Hiring engineers in 2024, elevating remote work culture, going multi-product, leadership planning [Exec Eng. #104]

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The digest

Hiring engineers in 2024 (Dana Lawson / Refactoring)

Netlify CTO Dana Lawson's approach to AI in hiring: embrace it, but don't be fooled by it. She suggests probing candidates' problem-solving approach and passion projects. It's about finding those who can leverage AI effectively while maintaining human creativity and judgment.

I do want people to use the AI tools, but I don't want them to use them to a fault.

How to create more meaningful connections when everyone works from home (Donald Fierros / Fast Company)

The article cleverly reframes remote work challenges through the lens of "shoeless" interactions. The author suggests that just as office shoes once revealed personality, now our Zoom backgrounds and digital habits can serve the same function, as long as we're intentional about it.

As digital tools become our primary conduit for intra-office connection, take every opportunity to remind employees that they are people too, with stories and personalities worth getting to know.

The guide to going multi-product (First Round Review)

Some nuggets from the guide, which is compiles insights from current and former product leaders at Gong, Stripe, Slack and Dropbox:

• Wait for strong PMF before expanding, unless there's a compelling "why now"
• Consider adjacent customer workflows when choosing new products
• Start with small teams and scale based on clear customer excitement

Planned Leadership (Aviv Ben-Yosef)

Aviv Ben-Yosef compares modern tech leadership without planning to driving randomly. He challenges leaders to reclaim planning as a core leadership function, not just for products, but for organizational growth and personal development.

Planning is what's needed to have a general direction and be able to take the lead. Otherwise, where exactly are you leading people?

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More reads

• Boom time startups vs Gloom time startups (Andrew Chen)
• It is better to dissolve a problem than to solve it (Kpaxs / Russell L. Ackoff)
• Where Facebook's AI Slop comes from (Jason Koebler / 404 Media)
• The introverts are winning (Marie Le Conte / New Humanist)

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About Exec Engineering

I’m Yassine ??. I spend a big chunk of my time digging into engineering management and talent acquisition, especially where the two overlap. I share the most interesting resources I come across in this newsletter, all curated by hand.

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