senior staff engineer at Microsoft, Meta, and Stripe to explain why the best engineers care as much about the what and why as the how. He introduces the Double Diamond Framework (Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver) and calls out why most engineers make the mistake of jumping straight to the Develop phase. He also explains the concept of the “great re-indexing”: the mental shift required to switch between thinking like an engineer and thinking like a user. As AI takes over more of the routine coding work, Drew argues that product skills, people skills, and ownership skills are what will separate good engineers from truly impactful ones.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Drew Hoskins’s Bio
Drew Hoskins blends product, engineering, and storytelling in his work and writing. He is the author of The Product-Minded Engineer. As an engineer, Drew has helped design and build a wide range of innovative products and platforms for Microsoft, Meta, and Stripe.

Throughout his career, he has carried a passion for empowering developers. He’s founded and led several teams to major successes with developer platforms that have withstood the test of time. He’s currently a Staff Product Manager at Temporal Technologies, bringing durable execution to the masses.

He is an expert bridge player, having won a North American Championship in 2025, and lives in the beautiful and nerdy San Francisco Bay Area.

Follow Drew:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/250.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

What if the MCP server you installed last week is silently leaking your emails to a stranger? The AI tools boosting your productivity could already be your biggest security liability.

MCP (Model Context Protocol) has quickly become the standard for connecting AI agents to external tools and data sources. But as adoption accelerates, so do the risks – from malicious servers harvesting your credentials in the background, to local processes exposed to your entire network with no authentication. Most developers install MCP servers without fully understanding what code is running or who wrote it, creating serious supply chain and shadow IT problems inside organizations.

In this episode, Ariel Shiftan, CTO of MCPTotal, explains how MCP actually works, why there is a wide gap between its original design and how it is used in practice, and what that gap means for security. He also walks through real zero-days his team has discovered and shares practical advice for developers and enterprise leaders trying to adopt MCP without compromising their security posture.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Ariel Shiftan’s Bio
Ariel is a software engineer and security expert with more than 20 years of hands-on and executive leadership experience across cybersecurity, distributed systems, and AI infrastructure. He holds a PhD in Computer Science, specializing in advanced algorithms and systems. Earlier in his career, Ariel founded NorthBit, a deep-tech cybersecurity firm that was acquired by Magic Leap in 2016, where he led product security globally, overseeing the security lifecycle across more than 700 engineers. He has also led applied AI breakthroughs, including heading an XPRIZE-winning team that used deep learning to fight malaria in Africa.

Follow Ariel:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/249.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Think you’re just “not a people person”? Most tech leaders quietly believe this about themselves, and it’s exactly what’s holding them back.

In this episode, Martijn Versteeg, founder of peer leadership community Group Effort and former CPTO with a background in organizational psychology, makes the case that it’s not: human behavior follows predictable patterns you can understand and work with, just like any system. The conversation covers a six-variable model for understanding what drives behavior and disengagement on your team, why popular personality tools like MBTI and DiSC often do more harm than good, and a clear structure for delivering bad news without the usual stress buildup. We also get into what it really takes to let go of hands-on coding when you move into leadership, why developing a product mindset matters even if product isn’t in your title, and the psychological risks of heavy AI use that most teams still aren’t thinking about.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Martijn Versteeg’s Bio
Martijn Versteeg is the founder of Group Effort, a Netherlands-based collective that empowers tech and product leaders across Europe through peer groups, offsites, and specialized training. As a key figure in the global product community, he is also an organizer of the Product Mastery Conference, where he helps curate insights for the next generation of product leaders.

Before founding Group Effort, Martijn built and successfully sold an EdTech IT platform and spent over five years as an Agile coach and Scrum Master. His unique perspective on leadership is rooted in high-performance athletics; at just 22 years old, he served as the National Rowing Coach for Singapore.

Today, Martijn is a vocal advocate for community-led learning. He frequently challenges leaders to move past the search for “golden nuggets” of wisdom and instead focus on the consistent, incremental iterations that solve the “hard people stuff” in scaling organizations.

Follow Martijn:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/248.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Is your platform engineering initiative struggling to deliver results? The problem might not be your tools or technology at all.

In this episode, Sam Barlien, Community Organizer at Platform Engineering (the world’s largest platform engineering community), shares insights from speaking with nearly 400 engineering leaders last year about why their platform initiatives succeed or fail. The biggest revelation: it’s almost never about the tools. Sam explains why treating your internal platform like a product, complete with user research, documentation, and a product manager mindset, is the key differentiator between real platform engineering and just a rebranded operations team. He breaks down how to start small with a minimum viable platform, measure what actually matters, and build golden paths that developers want to follow. The conversation also covers how AI is both accelerating the need for platform engineering and transforming how platforms are built and operated.

Key Topics Discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Sam Barlien’s Bio
Sam Barlien is a community organiser for the Platform Engineering Community. He is a tech nerd, and has been involved in tech communities for more than 10 years. He helps manage Platform Weekly, co-hosts PlatformCon, and drives the community Ambassador program, blog and Youtube channel.

Follow Sam:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/247.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(05:13) Brought to you by Sweep AI

Sweep is the fastest coding assistant for JetBrains. It lets you write code 10x faster. Finally, AI that works in JetBrains. Download for free at ⁠sweep.dev⁠.

What if Southeast Asia had its own ChatGPT that cost 20x less? Bruce Yang built Agnes AI to solve what global companies ignore: accessible AI for emerging markets.

In this episode, Bruce Yang, CEO and founder of Agnes AI, explains how he’s built Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing AI platform with 4 million registered users and 300K daily active users. After working at Microsoft and LinkedIn in Silicon Valley, Bruce returned to Singapore and started his PhD at NUS right before COVID, positioning him perfectly to ride the AI wave. Agnes AI uses smaller, specialized models trained on Southeast Asian languages and local user data to deliver productivity features like deep research, PowerPoint generation, and AI-powered group chats at 1/20th the cost of major competitors. We discuss the challenges of building AI for emerging markets, the importance of keeping humans in the loop for critical thinking, and why Bruce believes the future of AI belongs to applications, not just models.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Bruce Yang’s Bio
Bruce Yang is the founder and CEO of Agnes AI, a consumer AI platform making intelligence more collaborative, creative, and accessible. A Raffles Institution graduate, he studied Math and Computer Science at UC Berkeley, earned a Master’s from HEC Paris, and is pursuing a PhD at NUS. He previously worked at Microsoft and LinkedIn in Silicon Valley.

Agnes AI redefines how people interact with AI through group chats, AI-assisted games, real-time content creation, slides generation, and research tools. Bruce envisions AI as a shared experience that amplifies human creativity and collaboration, enhancing rather than replacing human thinking and imagination.

Follow Bruce:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/246.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(05:22) Brought to you by Cyberhaven

AI is exfiltrating your data in fragments. Not one big breach — a prompt here, a screenshot there, a quiet export into a shadow AI tool. Every week, AI makes your team faster and your data harder to see. Files are moved to new SaaS apps, models are trained on sensitive inputs, and legacy DLP is blind to the context that matters most.

On February 3rd at 11 am Pacific, Cyberhaven is unveiling a unified DSPM and DLP platform, built on the original data lineage, so security teams get X-ray vision into how data actually moves — and can stop risky usage in real time.

Watch the launch live at cyberhaven.com/techleadjournal.

Did you know Singapore is one of the world’s top countries launching cyberattacks? Not as a victim, but as the source. Your routers, smart TVs, robot vacuums, or network-attached storage could be part of a massive botnet right now.

In this eye-opening episode, Joseph Yap, founder of Otonata and cybersecurity expert, reveals the hidden cyber threat lurking in our homes. He reveals how everyday devices from routers to smart TVs become attack weapons. He explains why Singapore’s excellent infrastructure ironically makes it attractive for hackers and shares practical steps to protect your network. From residential proxies renting out your internet connection to teenagers running ransomware gangs, this conversation exposes the gap between our connected lives and our digital security practices.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Joseph Yap’s Bio
With 20+ years in Operations and Supply Chain, Joseph Yap founded Otonata (https://otonata.com) after realizing how vulnerable home networks are to security breaches. Otonata brings corporate-grade cybersecurity to homes using digital hygiene and lean management principles, protecting dozens of households from growing threats posed by AI, smart devices, and expanding attack surfaces.

Follow Joseph:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/245.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(06:23) Brought to you by Sweep AI

Sweep is the fastest coding assistant for JetBrains. It lets you write code 10x faster. Finally, AI that works in JetBrains. Download for free at sweep.dev.

Is the era of writing code by hand coming to an end? Gene Kim explains how vibe coding solved problems he abandoned for 13 years and why the best days of coding might be ahead of us.

In this episode, Gene Kim shares his transformation from someone who hadn’t written production code in decades to building ambitious projects in minutes. He explains how meeting Steve Yegge and discovering vibe coding reignited his passion for programming.

Gene breaks down the FAAFO framework (Fast, Ambitious, Autonomous, Fun, Optionality) of vibe coding benefits and addresses the real risks of vibe coding, from deleted databases to corrupted repos. He emphasizes that developers need to shift from line cook to head chef, mastering delegation, architecture, and faster feedback loops. The conversation also explores whether AI will eliminate or expand developer roles, what skills matter most when hiring, and how organizations can build a vibe coding culture.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Gene Kim’s Bio
Gene Kim is a WSJ bestselling author and researcher who has studied high-performing technology organizations since 1999. The founder and former CTO of Tripwire, he has authored several industry-defining books, including The Phoenix Project and The DevOps Handbook, with over 1 million copies sold. He also organizes the Enterprise Technology Leadership Summit.

Follow Gene:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/244.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Why are tech companies really laying off developers? The uncomfortable truth has nothing to do with AI efficiency and everything to do with running out of ideas.

In this episode, Stephan Schmidt, CTO coach and author of “The Amazing CTO’s Missing Manual,” shares a perspective on AI adoption that most tech leaders aren’t talking about. Developer layoffs aren’t about AI replacing jobs; they reveal a deeper problem. Product management has become a bottleneck, creating shallow features just to keep developers busy rather than driving meaningful innovation. When AI accelerates development, this bottleneck becomes impossible to ignore.

Stephan explains why architecture must be AI-ready before teams can benefit from AI tools, how CTOs can manage unrealistic business expectations, and why junior developers actually have a massive opportunity right now. He also challenges the common belief that vibe coding will democratize software development, explaining why you need to be a strong developer to prompt effectively.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/243.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(04:11) Brought to you by Jellyfish

AI tools alone won’t transform your engineering org. Jellyfish provides insights into AI tool adoption, cost, and delivery impact – so you can make better investment decisions and build teams that use AI effectively. See for yourself at jellyfish.co/platform/ai-impact.

Are you managing your team the same way you did five years ago? With AI agents now part of the workforce, the old playbook no longer applies.

In this episode, Jurgen Appelo, author of “Human Robot Agent” and creator of Management 3.0 and unFIX, challenges conventional thinking about management, organizational design, and the future of work in the AI era. He explains why rigid frameworks like Scrum are becoming bottlenecks to AI speed and why he believes we need to completely rethink how organizations operate.

The conversation dives into the concept of creating “fast tracks” for AI agents while maintaining “slow tracks” for human collaboration. Jurgen also breaks down why team sizes are shrinking and why professionals must move beyond T-shaped skills to become M-shaped, multidisciplinary workers to remain relevant. He also shares his controversial take on why Scrum is “done” and why he trusts AI more than the average human when solving complex problems.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Jurgen Appelo’s Bio
Jurgen Appelo is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who helps leaders rewire their organizations for AI-driven leadership and autonomous digital agents. Recognized by Inc.com as a Top 50 Leadership Expert and Top 100 Leadership Speaker, he bridges opposing worldviews: human ingenuity and AI, leadership versus governance, stability with innovation, and individual growth fueling collective success. As founder of The unFIX Company (and previously founder of Management 3.0 and co-founder of Agile Lean Europe), Jurgen pioneers the future of work through stories, games, tools, and practices that challenge conventional thinking.

Follow Jurgen:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/242.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(04:00) Brought to you by Unleash

Unleash is a private, flexible, and scalable feature flag system that lets teams decouple deployments from releases. It reduces the risk of shipping new features and gives organizations real-time control over what reaches production. And as AI accelerates development, Unleash helps engineering teams move fast and stay stable with safe rollouts and instant kill switches. Start a free trial of Unleash at ⁠getunleash.io/pricing⁠.

Why do so many software projects still fail despite modern tools? The answer often lies in the psychology of the team, not the technology stack.

Software development is often viewed purely as a technical challenge, yet many projects fail due to human factors and cognitive bottlenecks. In this episode, Adam Tornhill, CTO and Founder of CodeScene, shares his unique journey combining software engineering with psychology to solve these persistent industry problems. He explains the concept of “Your Code as a Crime Scene,” a method for using behavioral analysis to identify high-risk areas in a codebase that static analysis tools often miss.

Adam covers the tangible business impact of code health, specifically how it drives predictability and development speed. He explains why 1-2% of our codebase accounts for up to 70% of our development work, and how focusing on these hotspots can make our team 2x faster and 10x more predictable. Adam also provides a critical reality check on the rise of AI in coding, exploring whether it will help reduce technical debt or accelerate it, and offers strategies for maintaining quality in an AI-assisted future.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Adam Tornhill’s Bio
Adam Tornhill is the founder and CTO of CodeScene and the best-selling author of Your Code as a Crime Scene. Combining degrees in engineering and psychology, Adam helps companies optimize software quality using AI-driven methodologies. He is an international keynote speaker and researcher who enjoys retro computing and martial arts in his spare time.

Follow Adam:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/241.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(06:03) Brought to you by Unleash

Unleash is a private, flexible, and scalable feature flag system that lets teams decouple deployments from releases. It reduces the risk of shipping new features and gives organizations real-time control over what reaches production. And as AI accelerates development, Unleash helps engineering teams move fast and stay stable with safe rollouts and instant kill switches. Start a free trial of Unleash at getunleash.io/pricing.

Are you making critical decisions without consulting AI? Greg argues it’s now irresponsible for any leader to make high-stakes decisions without talking to AI first.

In this episode, Greg Shove, CEO of Section and a multi-time founder with 30 years of entrepreneurial experience, shares how AI is fundamentally different from any previous technology wave. Unlike traditional software that makes us more productive within our existing boundaries, AI allows us to jump capability boundaries – enabling individuals and organizations to do things they simply couldn’t do before.

Greg explains why most enterprise AI rollouts are failing (hint: they’re treating AI like software when it’s actually co-intelligence), how to cultivate resilience through multiple startup failures, and the practical strategies for getting teams to adopt AI (from simple hacks like putting a post-it note on your monitor to creating an entire AI-dedicated screen).

This conversation goes beyond the hype to explore both the superpowers and limitations of AI, the real organizational outcomes you can expect (spoiler: it’s not just about layoffs), and why moving from efficiency to creation is the key to unlocking AI’s true potential in your organization.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Greg Shove’s Bio
Greg Shove is a seven-time CEO, all in on AI. After first using ChatGPT in February 2023, he pivoted his company Section to be AI-powered. Now he helps enterprise organizations move from AI-anxious to AI-proficient with a proven playbook, delivered through keynote speaking and executive workshops.
Greg is also the founder of Machine & Partners, an AI lab building custom enterprise AI applications, and co-author of Personal Math, a weekly newsletter sharing business insights for early-career leaders and founders.

Follow Greg:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/240.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(06:06) Brought to you by Jellyfish

AI tools alone won’t transform your engineering org. Jellyfish provides insights into AI tool adoption, cost, and delivery impact – so you can make better investment decisions and build teams that use AI effectively. See for yourself at jellyfish.co/platform/ai-impact.

Why do organizations constantly complain about having too much technical debt? Because they’re solving the wrong problem.

In this episode, Dr. Andrew Brown, author of “Taming Your Dragon: Addressing Your Technical Debt,” reveals a profound insight: technical debt isn’t fundamentally a technical problem. It’s a trade-off problem rooted in human bias, organizational systems, and economic incentives. Through his innovative “Technical Debt Onion Model,” Andrew shows how decisions about code quality happen across five interconnected layers, from individual cognitive biases to wicked problem dynamics.

Andrew explains why the financial debt analogy is dangerously misleading and, more importantly, how others can rack up debt you’ll eventually pay for. Drawing from behavioral economics, systems thinking, and organizational theory, he reveals why our emotions, not logic, drive most technical decisions, and how to work with this reality rather than against it.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Andrew Brown’s Bio
Andrew Richard Brown has worked in software since 1999, starting as an SAP programmer fixing Y2K bugs. He realized the biggest problems in software development were human, not technical, and has since helped teams improve performance by addressing these issues.

Andrew coaches organizations on software development and quality engineering, focusing on technical debt, risk in complex systems, and project underestimation. He investigates how cognitive biases drive software problems and applies behavioral science techniques to solve them. His research has produced counterintuitive insights and fresh approaches. He regularly speaks at international conferences and runs a growing YouTube channel on these topics.

Follow Andrew:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/239.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Why does an AI that brilliantly generates code suddenly fail at basic math? The answer explains why your LLM will fail when you least expect it.

In this episode, Emmanuel Maggiori, author of “Smart Until It’s Dumb” and “The AI Pocket Book,” cuts through the AI hype to reveal what LLMs actually do and, more importantly, what they can’t. Drawing from his experience building AI systems and witnessing multiple AI booms and busts, Emmanuel explains why machine learning works brilliantly until it makes mistakes no human would ever make.

He shares why businesses repeatedly fail at AI adoption, how hallucinations are baked into the technology, and what developers need to know about building reliable AI products.

Whether you’re implementing AI at work or concerned about your career, this conversation offers a grounded perspective on navigating the current AI wave without getting swept away by unrealistic promises.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Emmanuel Maggiori’s Bio
Emmanuel Maggiori, PhD, is a software engineer and 10-year AI industry insider. He has developed AI for a variety of applications, from processing satellite images to packaging deals for holiday travelers. He is the author of the books Smart Until It’s Dumb, Siliconned, and The AI Pocket Book.

Follow Emmanuel:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/238.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Can decades-old management philosophy actually help us tackle AI’s biggest challenges?

In this episode, John Willis, a foundational figure in the DevOps movement and co-author of the DevOps Handbook, takes us through Dr. W. Edwards Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge and its surprising relevance to today’s most pressing challenges. John reveals how Deming’s four-lens framework—theory of knowledge, understanding variation, psychology, and systems thinking—provides a practical approach to managing complexity.

The conversation moves beyond theoretical management principles into real-world applications, including incident management mistakes that have killed people, the polymorphic nature of AI agents, and why most organizations are getting AI adoption dangerously wrong.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

John Willis’ Bio
John Willis is a prolific author and a foundational figure in the DevOps movement, co-authoring the seminal The DevOps Handbook. With over 45 years of experience in IT, his work has been central to shaping modern IT operations and strategy. He is also the author of Deming’s Journey to Profound Knowledge and Rebels of Reason, which explores the history leading to modern AI.

John is a passionate mentor, a self-described “maniacal learner”, and a deep researcher into systems thinking, management theory, and the philosophical implications of new technologies like AI and quantum computing. He actively shares his insights through his “Dear CIO” newsletter (aicio.ai) and newsletters on LinkedIn covering Deming, AI, and Quantum.

Follow John:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/237.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

In this episode, Honey Mittal, CEO and co-founder of Locofy.ai, explores one of the most exciting transformations in software development: the convergence of design and engineering through AI-powered automation.

Honey shares the fascinating journey of building Locofy, a tool that converts Figma designs into production-ready front-end code. But this isn’t just another AI hype story. It’s a deep dive into why Large Language Models (LLMs) fundamentally can’t solve design-to-code problems, and why his team spent four years building specialized “Large Design Models” from scratch.

Key topics discussed:

Whether you’re a front-end engineer tired of translating design pixel-by-pixel, a designer curious about coding, or a technical leader evaluating AI development tools, this episode offers practical insights into the future of software development.

Timestamps:

_____

Honey Mittal’s Bio
Honey Mittal is the CEO and co-founder of Locofy.ai, a platform that automates front-end development by converting designs into production-ready code. Originally an engineer who built some of the first mobile apps in Singapore, Honey transitioned into product leadership after realizing his natural strength lay in identifying high-impact problems. He set a goal to become a CPO by 30 and achieved it, leading product transformations at major Southeast Asian scale-ups like Wego, FinAccel, and Homage.

Driven by a decade of experience and the “grunt work” he and his co-founder faced, he started Locofy to solve the costly friction between design and engineering. Honey is passionate about the future of AI in development, the rise of the “Design Engineer”, and proving that globally competitive, deep-tech companies can be built from Southeast Asia.

Follow Honey:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/236.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Can you navigate AI disruption without understanding your landscape? Discover how to gain true situational awareness.

The rise of AI has exposed a fundamental problem in how organizations make decisions. Most leaders operate using stories and graphs, not actual maps of their landscape. This leaves them vulnerable to disruption and unable to make informed choices about where to apply new technologies. The result is chaos, waste, and strategic mistakes that could have been avoided.

In this episode, Simon Wardley, creator of Wardley Mapping, explains how to build true situational awareness in your organization. He shares why most business “maps” aren’t really maps at all, how to understand the landscape before making decisions, and what leaders need to know about AI adoption beyond the current hype.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Simon Wardley’s Bio
Simon Wardley is a researcher, former CEO, and the creator of Wardley Mapping, a powerful method for visualizing and developing business strategy. His journey began accidentally after a bookseller recommended Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, which sparked a fascination with understanding the competitive “landscape.”

As the former CEO of an online photo service acquired by Canon, he felt like a “fake CEO,” leading with stories while lacking true situational awareness. This led him to discover that almost all business “maps” were merely graphs, prompting him to develop his own mapping technique. Today, his work is used by organizations like NASA and taught at multiple MBA programs, helping leaders to “look before they leap” and navigate complex technological and market shifts, including the current disruption caused by AI.

Follow Simon:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/235.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

How much of your code exists only to prevent failures? Discover a new paradigm for building reliable applications.

In this episode, Preeti Somal, SVP at Temporal, explores a paradigm shift that can dramatically boost productivity and give developers peace of mind. Drawing on her experience leading massive infrastructure at Yahoo and HashiCorp, she explains Temporal’s concept of durable execution that helps developers focus on business logic and remove reliability concerns. Preeti also discusses key findings from Temporal’s first State of Development Report.

In this episode, you will learn about:

Timestamps:

_____

Preeti Somal’s Bio
Preeti is Senior Vice President of Engineering at Temporal. Preeti is passionate about building great products, growing world class organizations and solving complex problems. Prior to Temporal, Preeti led the Platform, Security and IT engineering organizations at HashiCorp. Her extensive career includes engineering leadership roles at Yahoo!, VMware and Oracle. While at Yahoo! Preeti was VP of Cloud Services in the Platform organization delivering highly scalable services used by engineers across Yahoo to build and operate applications with improved agility, reliability and security. These services power Yahoo!’s consumer and advertising business.

Follow Preeti:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/234.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Engineering leaders are stuck between the expectations put out by sensational headlines and the reality of what they’re seeing in their organization. There’s a big disappointment gap.”

Is your AI investment paying off? Many leaders struggle to see real ROI beyond the hype.

In this episode, Laura Tacho, CTO of DX, shares DX’s new research on measuring AI adoption success across 38,000+ engineers. Our conversation reveals why acceptance rates are misleading metrics and introduces DX’s new AI Measurement Framework™ with its three critical dimensions: utilization, impact, and cost. Learn why treating AI as an organizational problem closes the “disappointment gap” between hype and reality.

Note: This episode was recorded in July 2025. The AI adoption rate mentioned has since risen to nearly 80%.

In this episode, you will learn about:

Timestamps:

_____

Laura Tacho’s Bio
Laura Tacho is CTO at DX, a developer intelligence platform, co-author of the Core 4 developer productivity metrics framework, and an executive coach. She’s an experienced technology leader and engineering leadership coach with a strong background in developer tools and distributed systems.

Her career includes leadership roles at organizations such as CloudBees, Aula Education, and Nova Credit, where she specialized in building high-performing engineering teams and delivering impactful products. Laura has worked with thousands of engineering leaders as they work to improve their engineering practices with data.

Follow Laura:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/233.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Architecture is something that has to emerge naturally from the code. If it doesn’t make the code better, more elegant, and more flexible, then you should not be doing it.”

Why do so many developers have a love-hate relationship with ORM? The creator of Hibernate reveals the real reasons behind the controversy and what’s being done to fix the fundamental issues.

In this episode, Gavin King, the creator of Hibernate, shares the story behind its creation, from a debate with his boss to its rise as a popular open-source. He dives deep into why developers often dislike ORM, pinpointing the “magic” of the stateful persistence context as a major pain point.

Gavin explains how modern specifications are fixing these historical issues with an emphasis on type safety and more explicit, stateless operations, giving developers greater control.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Gavin King’s Bio
Gavin King is the creator of Hibernate, the revolutionary framework that redefined data persistence for millions of Java developers. A key figure in the evolution of enterprise Java, he has led the development of major industry standards like the Java Persistence API (JPA) and CDI. After a decade designing the Ceylon programming language, he has returned to his roots to advance the next generation of data persistence with Jakarta EE.

Follow Gavin:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/232.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Are long code review cycles killing your engineering team’s velocity? Learn how top engineering teams are shipping code faster without sacrificing quality.

In this episode, Greg Foster, CTO and co-founder of Graphite, discusses the evolution of code review practices, from the fundamentals of pull requests to the future of AI in code review workflows. He shares the secrets behind how the Graphite team became one of the most productive engineering teams by leveraging techniques like small code changes and stacked PRs (pull requests).

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Greg Foster’s Bio
Greg Foster is the CTO and co-founder of Graphite, an a16z and Anthropic-backed company helping teams like Snowflake, Figma, and Perplexity ship faster and scale AI-generated code with confidence. Prior to Graphite, Greg was a dev tools engineer at Airbnb. There, he experienced the impact of robust internal tooling on developer velocity and co-founded Graphite to bring powerful, AI-powered code review to every team. Greg holds a BS in Computer Science from Harvard University.

Follow Greg:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/231.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Struggling with technical debt and code quality? Learn how a technical coach can help your team level up.

In this episode, Emily Bache, a Samman technical coach, shares her proven method for building better engineering teams through structured learning and collaborative coding. We explore ensemble programming, learning hours, and why AI makes fundamental engineering practices more important than ever.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Emily Bache’s Bio
Emily Bache is an independent consultant, YouTuber and Technical Coach. She works with developers, training and coaching effective agile practices like Refactoring and Test-Driven Development.

Emily has worked with software development for 25 years, written two books and teaches courses on platforms including Pluralsight and O’Reilly. A frequent conference speaker, Emily has been invited to keynote at prestigious developer events including EuroPython, Craft and ACCU. Emily founded the Samman Technical Coaching Society in order to promote technical excellence and support coaches everywhere.

Follow Emily:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/230.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Why do engineering teams slow down as they scale? It’s not the technology—it’s the management systems.

In this episode, Michi Kono, CTO at Garner Health and former engineering leader at Meta, Capital One, and Stripe, shares his battle-tested approach to building scalable engineering organizations. We explore why most teams slow down as they scale and how to build systems that accelerate growth. Our conversation covers everything from designing effective org charts to creating accountability without killing psychological safety. You’ll learn practical strategies for nurturing engineering culture while maintaining high-performance standards.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Michi Kono’s Bio
Michi Kono is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Garner Health, a company on a mission to help people get better healthcare. With a unique and extensive career spanning multiple industries, Michi has navigated the entire spectrum of the tech world. He began his journey in startups, one of which was acquired, leading him to a role at Capital One. From there, he gained invaluable experience at tech giants like Meta and financial-tech leader Stripe before taking the helm at Garner Health. Michi is passionate about the art and science of scaling engineering teams, building resilient cultures, and designing effective management systems to drive success in high-growth environments. He believes deeply in empowering engineers, fostering accountability, and the critical importance of clear communication for any leader.

Follow Michi:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/229.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

How do you build a high-performing engineering team in the AI era? And will AI make fundamental engineering skills obsolete?

In this episode, Mohan Krishnan, Head of Engineering at Grab, shares lessons from leading multiple transformational engineering teams. Drawing from his experience at Grab, Bukalapak, BBM Emtek, and Pivotal Labs, Mohan explains why core engineering fundamentals still matter, even in the age of AI, and will become even more valuable than ever. He discusses building disciplined, high-performing engineering teams and the importance of hands-on leadership. We also explore the unique challenges and vast potential of the tech landscape in Southeast Asia.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Mohan Krishnan’s Bio
Mohan Krishnan, based in Singapore, is currently a Head of Engineering at Grab. Mohan Krishnan brings experience from previous roles at Google, Bukalapak, BBM and Pt. Kreatif Media Karya. Mohan Krishnan holds a 1998 - 2002 Bachelor of Engineering in Multimedia, Electronics at Multimedia University. With a robust skill set that includes Ruby on Rails, Multithreading, Web Services, HTML, Services and more.

Follow Mohan:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/228.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

How has Infrastructure as Code changed in the last five years? Explore the key shifts and how to align your infrastructure to real business value.

In this episode, Kief Morris, a Distinguished Infrastructure Engineer at Thoughtworks, returns to discuss the third edition of his book “Infrastructure as Code.” He shares fresh insights on designing and delivering dynamic systems for today’s cloud-driven world. Kief explores the evolution of IaC, practical methods for modern teams, the next generation of tools, and lessons learned from the recent years. Learn how to align infrastructure with business needs and manage today’s growing infrastructure complexities.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Kief Morris’s Bio
Kief Morris is the author of the O’Reilly book Infrastructure as Code, and is a Distinguished Infrastructure Engineer at Thoughtworks, based in London. He works with clients and project teams around the world to explore, shape, and share better ways of working with cloud and infrastructure architecture.

Kief started out as a developer and systems administrator in the dot-com boom days, then worked with a series of digital scaleups applying infrastructure automation before DevOps was a thing. He joined Thoughtworks in 2010 as the wider industry was discovering Infrastructure as Code, DevOps, and Cloud, which gave him the opportunity to bring what he had learned in the previous fifteen years to enterprise clients in many industries and many countries.

He wrote the book Infrastructure as Code (now on the third edition) to share these ideas with a wider audience, which has given him a platform to meet and learn from an ever-growing variety of people and organizations.

Follow Kief:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/227.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Ever wondered how AI is being applied in the world of clinical trials where human lives are at stake?

In this episode, Patrick Leung, CTO of Faro Health and former Google Duplex Engineering Lead, reveals how AI is transforming the clinical trial process — a process that can cost up to $2 billion per drug and take over 10 years to complete. Patrick reveals how Faro Health’s AI systems generate complex clinical documentation in minutes instead of months in which hallucinations aren’t acceptable, while navigating the strict regulatory requirements of the healthcare industry.

Patrick also reflects on the evolution of AI technologies, the realities of large language models, and offers practical advice on how to thrive in the rapidly changing AI-driven era.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Patrick Leung’s Bio
Patrick Leung is a Chief Technology Officer at Faro Health, a company at the forefront of optimizing clinical trial development through the use of artificial intelligence.

In his role, he is instrumental in applying large language models and other AI technologies to enhance protocol design and outcomes for clinical trials. A native of New Zealand, Mr. Leung holds degrees in Computer Science and Finance.

His career includes being a foundational member of an early e-commerce software company, where he played a key role in guiding the company from its initial stages to a successful initial public offering.

Follow Patrick:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/226.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Is your engineering team running like the wild, wild west? What does engineering excellence look like in practice?

In this episode, Ganesh Datta, co-founder and CTO of Cortex, explores what it takes to achieve engineering excellence. Ganesh shares lessons from his own journey, from early bug-fixing to building a company focused on engineering excellence.

We discuss how platform engineering and internal developer platforms (IDPs) can help teams scale, improve reliability, and align with business outcomes. Ganesh also explains why culture, leadership, and clear metrics matter more than any single tool.

If you’re looking to make your engineering team a true business driver, this conversation is for you.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Ganesh Datta’s Bio
Ganesh Datta is a Co-Founder & CTO of Cortex. Before co-founding Cortex, he was a Principal Software Engineer at Mission Lane where he was responsible for driving the development of real-time underwriting infrastructure. At LendUp, Ganesh was a Senior Software Engineer leading the development and optimization of the company’s decisioning infrastructure and financial account management system. Ganesh holds a bachelor of science in computer science from the University of California San Diego.

Follow Ganesh:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/225.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Is your software development process stuck on a conveyor belt? Discover how to break free from outdated manufacturing mindsets and build truly high-performing, agile teams that “Move Fast and Break Silos.”

In this episode, experienced CPTO, Klaus Breyer, introduces a revolutionary approach to software development. He explains why treating software engineering like a factory assembly line leads to inefficiency, micromanagement, and disempowered teams. Learn how to slice work effectively—from objectives down to delivery—and align small, empowered teams to solve real customer problems and ship value faster.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Klaus Breyer’s Bio
Klaus Breyer is an experienced B2B SaaS CPTO who specializes in bridging the gap between technical delivery and agile product strategy, driven by a passion for breaking down silos. His career includes founding and leading the startups Buddybrand (a digital agency) and BuzzBird (a B2B marketplace), as well as building corporate startups and business units for major companies like Voith and edding in the IoT and B2B SaaS sectors.

Based in Berlin, he has extensive experience working with diverse and primarily remote teams. In addition to his leadership roles, he sometimes invests in and advises leadership teams on building effective interdisciplinary teams themselves. He is also a speaker, blogger, and book author who champions the philosophy of “Move Fast And Break Silos!”

Follow Klaus:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/224.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Is AI taking over the craft of coding? Many engineers now face an identity crisis.

In the episode, Distinguished Engineer Annie Vella discusses her research on AI’s impact on software development. She explores the “software engineering identity crisis” as the craft of coding becomes automated. Annie warns that the seductive speed of AI tools can lead to lower quality and delivery instability, a trend supported by reports from DORA and GitClear. She also cautions that over-reliance on AI prevents engineers from gaining the hands-on experience needed for deep skill acquisition.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Annie Vella’s Bio
Annie Vella is a Distinguished Engineer at Westpac NZ with two decades of experience in software engineering and technical leadership across various industries and countries.

Vella has returned to an engineering role after a period in management and is also a part-time Master’s student at the University of Auckland, researching the impact of AI on software engineering. She believes that technologies like Generative AI, LLMs, and Agentic AI will revolutionize the field and problem-solving in general.

Follow Annie:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/223.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

What if your most critical systems run on code that no one fully understands?

In this episode, Omer Rosenbaum, CTO and co-founder of Swimm, explains how to use AI to close the knowledge gap in your legacy codebase. Discover the limitations of AI in understanding legacy code and learn novel approaches to automatically document complex systems, ensuring their critical business logic is preserved and understood within the organization. Beyond legacy systems, Omer also shares practical advice for how junior developers can thrive in the AI era and how teams and organizations can conduct more effective research.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Omer Rosenbaum’s Bio
Omer Rosenbaum is the CTO and co-founder of Swimm, a platform reinventing the way engineering organizations manage internal knowledge about their code base. Omer founded the Check Point Security Academy and was the Cyber Security Lead at ITC, an educational organization that trains talented professionals to develop careers in technology. Omer has a MA in Linguistics from Tel Aviv University and is the creator behind the Brief YouTube Channel.

Follow Omer:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/222.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Feeling like you have valuable technical insights to share but struggle to put them into words? You’re not alone.

In this episode, Piotr Sarna, author of “Writing for Developers” and an experienced open-source maintainer, shares the common hurdles developers face in writing and provides practical tips to get started. Discover how cultivating a writing habit can not only boost your personal brand but also improve your technical skills and create new career opportunities.

Key topics discussed:

Timestamps:

_____

Piotr Sarna’s Bio
Piotr Sarna is a software engineer who is keen on open source projects and the Rust and C++ languages. He previously developed an open source distributed file system and had a brief adventure with the Linux kernel. He’s also a long-time contributor and maintainer of ScyllaDB, as well as libSQL and Turso. Piotr graduated from University of Warsaw with a Master’s degree in computer science.

Follow Piotr:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/221.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

In this special in-person episode, Sanne Grinovero shares the story of Java’s evolution from his unique perspective as a long-time open-source contributor. He shares his 16-year career journey at Red Hat, highlighting his amazing work on key projects like Hibernate, Infinispan, and especially the creation of Quarkus. His career trajectory, from a student who initially disliked Java’s complexity to a leading figure in its modernization, shows the transformative power of open source.

A key part of the conversation focuses on how technical challenges spark innovation. Sanne explains how the task of making the popular Hibernate framework compatible with GraalVM’s limitations led directly to the birth of Quarkus. This journey tells the bigger story of how Java adapted for cloud-native development, ensuring it continues to be a top choice for developers seeking high performance and a great developer experience.  

Timestamps:

_____

Sanne Grinovero’s Bio
Sanne Grinovero has been a member of the Hibernate team for 10 years; today he leads this project in his role of Sr. Principal Software Engineer at Red Hat, while also working on Quarkus as a founding R&D engineer.

Deeply interested in solving performance and concurrency challenges around data access, scalability, and exploring integration with new storage technologies, distributed systems and search engines.

Working on Hibernate features led him to contribute to related open source technologies; most notably to Apache Lucene and Elasticsearch, Infinispan and JGroups, ANTLR, WildFly, various JDBC drivers, the OpenJDK and more recently getting interested in GraalVM.

After being challenged to reduce memory consumption and improve bootstrap times of Hibernate, Sanne worked as part of a small R&D team at Red Hat on some ideas which have evolved into what is known today as Quarkus.

Follow Sanne:

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/220.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Tired of feeling like your team is stuck in a cycle of frustration and miscommunication? What if the biggest blocker in your tech career isn’t your code, but your thinking?

That’s the core premise of Systems Thinking, and in this episode, Diana Montalion (author of “Learning Systems Thinking”) shares the practical insights and mental models to help you make that essential shift.

Key topics discussed:

Whether you’re a software engineer, architect, team leader, or anyone tackling complex problems, learn why your technical skills alone are not enough and how a shift in your thinking can revolutionize your work and career.  

Timestamps:

_____

Diana Montalion’s Bio
Diana Montalion is a systems architect, learning facilitator, and founder of Mentrix Group, with over 20 years of experience delivering transformative software initiatives for organizations like Stanford, The Gates Foundation, The Economist, and The Wikimedia Foundation. As the author of Learning Systems Thinking: Essential Nonlinear Skills & Practices for Software Professionals (O’Reilly), she empowers tech professionals to navigate complex systems through practices like systemic reasoning, metacognition, and collaborative modeling.

Follow Diana:

Our Sponsors

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.

Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/219.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Understand the secret behind one of Amazon’s most powerful innovation tools and learn how you can use it to drive clarity, alignment, and better decision-making.

In this episode, Marcelo Calbucci, author of “The PRFAQ Framework,” dives deep into the PRFAQ (Press Release & Frequently Asked Questions) framework, a unique approach that combines narrative storytelling and strategic FAQs to crystallize initiative vision and strategy.

Key topics discussed:

Whether you’re launching a startup, building a new product, or transforming internal processes, this episode breaks down how this method can help you avoid common pitfalls and deliver results that matter.

Timestamps:

_____

Marcelo Calbucci’s Bio
Marcelo Calbucci is an entrepreneur, innovator, and technologist. He’s been building software products for over thirty years, having sold his first software at age fourteen. He has worked at Microsoft (Exchange Server & Bing) and Amazon (People eXperience & Technology), leading software engineering, product, data science, and UX. He is an author of The PRFAQ Framework.

Follow Marcelo Calbucci:

Our Sponsors

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.

Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/218.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(08:54) Brought to you by Swimm.io.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Start modernizing your mainframe faster with ⁠⁠⁠Swimm⁠⁠⁠. Understand the what, why, and how of your mainframe code. Use AI to uncover critical code insights for seamless migration, refactoring, or system replacement.

Why do so many well-intentioned initiatives fail to move the needle?

In this episode, Sriram Narayan, author of ‘Impact Intelligence,’ reveals how to ensure your efforts translate into real, measurable business impact. Stop shooting in the dark and start delivering tangible results that matter.

Key topics discussed:

Whether you’re a tech leader, product manager, or executive, this episode will equip you with actionable frameworks and real-world examples to focus on what really matters: delivering measurable, meaningful business impact.

Tune in and start building your organization’s Impact Intelligence muscle today!  

Timestamps:

_____

Sriram Narayan’s Bio
Sriram Narayan is an independent consultant in the area of impact intelligence. He also helps clients improve digital, product and tech performance.

Pearson published his first book, Agile IT Org Design , in 2015. It won endorsements from the then CIO of The Vanguard Group and the then MD of Consumer Digital at Lloyds Bank.

Sriram has served in product, technology, innovation, and transformation leadership roles since 2006. He has also helped some of his clients move to a product operating model. His write-up of the topic in 2018 has since become a de facto industry reference. His other writings and talks are available at agileorgdesign.com

Follow Sriram:

Our Sponsors

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.

Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/217.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(05:46) Brought to you by Swimm.io.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Start modernizing your mainframe faster with ⁠⁠Swimm⁠⁠.Understand the what, why, and how of your mainframe code.Use AI to uncover critical code insights for seamless migration, refactoring, or system replacement.

Feeling uneasy about how your personal data is used, and wondering if companies are doing enough to protect it?

In this episode, Katharine Jarmul, author of “Practical Data Privacy,” dives deep into one of the most critical and rapidly evolving topics today. Discover how data privacy impacts you as a user and what organizations should be doing to protect your information responsibly. Learn why simply blaming users isn’t the answer and how we can build a more trustworthy technological future.

Key topics discussed:

Tune in to learn how we can build a safer, more responsible, and trustworthy digital future for everyone.  

Timestamps:

_____

Katharine Jarmul’s Bio
Katharine Jarmul is a Principal Data Scientist at Thoughtworks Germany and author of the recent O’Reilly book Practical Data Privacy . Previously, she has held numerous roles at large companies and startups in the US and Germany, implementing data processing and machine learning systems with a focus on reliability, testability, privacy and security.

She is a passionate and internationally recognized data scientist, programmer, and lecturer. Katharine is also a frequent keynote speaker at international software and AI conferences.

Follow Katharine:

Our Sponsors

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.

Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/216.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(04:07) Brought to you by Swimm.io.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Start modernizing your mainframe faster with ⁠Swimm⁠.Understand the what, why, and how of your mainframe code.Use AI to uncover critical code insights for seamless migration, refactoring, or system replacement.

Are too many meetings killing your productivity and making your team less effective?
Discover a new approach to work where meetings are no longer the default and deep work takes the center stage.

In this episode, Sumeet Moghe, the author of the “Async-First Playbook”, shares actionable insights on building high-performing teams through async-first approach.

Key topics discussed:

Tune in to discover how to build high-performing, effective and inclusive teams with fewer meetings by adopting async-first.  

Timestamps:

_____

Sumeet Moghe’s Bio
Sumeet Gayathri Moghe is an Agile enthusiast, product manager, and design nerd at Thoughtworks. Sumeet has recently authored The Async-First Playbook. His practical recommendations for effective collaboration within remote and distributed teams stand for what he’s learned from his colleagues, their successes, and their occasional misadventures.

Sumeet kicked off “The async-first manifesto” , a set of principles he is co-creating with volunteer enthusiasts from around the world. He is also bringing async-work to life with stories of “Humans of remote work” .

Follow Sumeet:

Our Sponsors

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.

Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/215.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(03:59) Brought to you by Swimm.io.

⁠⁠⁠⁠Start modernizing your mainframe faster with Swimm.
Understand the what, why, and how of your mainframe code.
Use AI to uncover critical code insights for seamless migration, refactoring, or system replacement.

Stop fearing Friday and late-night deployments!
Discover how the most painful part of software development—deploying to production—can become routine, safe, and even boring.

In this episode, I sit down with Valentina Servile (ThoughtWorks lead developer and author of “Continuous Deployment”) to discuss the principles, practices, and mindset shift required to achieve true Continuous Deployment.

Key topics discussed:

Tune in to level up your software delivery and learn how to make deployments so routine that you’ll never dread another release.  

Timestamps:

_____

Valentina Servile’s Bio
Valentina Servile is a full-stack software craftswoman and Lead Software Developer at Thoughtworks.

She has worked with over a dozen companies in 5 different countries, ranging from start-up to enterprise scale. Her work has been focused on clean code, distributed systems and microservices, CI/CD practices, and evolutionary architectures in a variety of tech stacks. As a technical lead, she also coordinates delivery, and ensures a shared vision around ways of working and technical health in her cross-functional teams.

Valentina is passionate about creating an engineering baseline of clean code, testing and automation as the the most fundamental enabler of Agile, Lean and DevOps principles.

Follow Valentina:

Our Sponsors

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.

Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/214.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(05:57) Brought to you by Swimm.io.

⁠⁠⁠⁠Start modernizing your mainframe faster with Swimm.
Understand the what, why, and how of your mainframe code.
Use AI to uncover critical code insights for seamless migration, refactoring, or system replacement.

Are we looking at software engineering the wrong way?
What if it’s less about writing code and more about making better decisions in an ever-changing system?

Learn a revolutionary approach to understanding complex software systems in my conversation with Tudor Girba, the CEO of feenk. We explore “Moldable Development,” a groundbreaking concept that challenges traditional views of software engineering. Learn why treating development as a decision-making process, supported by custom tools, is crucial for tackling today’s software challenges, especially when dealing with legacy systems.

Key topics discussed:

This conversation will completely transform how you think about software development!  

Timestamps:

_____

Tudor Girba’s Bio
Tudor Girba is the CEO of feenk, a company focused on modernizing legacy systems. They do that through Moldable Development, a way of programming through contextual tools. They build Glamorous Toolkit, a free and open-source moldable development environment, to show how working through thousands of contextual tools per system can be practical. In 2014, Tudor received the prestigious Dahl-Nygaard Junior Prize for his work on modeling and visualisation of evolution and interplay of large numbers of objects.

Follow Tudor:

_____

Our Sponsors

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.

Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/213.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(07:40) Brought to you by Swimm.io.

⁠⁠⁠⁠Start modernizing your mainframe faster with Swimm.
Understand the what, why, and how of your mainframe code.
Use AI to uncover critical code insights for seamless migration, refactoring, or system replacement.

What if everything you’ve been taught about software architecture is fundamentally at odds with how the real world works?

Dive into my conversation with Barry O’Reilly, a veteran architect and former Chief Architect at Microsoft, as we explore a radical rethinking of software architecture that embraces uncertainty and complexity. Discover how to design systems that survive in an ever-changing world.

Key topics discussed:

Whether you’re a developer, architect, or business stakeholder, this episode will challenge your assumptions and inspire new ways of thinking about software architecture.

Timestamps:

_____

Barry O’Reilly’s Bio
Barry is a veteran Architect who has held Chief Architect positions at Microsoft among others. He has also been a startup CTO, the Worldwide Lead for the Solutions Architecture Community at Microsoft, and founder of the Swedish Azure User Group. He is also a PhD candidate in software design and complexity science.

Barry is a regular speaker at international conferences and events, where he shares his insights and expertise. He is the Founder of Black Tulip Technology and the creator of Residuality Theory, which seeks to redefine architecture as the management of complexity.

Follow Barry:

_____

Our Sponsors

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.

Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/212.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(03:43) Brought to you by Swimm.io.

⁠⁠⁠⁠Start modernizing your mainframe faster with Swimm.
Understand the what, why, and how of your mainframe code.
Use AI to uncover critical code insights for seamless migration, refactoring, or system replacement.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the rapid pace of technological change?
How do you not just survive, but thrive through decades of major changes in the tech industry?

With 42 years experiencing the tech industry’s biggest transformations, Paula Paul (Distinguished Engineer, Technical Advisor, OpenJS Foundation Board Member) has seen it all. Hear her hard-won lessons on navigating massive technology shifts, from mainframes to modern AI and cloud. This episode explores why embracing change and building a healthy relationship with technology are crucial for a fulfilling career.

Key topics discussed:

Tune in for practical advice and deep reflections on building resilience, embracing curiosity, and finding your place in the ever-changing world of technology.  

Timestamps:

_____

Paula Paul’s Bio
Paula is a trusted technical advisor and distinguished engineer who has served as a fractional CTO in multiple organizations. Paula championed API, Identity, and platform strategies as a Distinguished Engineer with ThoughtWorks and led cloud adoptions on AWS, GCP, and Azure through her company, Greyshore. Paula is passionate about Open Source; she has been a multi-year speaker and co-chair of Open Source Day for the Grace Hopper Celebration and currently serves as a board member with the OpenJS Foundation and the Brookline Music School.

Follow Paula:

_____

Our Sponsors

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.

Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/211.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

(05:29) Brought to you by Swimm.io

⁠⁠⁠⁠Start modernizing your mainframe faster with Swimm.
Understand the what, why, and how of your mainframe code.
Use AI to uncover critical code insights for seamless migration, refactoring, or system replacement.

Tired of API dependencies slowing down your development and testing?

Dive into my conversation with Tom Akehurst, creator of WireMock, and discover the art of using API mocking to build successful software in complex distributed environments.

Key topics discussed:

Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting out your journey in API development, this episode provides valuable insights into the power of API mocking and the journey of building a successful open-source project.  

Timestamps:

_____

Tom Akehurst’s Bio
Tom Akehurst is the creator of WireMock, the open source API mocking tool, which he’s now been working on for well over a decade. Lately he’s also the CTO and co-founder of WireMock, Inc., where he’s helping complex engineering organisations effectively adopt API simulation techniques in order to build better software faster.

Tom has been developing software for over 20 years. He’s built large-scale web systems for media, travel, hospitality, retail and government, applying lean, eXtreme Programming, Continuous Delivery and DevOps principles along the way.

Follow Tom:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.

Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript:techleadjournal.dev/episodes/210.
Follow @techleadjournal onLinkedIn,Twitter, andInstagram.
Buy me acoffee or become apatron.

Discover the secrets to early retirement and financial independence from a tech industry veteran!

In this episode, we dive deep into the inspiring journey of Kristine Howard, who transitioned from a dynamic career in tech to a life of early retirement, reaching financial independence and personal fulfillment along the way.

Key topics discussed:

Whether you’re just starting your career or dreaming of early retirement, don’t miss out on these valuable lessons for achieving financial independence and living life on your own terms!  

Timestamps:

(02:07) Career Turning Points

(07:01) Getting into Early Retirement

(09:16) Financial Independence vs Early Retirement

(10:13) Can We Reach Financial Independence?

(11:56) The Shares/Equity Lever

(15:43) Working in Startups vs Corporates vs Big Tech

(18:34) The Importance of Financial Tracking

(23:36) Building Automation & Doing Periodic Reviews

(29:17) Focus on the Spending Rather than Income

(30:43) Budgeting

(33:12) Trade CapEx for OpEx

(35:36) Saving & Investing

(38:53) On Diversification

(41:17) The Importance of Emergency Fund

(43:12) How Did it Feel Getting Closer to Retirement?

(48:19) The Feeling of Significant Income Drop

(51:01) Things Anyone Can Do Even Before Retirement

(56:00) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom

_____

Kristine Howard’s Bio
Kristine Howard is an American-Australian residing in Sydney, Australia. Her extensive career features significant roles within technical teams at prominent companies such as Channel 9, Canva, and AWS. She is married to the Snook, and together they share a passion for global travel and culinary exploration. Kristine also expresses her creativity through knitting and sewing, finding joy in crafting handmade items. Notably, she has shared her expertise and insights at over 100 tech meetups, conferences, and events worldwide.

Follow Kristine:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.

Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript:techleadjournal.dev/episodes/209.
Follow @techleadjournal onLinkedIn,Twitter, andInstagram.
Buy me acoffee or become apatron.

(07:37) Brought to you by Lemon.io

⁠⁠⁠Lemon.io⁠⁠⁠ is your go-to platform for hiring top-tier, pre-vetted software engineers from Europe and Latin America. You'll get matched with your developer in just 48 hours.

Tech Lead Journal listeners get 15% off your first 4 weeks of work at ⁠⁠⁠lemon.io⁠⁠⁠.

Ever wondered what it takes to climb the tech leadership ladder from engineer to executive?

In this episode, we follow the journey of Norman Noble, CTO of Mindvalley, as he shares his insights and experiences navigating these challenging transitions.

Here’s what you’ll discover:

Timestamps:

(02:06) Career Turning Points

(09:59) Transitioning From an IC to a Manager

(12:10) Learning From Psychology & Management Books

(15:36) Becoming a Better Manager

(17:32) Building High-Performing Teams

(20:23) Hiring Strategy & Philosophy

(24:06) Engineering Interview Strategy

(28:19) Transitioning From a Manager to an Executive

(32:09) Upskilling Across Domains

(36:03) Mindvalley Culture

(38:41) The Power of Diversity

(40:46) Practising Mindfulness

(43:48) Making Space for Thinking

(45:50) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom

_____

Norman Noble’s Bio
Norman Noble is the CTO of Mindvalley. He is a people-focused technology leader, lean/agile practitioner and systems thinker. He focuses on strategic outcomes that deliver real value to organisations and their customers, whilst building high-performing technology teams that move quickly and get things done.

Follow Norman:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.

Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript:techleadjournal.dev/episodes/208.
Follow @techleadjournal onLinkedIn,Twitter, andInstagram.
Buy me acoffee or become apatron.

(04:44) Brought to you by Lemon.io

⁠⁠Lemon.io⁠⁠ is your go-to platform for hiring top-tier, pre-vetted software engineers from Europe and Latin America. You'll get matched with your developer in just 48 hours.

Tech Lead Journal listeners get 15% off your first 4 weeks of work at ⁠⁠lemon.io⁠⁠.

Want to communicate more effectively and get your work the attention it deserves?
Learn how to harness the power of storytelling in a business setting with Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, the bestselling author of "Storytelling with Data" and "Storytelling with You"!

In this episode, Cole joins me to dive into the art of storytelling and explore how we can use it to communicate data, insights, and our work more effectively.

You'll learn:
- Storytelling in business: Why it's crucial for making your work stand out.
- The "Plan-Create-Deliver" framework: The 3 steps to creating compelling stories.
- Low-tech planning: Why pen and paper beats jumping straight to slides.
- The power of the "Big Idea": Craft one impactful sentence that captures your message.
- Storytelling with data: Present data that is both informative and engaging.
- Crafting a powerful intro: Grab your audience's attention from the start.
- AI for storytelling: How AI can enhance your data analysis and communication.
- Teaching kids about data: Empower the next generation to be critical thinkers and storytellers.

Timestamps:
(00:02:17) Career Turning Points
(00:06:22) What is Storytelling?
(00:09:55) Why Become Better Storytellers
(00:12:25) Storytelling in Business Settings
(00:15:51) Plan-Create-Deliver Framework
(00:24:01) Low Tech Planning
(00:28:57) The 3-Minute Story and The Big Idea
(00:33:06) TLDR and BLUF
(00:37:09) Creating Slides
(00:41:43) Storytelling with Data
(00:44:39) Pie Charts
(00:46:42) Data Visualization Tools
(00:49:00) Teaching Kids about Data
(00:55:04) Giving a Powerful Intro
(00:59:13) How AI Can Help in Data & Storytelling
(01:02:02) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom

_____

Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic’s Bio
Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic tells stories with data. She is founder and CEO of storytelling with data (SWD) and author of Storytelling With Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals and Storytelling with Data: Let’s Practice! SWD’s well-regarded workshops and presentations are highly sought after by data-minded individuals, companies, and philanthropic organizations all over the world. Learn more at storytellingwithdata.com.

Follow Cole:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.

Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript:techleadjournal.dev/episodes/207.
Follow @techleadjournal onLinkedIn,Twitter, andInstagram.
Buy me acoffee or become apatron.

(06:49) Brought to you by Lemon.io

⁠Lemon.io⁠ is your go-to platform for hiring top-tier, pre-vetted software engineers from Europe and Latin America. You'll get matched with your developer in just 48 hours.

Tech Lead Journal listeners get 15% off your first 4 weeks of work at ⁠lemon.io⁠.

Want to learn the key principles and future of DevOps that can help you ship code faster and more reliably?

In this episode, I sit down with Yevgeniy Brikman, co-founder of Gruntwork and author of “Terraform: Up & Running,” to discuss his upcoming book, “The Fundamentals of DevOps and Software Delivery.”

We explore:

- Common pitfalls and anti-patterns in DevOps implementations
- The concept of “minimum effective dose” and "incrementalism" in adopting technologies
- Why application developers should understand infrastructure and software delivery
- The future of DevOps, including “infrastructureless” and the impact of GenAI
- The importance of “secure-by-default” practices in modern software development
- Recent changes in open source licensing and their impact on the tech industry
- The power of continuous learning and sharing knowledge in tech careers
Listen out for:

(00:02:15) Career Turning Points
(00:08:32) Deliberate Time for Learning
(00:16:27) Transitioning from App Dev to Infra
(00:24:19) Understanding How to Deliver Software
(00:32:05) Minimum Effective Dose
(00:40:34) DevOps Antipatterns
(00:44:02) Incrementalism
(00:49:37) The Future of DevOps and Software Delivery
(01:10:39) Recent Trend in Open Source License Changes
(01:20:32) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom

_____

Yevgeniy Brikman’s Bio
Yevgeniy (Jim) Brikman loves programming, writing, speaking, traveling, and lifting heavy things. He does not love talking about himself in the 3rd person. He is the co-founder of Gruntwork, a company that offers products & services for setting up world-class DevOps Foundations. He’s also the author of three books published by O’Reilly Media: Fundamentals of DevOps and Software Delivery, Terraform: Up & Running, and Hello, Startup. Previously, he spent more than a decade building infrastructure and products that served hundreds of millions of users while working as a software engineer at LinkedIn, TripAdvisor, Cisco Systems, and Thomson Financial.

Follow Yevgeniy:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.

Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript:techleadjournal.dev/episodes/206.
Follow @techleadjournal onLinkedIn,Twitter, andInstagram.
Buy me acoffee or become apatron.

(03:55) Brought to you by Lemon.io

Lemon.io is your go-to platform for hiring top-tier, pre-vetted software engineers from Europe and Latin America. You'll get matched with your developer in just 48 hours.

Tech Lead Journal listeners get 15% off your first 4 weeks of work at lemon.io.

Ever wonder what a credit score for your codebase would look like?

In this episode, Matt Van Itallie, founder of Sema, discusses how his company is revolutionizing the way we assess and understand code quality, including the portion of GenAI usage. Learn about Sema’s innovative approach to technical due diligence and their comprehensive credit score system.

Key topics discussed:
- The concept of “code as data” and how it’s changing codebase evaluation
- Measuring and improving developer productivity in the age of GenAI
- The importance of the Generative AI Bill of Materials (GBOM) in technical due diligence
- Why having 15-30% of your code originating from GenAI could be optimal
- The seven modules Sema uses to evaluate codebases, including GenAI usage, security, and team retention
- The CTO dashboard concept and its potential to transform software engineering metrics
- Why treating code as a craft is crucial for effective communication with non-technical stakeholders

Whether you’re a developer, engineering leader, or investor, this episode offers invaluable insights into the evolving landscape of software evaluation and the growing importance of quantitative metrics in technical due diligence.

Listen out for:
(02:05) Career Turning Points
(05:15) Treating Code as Data and a Craft
(11:09) Comprehensive Codebase Scans
(14:31) How to Explain Codebase Health
(20:31) Measuring & Improving Developer Productivity
(23:33) GenAI for Increasing Developer Effectiveness
(25:59) CTO Dashboard & The 7 Metrics
(29:55) Measuring GenAI Usage
(31:51) Healthy Dose of GenAI Usage
(36:50) Generative AI Bill of Materials (GBOM)™
(39:24) Technical Due Diligence
(45:18) Sema Adoption
(49:48) Integrating with Sema
(52:17) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom

Matt Van Itallie's Bio
Matt Van Itallie is the Founder and CEO of Sema.

Formerly, Matt was an Operating Executive at Vista Equity Partners portfolio companies, Chief Analytics Officer for a $1BN operating organization, and a McKinsey consultant. Matt has a JD from Harvard Law School.

Sema is the leading provider of comprehensive codebase scans that assess the risks of software and tech-enabled businesses. They have analyzed over $1.6T of software enterprise value.

Sema is a leading expert on managing GenAI risks, with presentations to leading investors and operators across sectors. They are the inventors of the Generative AI Bill of Materials (GBOM).

Follow Matt:
* LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/mvi
* Sema – semasoftware.com
* Comprehensive Codebase Scans – semasoftware.com/comprehensive-codebase-scans

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.

Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript:techleadjournal.dev/episodes/205.
Follow @techleadjournal onLinkedIn,Twitter, andInstagram.
Buy me acoffee or become apatron.

Are you tired of cargo cult engineering leadership?

In this episode, David Guttman, author of “The Superstruct Manifesto”, shares his intriguing manifesto on building and leading high-performing engineering teams. We explore:

- Why daily standups are overrated and what to do instead
- How to avoid the trap of the "10x engineer" myth
- Why computer science riddles don't belong in your interviews
- The importance of estimates (hint: it's not about the accuracy!)
- How to treat your developers like adults

If you are an engineering leader or founder looking to build a high-performing engineering team, this episode is for you!

Listen out for:
(03:06) Career Turning Points
(07:10) The Meaning Behind Superstruct
(07:44) The Superstruct Manifesto
(09:30) "We Will Not Inflict Daily Standups on Our Devs"
(16:05) Alternatives to Daily Standups
(18:26) Status Report & Accountability
(25:48) "We Will Not Recruit 10x Developers"
(33:19) "We Will Not Test Devs with Computer Science Riddles"
(38:04) Interview Best Practices
(43:12) "We Will Not Let Devs Start without an Estimate"
(51:11) Improving Our Estimates
(53:55) Estimate vs Fixed Deadline
(56:21) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom

David Guttman's Bio
David Guttman is a developer and consultant obsessed with building repeatable systems for recruiting, onboarding, and managing remote software engineers. Over the course of his 20+ years in software development, David has led engineering teams to ship massive and innovative projects, including the content platform that powers Disney.com and StarWars.com (along with over 170 other sites, across dozens of languages and regions); video ad servers that handle over 10 billion requests per day; and an LMS that TIME magazine listed as one of the Best Inventions of the Year 2020. David is also a leader in the tech community.

As the organizer of the monthly event series js.la, the host of the Junior to Senior podcast, and a champion in the Node.js mentorship initiative, he has helped thousands of developers level up. David is the author of two popular JavaScript books, has over 90 open-source packages on npm, and has given talks at tech events and conferences like JSConf and JSFest.

Follow David:
- LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/david-guttman

- Website – david.app

- Superstruct – https://superstruct.tech/

- 📚 Superstruct Manifesto – treatdevslikeadults.com

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/204.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Is your ML project stuck in POC hell and failing to deliver real value?

In this episode, I sit down with David Tan and Dave Colls, co-authors of the book “Effective Machine Learning Teams” to discuss the complexities of building and deploying ML models, building and managing effective ML teams, and ensuring successful ML projects.

Key topics discussed:
- Learn the key differences between ML engineering and traditional software engineering.
- Why so many ML projects fail to reach production or deliver real business value and how to overcome common challenges.
- Discover the ideal ML team composition and how to apply concepts like team topologies for effective collaboration.
- The importance of product thinking in ML projects and best practices for designing robust, valuable ML products.
- Essential engineering best practices for successful ML projects, including automated testing, continuous delivery, and MLOps practices.

Listen out for:
(02:35) Career Turning Points
(04:54) Writing "Effective Machine Learning Teams"
(08:29) ML Engineering vs Other Types of Engineering
(12:24) ML and LLM
(14:59) Why Many ML Projects Fail
(19:53) ML Success Modes
(23:32) Ideal ML Engineering Team Composition
(31:39) Building the Right ML Product
(39:23) ML Engineering Best Practices
(49:14) MLOps
(52:44) Make Good Easy
(53:56) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom

Tune in to learn how to build and deploy ML products that truly make a difference!

David Tan’s Bio

David Tan is a lead ML engineer with more than six years of experience in practicing Lean engineering in the field of data and AI across various sectors such as real estate, government services and retail. David is passionate about engineering effectiveness and knowledge sharing, and has also spoken at several conferences on how teams can adopt Lean and continuous delivery practices to effectively and responsibly deliver AI-powered products across diverse industries.

Follow David Tan:

- LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/davified

- X – @davified

- GitHub – https://github.com/davified

Dave Colls’ Bio

Dave loves building new things and helping others build too – products and services, people and teams – using technology, Data & AI.

His work building the Thoughtworks Data & AI practice shows how these elements combine: creating a new business, consulting to leaders and making a home for data people to grow. Currently, Dave is working at Nextdata, pushing the frontiers of how organisations work with data.

David thrives on navigating complex challenges and evolving environments. His extensive experience in large-scale digital transformations and deep tech R&D has honed his ability to align efforts and drive impactful results.

A dedicated mentor, David is passionate about guiding data professionals in their career growth. He actively shares his expertise as a speaker, blogger, and author of the book “Effective Machine Learning Teams.”

Follow Dave Colls:
- LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/davidcolls

Links:

- 🎧 #198 - Better Software Faster: Measure & Improve Developer Productivity with DX Core 4 - Laura Tacho – https://techleadjournal.dev/episodes/198/

- 📚 Effective Machine Learning Teams – https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/effective-machine-learning/9781098144623/

- Free preview and overview – https://www.thoughtworks.com/content/dam/thoughtworks/documents/e-book/EffectiveMLTeams_preface.pdf

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/203.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Looking at the development pace of this area, it’s just a question of when generative AI will take over larger parts of software engineering. It’s a leadership responsibility to ensure your organization is ready for AI and you are taking the right path.”

AI is changing EVERYTHING – including the way we build software. Are you READY for it?

In this episode, we dive deep into the impact of AI on the future of work, particularly in the software development space. Join me and André Neubauer as we explore:

* The evolution of AI: From early code generation to today’s advanced Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs).

* The rise of Agentic AI: How AI agents are collaborating to automate complex tasks and reshape software development workflows.

* The impact on organizations: How companies can leverage AI to boost productivity, foster innovation, and navigate the challenges of this new era.

* The future of software teams: Will AI replace developers or empower them? Discover why smaller, leaner, high-performing teams might be the way forward.

* Leadership in the age of AI: Essential strategies for leaders to successfully integrate AI into their organizations and address the concerns of their teams.

Listen out for:

(00:02:11) Career Turning Points

(00:07:56) Giving a Talk on “The Role of AI in Future Workplaces”

(00:10:30) What Drives the AI Advancements

(00:18:54) The Levels of AI Advancement

(00:25:01) AI in Software Engineering

(00:26:53) Concerns on Tech Debt and Issues

(00:31:11) Impact of AI to Organizations

(00:34:34) Smaller and Leaner Teams

(00:37:15) The Rise of Solopreneurship

(00:41:32) Getting People Onboard to AI

(00:44:40) Leadership Measures for Adopting AI

(00:49:34) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom

_____

André Neubauer’s Bio

For nearly two decades, André Neubauer has shaped Tech & Product and its interface with the business in varied settings, from startups to major corporations. His journey began in software engineering and evolved into technical leadership, a role he’s passionately undertaken for the past 15 years.

As CTO, he’s spearheaded transformative projects and strategies, backed by an academic foundation in informatics and business economics. Always at the forefront of modern leadership practices, he’s transformed companies into tech powerhouses. Beyond his role as CTO, he actively mentors tech leaders and consults businesses, guiding them through their tech challenges.

Follow Andre:

* LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/andreneubauer

* Newsletter – devpg.substack.com

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/202.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Evolutionary architecture became a necessity, not because anybody wanted it to be, but because you didn’t have a choice. You have to be able to change your systems to keep up with changing business and consumer expectations, let alone regulatory frameworks.”

In this episode, I have an insightful conversation with Rebecca Parsons, coauthor of Building Evolutionary Architectures and ex-CTO of ThoughtWorks, on the topic of evolutionary architecture. Rebecca shares the definition and principles of evolutionary architecture, as well as some important practices that software engineering teams can adopt to support it. Rebecca also offers her perspective on the impact of AI in software development and evolutionary architecture.

Key takeaways:

- Evolutionary architecture supports guided, incremental change across multiple dimensions.

- Fitness functions are a key tool for implementing evolutionary architecture.

- Some of the important engineering practices for evolutionary architecture include continuous delivery, evolutionary database, contract testing, and choreography over orchestration.

- AI coding assistants can help analyze and understand complex legacy systems, aiding in refactoring and modernization efforts.

- Over-reliance on AI coding assistants may hinder the development of proper abstraction and critical thinking skills, especially in junior developers.

Listen out for:

(00:02:35) Career Turning Points

(00:08:38) Why Adopt Evolutionary Architecture

(00:11:06) Evolutionary vs Rewrite

(00:13:41) Architecture Definition

(00:16:45) Evolutionary Architecture Adoption

(00:20:56) Evolutionary Architecture Definition

(00:22:32) Fitness Function

(00:26:07) Commonly Adopted Fitness Functions

(00:29:33) Principles of Evolutionary Architecture

(00:35:24) Conway’s Law & Postel’s Law

(00:39:40) Practices of Evolutionary Architecture

(00:45:41) The Impact of AI to Evolutionary Architecture

(00:48:44) The AI Worries

(00:52:32) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom

_____

Rebecca Parsons’ Bio
Dr. Rebecca Parsons is currently independent, having been Thoughtworks CTO and CTO Emerita for over 15 years. She has more years of experience than she’d like to admit in technology and large-scale software development. She recently co-authored the book Building Evolutionary Architectures with Neal Ford and Pat Kua.

Before ThoughtWorks she worked as an assistant professor of computer science at the University of Central Florida, after completing a Director’s Post Doctoral Fellowship at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Her interests include parallel and distributed computation, programming languages, domain specific languages, evolutionary architecture, genetic algorithms, and computational science. Rebecca received a BS in Computer Science and Economics from Bradley University, and both an MS and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Rice University.

Follow Rebecca:

LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/dr-rebecca-parsons

X – x.com/rebeccaparsons

📚 Building Evolutionary Architectures – https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/building-evolutionary-architectures/9781492097532/

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/201.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Leadership is where you have, not necessarily a large organization, but increasing scope and increasing impact, while bringing lots of people along with you.”

In this milestone episode of the podcast, James Stanier returns for the third time to discuss his latest book, “Become a Great Engineering Leader.” We explore the role of an engineering leader and delve deep into the nuances of engineering leadership.

James explains the difference between an engineering leader and an engineering manager through the lens of the three levels of warfare: strategy, operational, and tactical. We then discuss the importance of organizational chart design and some best practices, including Conway’s law and how to avoid politics.

James also talks about the importance of time management, always having a long-term view of your work (long-termism), and the critical role of writing in leadership. We discuss important approaches such as one-way vs. two-way doors and balancing between writing vs. bias for action.

Finally, James explains the importance of strategic thinking, why a strategy is not necessarily a plan, and how an engineering leader can communicate their strategy effectively. He also provides practical tips for upcoming engineering leaders and discusses how we should all navigate a career in technology.  

Listen out for:

(00:02:19) Writing "Become a Great Engineering Leader"

(00:04:21) The Role of Engineering Leader

(00:05:57) Engineering Leader vs Engineering Manager

(00:09:36) Tenure Relevancy

(00:11:30) The Importance of an Org Chart

(00:13:44) Org Chart Best Practices

(00:15:55) Conway's Law

(00:17:16) Avoiding Politics

(00:21:41) Writing Skills & Time Management

(00:26:35) T-Shaped Leadership

(00:28:39) Long-termism

(00:33:02) Leadership is Writing

(00:36:13) Writing vs Bias for Action

(00:38:20) One-Way vs Two-Way Door

(00:41:09) Reading & Seeking Information

(00:44:46) Strategic Thinking

(00:48:05) A Strategy is Not a Plan

(00:52:23) Communicating Your Strategy

(00:55:39) Becoming an Engineering Leader

(01:01:56) 3 Engineering Leader Wisdom

_____

James Stanier’s Bio
James Stanier is Director of Engineering at Shopify. James holds a Ph.D. in computer science and runs theengineeringmanager.com. He has over a decade of experience with building people and software. He is also the author of Become an Effective Software Manager and Effective Remote Work.

Follow James:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/200.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“As an engineer, you don’t have to drop your technical skills, but you need to communicate like an executive. The more you communicate this way, you will have more opportunities and more impact on your job.”

Pramoda Vyasarao is an engineering leader turned coach with two decades of experience at Oracle and Meta, and the author of “Beyond Your Limits”. In this episode, Pramoda shares his insights on the importance of communication for engineers, as well as his inspiring journey of achieving 52 lofty goals in over 20 years and going beyond his limits.

Having joined Toastmasters in 2003 to improve his public speaking, Pramoda believes engineers should focus on developing their communication skills to advance their careers and become better leaders. He discusses his TALL framework for effective communication: talking with structure, asking insightful questions, listening deeply, and leadership development.

Our conversation also delves into key topics from Pramoda’s book, “Beyond Your Limits”. Pramoda discusses the importance of setting goals and finding life’s meaning, sharing his own inspiring journey in his goal-oriented life. He explains the power of thoughts, how our thoughts can influence our feelings and actions significantly, and the three common saboteurs to achieving our goals: time, purpose, and belief.

Tune in to learn practical advice on improving your communication and leadership skills, as well as how to achieve your big goals and realize your true potential.  

Listen out for:

_____

Pramoda Vyasarao’s Bio
Pramoda Vyasarao, the founder of Changesmith Coaching LLC, has a rich background in computer science and boasts over two decades of experience with tech giants like Oracle and Meta. Beginning his career as an engineer and eventually transitioning into a management role, he recognized the importance of structured leadership development. This realization spurred his journey into leadership coaching. With 17 years of coaching experience, Pramoda has significantly impacted thousands of individuals across 11 countries. He specializes in fostering personal growth for senior leaders through one-on-one coaching and cohort-based courses that focus on communication, leadership, and storytelling. Pramoda is the author of the bestselling book “Beyond Your Limits.”

Follow Pramoda:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/199.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Now more than ever, engineering leaders are being asked to be more transparent with how their work is getting done. Every single thing that an engineering team works on needs to benefit the business.”

Laura Tacho is the CTO of DX and a leading voice in the world of developer experience and productivity. In this episode, we explore the ever important role of aligning developer experience with business goals and discuss the DX Core 4, a new developer productivity framework recently published by DX.

Laura shares how engineering leaders can leverage intuition for data-driven decisions and effectively communicate the impact of engineering initiatives in business language. We discuss the importance of balancing business goals with engineering needs and delve into the process of building a strong business case for improving developer experience.

Discover the new DX Core 4 framework as Laura breaks down its four dimensions, key metrics, and actionable strategies for measuring and enhancing developer productivity. Learn how DX Core 4 complements existing frameworks, such as DORA, SPACE, and DevEx, and why it suggests “diffs per engineer” as a valuable metric to measure. Understand the Developer Experience Index (DXI) and why internal developer platforms and AI play crucial roles in improving developer experience.

Tune in to learn new valuable insights on developer experience and how to measure, communicate, and improve developer productivity effectively.  

Listen out for:

_____

Laura Tacho’s Bio
Laura Tacho is CTO at DX, a developer experience company. She’s a technology leader with a successful track record leading engineering and product development teams at companies like CloudBees, Aula Education, and Nova Credit. She’s been building developer tools and working on improving developer productivity for over 10 years, all the way from the heyday of IaaS and PaaS on cloud, through Docker and containers, CI/CD, and now as part of DX. She’s also an executive coach for engineering leaders and an expert in building world-class engineering organisations that consistently deliver outstanding results. Laura has coached CTOs and other engineering leaders from startups to the Fortune 500, and also facilitates a popular course on metrics and engineering team performance.

Follow Laura:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/198.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Input, Output, Outcome, and Impact. It’s an escalating way of where to spend my time as an engineering leader, and more importantly, where my engineering team is spending their time on.”

Balki Kodarapu is the VP of Engineering at Lōvu Health and a seasoned engineering leader with a wealth of experience from startups to large organizations. In this episode, Balki shares his valuable insights on how to build and lead high-performing engineering teams that go beyond just churning out code.

We go deep into his practical framework for driving outcomes and impact, emphasizing why it’s crucial for engineers to understand the ‘why’ behind their work. Balki also shares effective strategies for setting, communicating, and reinforcing engineering values. We also discuss the importance of connecting with your team, practicing gratitude and curiosity, and measuring engineering metrics effectively.

Tune in to gain valuable insights and practical tips for building outcome-oriented engineering teams and becoming a more effective leader.  

Listen out for:

_____

Balki Kodarapu’s Bio
Balki Kodarapu, an all-in engineering leader and entrepreneur at heart. Balki has a proven track record of leading SaaS products from inception to hyper-growth, helping companies achieve 2x to 10x revenue growth, including two successful exits. He loves being a hands-on engineer, director, and VP of Engineering (all at once!), contributing daily, shaping product strategy and building high-performing teams.

Currently, Balki leads engineering at Lōvu Health where his team helps create positive, joyful & healthy experiences for pregnant & postpartum moms every single day.

Follow Balki:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/197.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“The OOOps methodology from the science of happy accidents are optionality, opportunism, and optimization.”

Stephen Fishman and Matt McLarty are the authors of “Unbundling the Enterprise: APIs, Optionality, and the Science of Happy Accidents”, a book from IT Revolution. In this episode, we discuss the transformative power of APIs, the importance of optionality in technology and business, and the intriguing science of ‘happy accidents’.

We delve into the “OOOps” of the science of happy accidents, which are optionality through API unbundling, opportunism through value dynamics, and optimization through feedback loops. Stephen and Matt share real-world examples of how companies like Amazon, Google, and Cox Automotive have successfully unbundled their enterprises and leveraged optionality for growth and innovation. Also, hear the story and impact of Jeff Bezos’s legendary API mandate at Amazon, which revolutionized Amazon to become the giant it is now.

Towards the end, we discuss the role of AI in the future of work and how we can use AI along with APIs to embrace more optionality and create more business value.

Listen to the full episode to learn more about how you can apply these concepts to your digital transformation journey and benefit from the power of APIs and optionality.  

Listen out for:

_____

Stephen Fishman’s Bio
Stephen Fishman (Fish) is the NA Field CTO for Boomi. He is a practicing technologist who brings creativity, rigor, and a human-centric lens to problem-solving. Known as an expert in aligning technology and business strategy, Stephen places a premium on pushing business and technology leaders to embrace iteration and the critical need to collaborate across disciplines. In addition to consulting with large organizations, Stephen is an in-demand speaker and advisor. Stephen has led multidisciplinary teams to deliver amazing results at Salesforce, MuleSoft, Cox Automotive, Sapient, Macy’s, and multiple public sector institutions including the US Federal Reserve and the CDC.

Matt McLarty’s Bio
Matt McLarty is the Chief Technology Officer for Boomi. He works with organizations around the world to help them digitally transform using a composable approach. He is an active member of the global API community, has led global technical teams at Salesforce, IBM, and CA Technologies, and started his career in financial technology. Matt is an internationally known expert on APIs, microservices, and integration. He is co-author of the O’Reilly books Microservice Architecture and Securing Microservice APIs, and co-host of the API Experience podcast.

Follow Stephen:

Follow Matt:

Book & Podcast:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/196.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Legacy code is a code without tests. If you have code, and it has lots of tests, it’s relatively easy to change. But if you don’t have the tests, you’re really in serious trouble.”

Do you dread working with legacy code?

Michael Feathers, renowned software expert and author of the classic “Working Effectively with Legacy Code,” joins me to discuss the challenges and strategies for working with legacy code, a topic that remains highly relevant even after 20 years!

Michael explains why he defines legacy code as “code without tests,” emphasizing the crucial role of automated tests for code maintainability, rather than simply defining it as an old inherited code. He also provides insights on the psychological challenges of working with legacy code and stresses the importance of approaching it with curiosity and a sense of adventure.

The conversation also explores the evolving world of AI assistant in software development, drawing from Michael’s forthcoming book, “AI-Assisted Programming”. He shares how AI can assist developers in various tasks, such as explaining code, identifying potential issues, generating tests, and exploring new possibilities.

Listen to this episode to explore the intersection of legacy code, AI, and the future of software development!  

Listen out for:

_____

Michael Feathers’s Bio
Michael Feathers is the Founder and Director of R7K Research & Conveyance, a company specializing in software and organization design. Over the past 20 years he has consulted with hundreds of organizations, supporting them with general software design issues, process change and code revitalization.

A frequent presenter at national and international conferences, Michael is also the author of the book Working Effectively with Legacy Code.

Follow Michael:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/195.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Product marketing’s purpose is to drive product adoption by shaping market perception through strategic marketing activities that align with business goals.”

Are you making the mistake of focusing too much on product and not enough on the market? In this episode, Martina Lauchengo, a partner at Costanoa Ventures and the author of the SVPG book “LOVED: How to Rethink Marketing for Tech Products”, discusses the often-overlooked importance of marketing in the success of tech products.

Martina challenges the traditional notion of “product market fit,” suggesting “market product fit” instead, because a product’s value is determined by the market’s capacity to absorb it. She emphasizes the critical role of go-to-market strategy in informing product development and driving adoption.

We explore the four fundamentals of product marketing outlined in Martina’s book: ambassador, strategist, storyteller, and evangelist. Martina shares real-world examples of how these principles have been applied successfully, highlighting the importance of understanding customer needs, crafting compelling narratives, and enabling authentic evangelism.

Tune in to discover valuable insights into how to rethink marketing for your tech products and achieve greater success.  

Listen out for:

_____

Martina Lauchengco’s Bio
Martina spent 30 years as a marketing and product leader. She started her career working on market-defining software, Microsoft Office and Netscape Navigator. She teaches what she’s learned with SVPG and is a lecturer at UC Berkeley’s graduate school of engineering. As a partner at Costanoa Ventures, she sits on multiple boards and coaches startups. She is the author of LOVED: How to Rethink Marketing Tech Products, a #1 Amazon Best Seller. Martina holds a B.A. in Political Science and M.A. in Organizational Behavior from Stanford University. She’s a native Californian, mother of two, and proud wife to Chris.

Follow Martina:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/194.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“We should always learn intentionally. And the best learning is by doing. Extra time used to practice something is always worth it."

Dr. Milan Milanović is a seasoned CTO and the author of the popular “Tech World with Milan” newsletter. In this episode, Milan shares his insights on what it takes to become a great software engineer.

Milan emphasizes that technical skills, while crucial, are just one part of the equation. Soft skills, a product-focused mindset, and a commitment to continuous learning are equally vital for long-term success in the ever-evolving tech industry. He delves into the key attributes that distinguish great engineers, revealing the surprising truth about why we should focus on learning the fundamentals, how to learn new skills and become an expert, delivering high-quality engineering, and practical strategies to boost productivity.  

Listen out for:

_____

Milan Milanović’s Bio
Milan is a CTO with more than 20 years of experience in the industry. His main areas of interest include software architecture, cloud computing solutions, web and mobile solutions, agile methods, and managing software teams to deliver innovative and high-quality products. He is an avid author who helps more than 300.000 engineers and managers to build great careers and products. He also works as a High-Performance & Career Coach.

Follow Milan:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/193.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“The four common obstacles that are stopping engineers in progressing in their journey are the imposter syndrome, burnout, trouble dealing with other people, and self marketing struggles."

Dagna Bieda is an engineer turned coach and the author of “Brain Refactor”. In this episode, Dagna discusses the common obstacles that prevent engineers from progressing in their careers. She also introduces her latest book, “Brain Refactor,” which offers strategies for overcoming these obstacles and achieving success in tech.

Dagna emphasizes the importance of understanding our “legacy mental code” and how it can impact our career growth. She outlines an algorithm for reprogramming our legacy mental code, discussing practical steps for identifying the root causes, planning the refactors, scripting new responses, and continuously executing improvements.

Towards the end, Dagda dives deeper into handling burnout and dealing with other people and provides practical tips to resolve those common bugs.  

Listen out for:

_____

Dagna Bieda’s Bio
Dagna Bieda is an Engineer turned Coach for Engineers and ambitious professionals in tech. With 10+ years of coding experience and coaching since 2019, she’s the tough love, “been in your shoes” kinda Coach. Her clients' backgrounds include a spectrum ranging from ICs to CTOs, from small startups to FAANG+ companies, from 2 to 20+ years of experience, and from self-taught devs through career-changing Bootcamp grads to college grads and PhDs. She helps her clients reach their potential and exciting career opportunities by refactoring their brains.

Follow Dagna:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/192.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“One key highlight of the report is that there’s a massive disconnect between engineering leaders and engineers about developer experience."

Andrew Boyagi is a DevOps Evangelist at Atlassian. In this episode, Andrew shares the key findings of the State of Developer Experience Report 2024, including the disconnect between engineering leaders and engineers, the impact of AI on developer experience, and the importance of measuring and improving developer productivity.

Andrew shares practical advice on how to improve developer experience in our organization, emphasizing the importance of communication, continuous improvement, and transparency. We also delve into the role of internal platforms in enhancing developer experience and the importance of engineering culture.

If you’re interested in learning more about developer experience and looking for ways to improve developer productivity, this episode is for you!  

Listen out for:

_____

Andrew Boyagi’s Bio
Andrew is a DevOps Evangelist at Atlassian with more than 20 years of experience in software delivery and service management in enterprise organizations. He provides a practical perspective on how teams and organizations can maximize the benefits of DevOps based on real-life experience.

Before joining Atlassian, Andrew was an Executive Manager at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, where he established and matured a platform engineering function that supported 7,000 engineers. Andrew holds an MBA from Southern Cross University.

Follow Andrew:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/191.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“The three core expectations of a Staff+ engineer are having a high blast radius impact, able to do multi-scale planning & influence, and having high ownership & autonomy level.”

What does it take to become a Staff+ engineer? Thiago Ghisi, an experienced engineering leader and a Director of Engineering at Nubank, reveals the secrets in this episode. We discuss the path to becoming a Staff+ engineer and explore the attributes that set successful Staff+ engineers apart.

Thiago emphasizes that technical skills alone are not enough and outlines the three core expectations and three key behaviors for Staff+ engineers to demonstrate. Our conversation concludes with a discussion of the importance of finding role models and learning from their behaviors and approaches rather than following checklists.

If you’re an aspiring Staff+ engineer or simply interested in career growth in tech, don’t miss this episode! Tune in now to unlock the secrets to Staff+ success.  

Listen out for:

_____

Thiago Ghisi’s Bio
Thiago Ghisi is the Director of Engineering for the Mobile Platform team at Nubank. He has nearly 20 years of experience in the software industry, having worked at companies like Apple, ThoughtWorks, and Amex. Ghisi has worn multiple hats - from Programmer to Project Manager to Quality Engineer, back to Engineering, and finally, Engineering Management, where he has been leading cross-functional teams in the Mobile FinTech space for the past eight years. He also hosts a podcast called “Engineering Advice You Didn’t Ask For” and writes extensively about Career & Leadership in Tech on LinkedIn & Twitter.

Follow Thiago:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/190.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“A lot of problems that we are facing in code review are due to the interface. We are not actually giving feedback to a person, but we are just filling in text boxes and looking at code."

Dr. Michaela Greiler is a code review advocate and runs the “Awesome Code Reviews” workshops. In this episode, we discuss the importance of making code reviews awesome. We discuss the common challenges of code reviews, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach that considers both the technical and social aspects. Michaela also shares insights on how to assess and improve code review practices within teams, highlighting the code review quadrant of review speed and feedback value.

Our discussion further explores the correlation between code reviews and developer experience, emphasizing the role of psychological safety and a positive feedback culture. Finally, Michaela provides valuable tips on code review tools and techniques, including the use of checklists and strategies for managing context switching.

If you’re looking to enhance your team’s code review process and foster a positive developer experience, listen now and take your code reviews to the next level!  

Listen out for:

_____

Michaela Greiler’s Bio
For over 15 years, Michaela Greiler has helped software teams build high-quality software in an efficient and effective way. Her mission is to lead teams to unlock their full potential during company workshops and team coaching sessions. She shares her findings through articles on her blog or in scientific journals, in publications such as freecodecamp and at conferences. She also runs a weekly newsletter that more than 2500 people enjoy. In this newsletter, she shares her thoughts on relevant software engineering topics and helps you stay up-to-date. She’s also the host of the software engineering unlocked podcast. Here, she interviews experienced developers, product managers and CTOs about how they build software.

Follow Michaela:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/189.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Coupling is an inherent part of system design, not something that is necessarily good or evil. How we design coupling can take our system either towards complexity or towards modularity."

Vladik Khononov returns to the podcast to discuss his latest book “Balancing Coupling in Software Design”. In this episode, Vlad revisits the essence of coupling, a term often not fully understood, and explores its implications on software complexity and modularity.

Vlad introduces the concept of shared lifecycle and shared knowledge, revealing the hidden dependencies that can undermine even the most well-intentioned designs. He also explains complexity through the lens of the Cynefin framework and delves into the differences between essential and accidental complexity.

One of the episode’s highlights is Vlad’s unique framework for evaluating coupling. He introduces the three dimensions of integration strength, distance, and volatility, providing a practical model for assessing and balancing coupling in software design. He also challenges traditional definitions of modularity, emphasizing the importance of knowledge boundaries.

Whether you’re a seasoned tech lead or an aspiring software engineer, this episode offers invaluable insights into building maintainable and modular software systems. It will leave you with a deeper appreciation for the delicate balance between coupling and complexity.  

Listen out for:

_____

Vladik Khononov’s Bio
Vlad Khononov is a software engineer with extensive industry experience, working for companies large and small in roles ranging from webmaster to chief architect. His core areas of expertise are distributed systems and software design. Vlad consults with companies to make sense of their business domains, untangle monoliths, and tackle complex architectural challenges. Vlad maintains an active media career as a public speaker and author. Prior to Balancing Coupling in Software Design, he authored the best-selling O’Reilly book Learning Domain-Driven Design. He is a sought-after keynote speaker, presenting on topics such as domain-driven design, microservices, and software architecture in general.

Follow Vladik:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/188.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Just because the network is unreliable doesn’t mean a monolith is reliable either. It’s a fallacy to assume that you can build an error free system. You deal with it by accepting that the system overall has a baseline error rate, and that’s a business requirements issue."

Richard Rodger is the author of “The Tao of Microservices”. In this episode, Richard shares a unique philosophical and practical approach to microservices, focusing on core concepts such as messages first, component-based, pattern matching, and transport independence. Our discussion also covers the choice between monoliths and microservices, discussing the challenges of network unreliability and data consistency.  

Listen out for:

_____

Richard Rodger’s Bio
Richard Rodger is the author of The Tao of Microservices, a book from Manning focused on the design and management of microservice architectures. His first book Mobile Application Development in the Cloud (Wiley, 2010) is one of the first major works on the intersection of Node.js, Cloud, and Mobile.

Richard Rodger is the founder and CEO of voxgig.com, a professional network and tool suite for speakers and event organizers. Richard was previously a co-founder and COO of nearForm.com, the world’s largest specialist Node.js consultancy delivering next-generation enterprise software, with a focus on Node.js and microservices. Before that, Richard was the CTO of FeedHenry, a mobile application platform provider that was acquired by RedHat in 2014.

Richard holds degrees in Mathematics, Philosophy, and Computer Science.

Follow Richard:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/187.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Where the CTOs usually struggle is holding people accountable. The other things are leadership, strategy, vision, and being an executive. Most of the CTOs are swamped with work from their day-to-day job."

Stephan Schmidt is a CTO coach and the author of “Amazing CTO”. In this episode, we delve into the multifaceted world of the CTO role and discuss what it takes to become a great CTO.

Stephan highlights the common struggles CTOs face and offers practical advice from his book on the different important aspects of the role, such as setting a clear vision and strategy, delegating effectively, having effective one-on-ones, and fostering a culture of ownership and growth. We also touch on the personal side of the role, discussing the importance of self-management, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, handling failures, and overcoming imposter syndrome.

Whether you’re already a CTO or have aspirations for tech leadership, this episode shares practical insights for effectively managing technology teams and driving innovation.  

Listen out for:

_____

Stephan Schmidt’s Bio
Stephan Schmidt launched his tech career as a self-taught coder, mastering the art of programming as a kid in a department store back in 1981 with ambitions of creating video games. His passion for technology led him to university, where he delved into computer science, specializing in distributed systems and artificial intelligence, while also exploring the realms of philosophy. With the dawn of the internet era in Germany during the 1990s, Stephan became a pioneering coder and engineering manager for several startups. His journey in the tech world expanded as he founded a venture capital-funded startup and tackled architecture, processes, and growth challenges in various fast-growing VC-backed companies.

His roles have included engineering manager at ImmoScout24 and CTO of an eBay Inc. subsidiary. Following the successful sale of his wife’s startup, the couple relocated to the seaside, where Stephan embraced his role as a CTO coach, guiding technology leaders through the intricacies of their evolving roles.

Follow Stephan:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/186.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“The three change dimensions of the product operating model are changing how you build, changing how you solve problems, and changing how you decide which problems to solve."

Chris Jones, Partner at Silicon Valley Product Group (SVPG) and co-author of “TRANSFORMED: Moving to the Product Operating Model,” joins me to discuss how organizations can transform and innovate like top tech companies.

Chris introduces the Product Operating Model (POM), a set of principles for building products that prioritize outcomes over outputs. He contrasts POM with traditional IT and project models, emphasizing the importance of empowering cross-functional teams, fostering trust, and aligning stakeholders around a unified product strategy.

Chris also delves into the three dimensions of POM, highlighting the need for changing how we build, how we solve problems, and how we prioritize problems to solve. Additionally, he explores the crucial role of the CEO, the product leaders, and the product team’s key competencies in driving successful transformations to POM.  

Listen out for:

_____

Chris Jones’s Bio
Chris has spent over 30 years building and leading product teams that defined new product categories at startups to F500 software companies including Lookout, Symantec, and Vontu. A holder of multiple patents, he has discovered and developed new products in consumer and enterprise mobile, web, data, and platform services.

Chris has worked directly with over 200 companies ranging from startups to very large enterprise across a wide variety of technologies, business models and industries. Chris has worked directly with leadership and operational teams at these companies to better align their organization, process, tools, and culture with modern product best practices.

Follow Chris:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/185.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Contract testing is a form of testing where you are verifying two systems have the same shared understanding about the expectations."

Lewis Prescott is the coauthor of “Contract Testing in Action”. In this episode, join us to demystify contract testing and its critical role in modern software development. Discover how contract testing ensures reliable software integration, particularly in complex microservice architectures.

Lewis explains the core concepts, the difference between consumer-driven and provider-driven approaches, and how contract testing fits into your testing strategy and CI/CD pipeline. We also touch on the practicalities of implementing contract testing, including tool options like Pact, and how it can also be applied in event-driven architectures.

Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting, this episode offers valuable insights to help you level up your software development approach.  

Listen out for:

_____

Lewis Prescott’s Bio
Lewis Prescott is a Test Specialist at IBM. He has 9 years experience in software testing, is a recognized champion of Contract Testing and course author at Test Automation University, as well as an active mentor in the testing community.

Follow Lewis:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/184.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Strong teams embrace conflict. They use it as a tool, and they have their great way of handling disagreements."

Hari Haralambiev is co-founder of SoftSkillsPills.com and author of the leadership newsletter “A Leader’s Tale”. In this episode, we discuss essential elements of team leadership and dynamics. Hari begins by sharing his insights on what makes a great software development team, emphasizing the importance of creating the right environment for collaboration and sustainable results. He introduces the TReE team model, a framework for assessing team dynamics, which stands for Trust, Results, and Evolution.

Our conversation also explores the significance of handling conflicts and disagreements within teams, highlighting the role of leaders in fostering healthy conflict resolution. Hari provides strategies for maintaining team engagement during challenging times, such as layoffs and the pandemic, emphasizing the importance of open communication, focusing on controllable objectives, and the importance of authenticity and vulnerability in leadership.  

Listen out for:

_____

Hari Haralambiev’s Bio
Hari started his 20-year career in the IT industry as a software engineer, led dozens of projects as a manager of software teams, and reached the position of Innovation Director before starting his own company. For the past 10 years, he has focused on helping tech people work better together through team coaching and leadership & soft skills training. Hari is co-founder of SoftSkillsPills.com, the platform for dev teams who care about people, co-host of the popular Bulgarian podcast for IT people Radio Tochka 2, and author of the leadership newsletter/comic A Leader’s Tale.

Follow Hari:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/183.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“We have 10 different aspects of quality, and testing is just a subset of activities in the overall quality culture. You need to have a good testing practice, but it’s just a tiny part of quality culture."

Janet Gregory and Selena Delesie are the co-authors of “Assessing Agile Quality Practices Using QPAM”. In this episode, we discuss how to elevate and improve our organization’s quality culture and practices. Janet and Selena begin by explaining what quality culture truly entails, distinguishing it from a narrow focus on testing. They describe the QPAM model, breaking down its 10 quality aspects and 4 dimensions to provide you with a comprehensive model for assessing your quality practices.

Gain insights on why social and sociotechnical aspects of quality are more critical than technical ones, and explore some quality aspects such as feedback loops, development approach, and defect management. Janet and Selena also elaborate on why they consider defect management to be of the lowest priority and provide reasoning for their decision.

Whether you’re a seasoned quality professional or a team leader striving for continuous improvement, this episode contains valuable takeaways to help you build a quality-driven culture that delivers high-quality results. Tune in to learn actionable tips for conducting your own quality assessment and driving quality transformation in your organization.  

Listen out for:

_____

Janet Gregory’s Bio
Janet Gregory is a testing and process consultant with DragonFire Inc. She specializes in showing agile teams how testing activities are necessary to develop good quality products. She works with teams to transition to agile development and has taught agile testing courses worldwide. She contributes articles to publications and enjoys sharing her experiences.

Selena Delesie’s Bio
As a coach, consultant, and trainer, Selena helps leaders and executives shift into healthy leadership, business agility and to engage the strengths and passions of their team to produce a highly creative, productive and vibrant workforce. She is a published author and invited speaker on agility, quality and leadership practices. Selena is co-author, with Janet Gregory, of the books Assessing Agile Quality Practices with QPAM, and A Guide for Facilitating Quality Assessments, as well as a contributing author to other published works.

Follow Janet and Selena:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/182.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Engineers make this mistake of thinking that if they just do the work, they’re going to be rewarded. But it’s just not how it happens. Be heads down, add the value, do great work, but don’t forget to make the noise."

Louie Bacaj is a software engineer and engineering leader who turned entrepreneur. In this episode, Louie shares his unique career journey and valuable insights for aspiring tech professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Louie reveals the secrets behind his rapid career progression, sharing the key differences between working in a big corporate versus a nimble startup, and the challenges and rewards of wearing multiple hats. He offers practical advice on self-upskilling, embracing more senior management roles, and excelling at people management. He also shares timeless career advice for engineers at all stages of their journey.

Louie then opens up about his entrepreneurial journey, emphasizing the importance of taking small bets and learning from the small wins, and embracing freedom and independence by building your own business. Plus, discover why strong writing skills are a secret weapon for success at any stage of your career.

This episode is packed with actionable tips and inspiration for anyone navigating the tech industry – whether you’re a seasoned engineer or an aspiring entrepreneur.  

Listen out for:

_____

Louie Bacaj’s Bio
Louie Bacaj is a Software Engineer and Engineering Leader who turned Entrepreneur. Over the last decade, he has helped build multiple engineering teams and systems that scaled to millions of users. But he decided to leave that career behind for entrepreneurship.

Since quitting, he has realized that building an audience is an asset to entrepreneurship. It’s a great way to help people and to have them help him. But as an awkward engineer, he had no idea where to start. So he started writing and Tweeting his story. And everything he has learned so far.

Since starting this entrepreneurial journey in September 2021, he has built multiple SaaS apps with his brother. He created two courses that have sold over 1500 times. And he has grown a sizeable audience.

Follow Louie:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/181.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Learn the difference between activities and impact. Sometimes we spend our career trying to get really great at activities. Always ask yourself, what is the impact of the work I’m doing?”

From Google Distinguished Engineer to early retirement, Kelsey Hightower has a career journey filled with lessons for tech professionals at every stage. In this episode, Kelsey reflects on his journey, revealing why he decided to retire early, and offering valuable insights and lessons learned.

Discover the importance of an entrepreneurial mindset, differentiating between activity and impact, and building a strong personal brand. Kelsey reveals his top strategies for becoming a confident public speaker and shares his thoughts on staying engaged and planning your career path. Plus, we touch on the impact of AI on software developers’ careers.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the industry’s most respected figures and gain a unique perspective on achieving career success and fulfillment.  

Listen out for:

_____

Kelsey Hightower’s Bio
Kelsey has worn every hat possible throughout his career in tech and enjoys leadership roles focused on making things happen and shipping software. Prior to his retirement, he was a Distinguished Engineer at Google, where he worked on Google Cloud Platform. He is a strong open source advocate with a focus on building great software as well as great communities around them. He is also an accomplished author and keynote speaker with a knack for demystifying complex topics, doing live demos and enabling others to succeed. When he is not writing code, you can catch him giving technical workshops covering everything from programming to system administration.

Follow Kelsey:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?

Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/180. Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“As a startup, as a scaleup, you often get one chance. If the first impression is something that’s slow, doesn’t work, is down entirely, people will move on and go find some other way to solve that problem."

Tim Cochran and Kennedy Collins are the co-authors of the “Bottlenecks of Scaleups” series published on Martin Fowler’s website. In this episode, we explore several key challenges faced by scaleups, such as product-engineering friction, service disruptions, accumulation of tech debt, and onboarding. Tim and Kennedy share their experiences and provide actionable advice on fostering collaboration, creating unified roadmaps, ensuring system reliability, and managing technical debt. They also emphasize the importance of efficient onboarding and developer experience in navigating the complexities of scaling up a startup.  

Listen out for:

_____

Tim Cochran’s Bio
Tim Cochran is a Principal in Amazon’s Software Builder Experience (ASBX) group. He was previously a Technical Director at Thoughtworks.

Tim has over 20 years of experience working with both scaleups and enterprises. He advises on technology strategy and making the right technology investments to enable digital transformation goals. He is a vocal advocate for the developer experience and passionate about using data-driven approaches to improve it.

Kennedy Collins' Bio
At Thoughtworks, he leads product and design for the Central Market of North America. A product manager by trade and a designer by training, he’s most interested in creating (and helping others create) useful and valuable things — be it software or organizational structures.

He’s also a bit of a nerd about strategy, human behavior, health and fitness, productivity, writing, coffee, cocktails, board games, and the history of product management.

Follow Tim:

Follow Kennedy:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?

Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/179. Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“99% of us aren’t working in big tech. There’s this impression that everybody works in big tech. There’s a huge world of software development out there that almost gets forgotten about in social media."

John Crickett is the creator of “Coding Challenges” and a seasoned software engineer with over 30 years of experience. In this episode, John shares his diverse career path, including transitioning between individual contributor roles and management, founding his own business, and his passion for coding challenges.

John explains the benefits of building real-world applications over algorithm-based ones, emphasizing the importance of learning by doing. John also shares practical tips on time management for continuous learning and debunks the myth that most software engineers work in big tech.

We also explore the role of personal branding in today’s competitive job market. John provides tips on building a personal brand and leveraging social media to stay ahead in your tech career.

Finally, John shares his perspective on the impact of AI on software engineering and how we can leverage AI in our day-to-day tasks.

Whether you’re an aspiring developer or a seasoned professional, this episode provides practical advice and inspiration to help you level up in your tech career.  

Listen out for:

_____

John Crickett’s Bio
John Crickett is a software engineer and sometimes a manager of software engineers. He has worked as both a senior individual contributor (Staff+) and a senior manager (VP Engineering, Head of Software Development).

John writes about software engineering daily on LinkedIn and Twitter. He’s the founder of the popular “Coding Challenges” newsletter. Each week, John offers practical coding challenges to help software engineers enhance their skills through building real-world applications.

Follow John:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?

Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/178. Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Every software gets more complex over time. What we need to do as engineers is to find ways so that we can work with increasing complexity, but not increasing the cost of maintaining the software."

Mauricio Aniche returns to the podcast for the second time and discuss with me his latest book, “Simple Object-Oriented Design”. Our discussion explores the intricacies of software design and shares practical strategies to manage software complexity through effective object-oriented design.

Mauricio delves into the six key principles of a simple object-oriented design: making code small, keeping objects consistent, managing dependencies, designing good abstractions, handling external dependencies, and achieving modularisation.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of object-oriented design and maintaining simplicity in their codebase!  

Listen out for:

_____

Mauricio Aniche’s Bio
Dr. Maurício Aniche’s life mission is to help software engineers to become better and more productive. Maurício is a Tech Lead at Adyen, where he heads the Tech Academy team and leads different engineering enablement initiatives. He is the author of the “Effective Software Testing: A Developer’s Guide” and “Simple Object-Oriented Design” published by Manning.

Maurício previously held a position as an assistant professor of software engineering at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, where his teaching efforts in software testing gave him the Computer Science Teacher of the Year 2021 award and the TU Delft Education Fellowship, a prestigious fellowship given to innovative lecturers.

Follow Mauricio:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 45% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead45 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?

Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/177. Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Always remember that system design interview is not about perfection. It is about trade-offs and being able to communicate them clearly and concisely."

Zhiyong Tan is the author of “Acing the System Design Interview”. In this episode, he joins me in demystifying the system design interview process. He shares insights into what to expect, how to tackle common challenges like time management, anxiety, and knowledge gaps, and reveals the core principles that guide successful system design interview.

Zhiyong dives deep into common pitfalls, offering advice on handling tricky topics like requirements gathering, data consistency, scaling problems, and service design. He also provides practical tips on how to learn and grow from system design interview failures, turning setbacks into stepping stones towards success.

Whether you’re a seasoned engineer or just starting your tech career, this episode offers valuable insights and actionable advice to help you ace your next system design interview.  

Listen out for:

_____

Zhiyong Tan’s Bio
Zhiyong Tan is the author of Acing the System Design Interview. He is the founder of Tingxie, an app for learning Chinese as a second language. Previously, he was an Engineering Manager and Staff Engineer at PayPal, a senior software engineer at Uber, and a software and data engineer at various startups.

Follow Zhiyong:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 45% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead45 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?

Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/176. Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“All data scientists and analysts should spend more time in the business, outside the data sets, just to see how the actual business works. Because then you have the context, and then you understand the columns you’re seeing in the data."

David Asboth, author of “Solve Any Data Analysis Problem” and co-host of the “Half Stack Data Science” podcast, shares practical tips for solving real-world data analysis challenges. He highlights the gap between academic training and industry demands, emphasizing the importance of understanding the business problem and maintaining a results-driven approach.

David offers practical insights on data dictionary, data modeling, data cleaning, data lake, and prediction analysis. We also explore AI’s impact on data analysis and the importance of critical thinking when leveraging AI solutions. Tune in to level up your skills and become an indispensable, results-driven data analyst.  

Listen out for:

_____

David Asboth’s Bio
David is a “data generalist”; currently a freelance data consultant and educator with an MSc. in Data Science and a background in software and web development. With over 6 years experience teaching, he has taught everyone from junior analysts up to C-level executives in industries like banking and management consulting about how to successfully apply data science, machine learning, and AI to their day-to-day roles. He co-hosts the Half Stack Data Science podcast about data science in the real world and is the author of Solve Any Data Analysis Problem, a book about the data skills that aspiring analysts actually need in their jobs, which will be published by Manning in 2024.

Follow David:

_____

Our Sponsors

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 45% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead45 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?

Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/175. Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Raise the bar of the team so that they bring sustainable practices. If your code stinks, no matter how you desire to be agile, you cannot respond to the change."

Dr. Venkat Subramaniam is a renowned figure in the software development community, an award-winning author and founder of Agile Developer, Inc. In this episode, Venkat sheds light on the frequently overlooked challenges of software development and provides valuable insights for succeeding in the field. We delve into the misalignment between understanding and practising agile development, the quality gaps that exist between software developers in the industry, the essential technical practices that often get neglected, and the critical role of software architects and technical leaders in steering successful software projects and teams.

If you’re ready for some hard-hitting truths and actionable advice to elevate your software development game, this episode is a must-listen.  

Listen out for:

_____

Venkat Subramaniam’s Bio
Dr. Venkat Subramaniam is an award-winning author, founder of Agile Developer, Inc., an instructional professor at the University of Houston, and the creator of the dev2next conference.

He has trained and mentored thousands of software developers in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia, and is a regularly-invited speaker at several international conferences. Venkat helps his clients effectively apply and succeed with sustainable agile practices on their software projects.

Venkat is a (co)author of multiple technical books, including the 2007 Jolt Productivity award winning book Practices of an Agile Developer. You can find a list of his books at https://www.agiledeveloper.com. You can reach him by email at venkats@agiledeveloper.com or on Twitter/X at @venkat_s.

Follow Dr. Venkat:

_____

Our Sponsors

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 45% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead45 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?

Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/174. Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Three characteristics of an organization that is operating with maximal effectiveness are value, clarity, and flow."

Are you feeling the strain of growth? Struggling to maintain alignment and efficiency as your organization scales? In this episode, I sit down with Steve Pereira and Andrew Davis, authors of the groundbreaking new book, “Flow Engineering”.

Learn why traditional scaling methods focusing on rigid coordination can actually hinder progress and how flow engineering offers a solution. We delve into the challenges and paradox of scaling, the core principles of flow engineering, its five primary mapping techniques, and the leadership mindset shift required to create a culture of flow engineering.

If you’re looking to overcome misalignment and optimize performance as you scale, this episode is a must-listen!  

Listen out for:

_____

Steve Pereira’s Bio
Steve Pereira has spent over two decades improving the flow of work across organizations. He’s worked through tech support, IT management, build and release engineering, and as a founding CTO for enterprise SaaS. After shifting to consulting large enterprises on value stream performance improvement, he created Flow Engineering to make value stream mapping simple, quick, and actionable. He serves as lead consultant for Visible Value Stream Consulting, as a board advisor to the Value Stream Management Consortium, Chair of the OASIS Value Stream Management Interoperability technical committee, and co-founder of the Flow Collective to bring flow-focused professionals together.

Andrew Davis’s Bio
Andrew Davis is a Salesforce DevOps specialist who’s passionate about helping teams deliver innovation, build trust, and improve their performance. After studying engineering at Virginia Tech and Johns Hopkins he became a Buddhist monk, teaching and building meditation communities for almost 15 years. Since 2014, he’s focused on the Salesforce platform as a developer, consultant, and architect. He launched Wipro’s Salesforce DevOps practice, and focuses on promoting modern development practices for Salesforce. He is the Chief Product Officer for AutoRABIT, helping people understand the importance of DevOps for scaling Salesforce implementations. He lives in San Diego with his amazing wife and very cuddly dog.

Follow Steve and Andrew:

_____

Our Sponsors

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 45% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead45 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?

Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/173. Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“The quality is connected to the risk, and the risk is connected to the testing. If we don’t keep an eye on quality, our testing and development will drift, because we are no longer building the thing that people care about anymore."

Mark Winteringham is a quality engineer and the author of “Testing Web APIs”. In this episode, discover how holistic, risk-based testing strategies can transform your software quality. Mark explains how to prioritize our testing by understanding what users truly value and translating that into different risk-based testing strategies, such as testing API design, exploratory testing, automated testing, and acceptance test-driven design (ATDD). Mark also reveals the testing Venn diagram as our testing strategic roadmap. Finally, get a glimpse of Mark’s upcoming book “AI-Assisted Testing” and learn how AI will evolve the roles of testers and developers.  

Listen out for:

_____

Mark Winteringham’s Bio
Mark Winteringham is a quality engineer, course director, and author of “AI Assisted Testing” and “Testing Web APIs”, with over 10 years of experience providing testing expertise on award-winning projects across a wide range of technology sectors. He is an advocate for modern risk-based testing practices, holistic based Automation strategies, Behaviour Driven Development and Exploratory testing techniques.

Follow Mark:

_____

Our Sponsors

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 45% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead45 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?

Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/172. Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.