Driving growth in tech teams, how developers want to use AI, building a lasting data infrastructure | Exec Engineering #105

Hey ??

I'm leaving for a one week vacation next week, so the newsletter will also take a pause.

Thank you for sticking around and supporting the newsletter, see you in two weeks!

And as always, I hope this edition brings you value.

The digest

Scaling Smart: Strategies for product development (Adam Berman / Dev Interrupted)

Semgrep’s Head of Engineering, Adam Berman, encourages his engineers to think like PMs and focus on user value, which creates a multiplier effect. When every engineer feels like a product owner, innovation accelerates.

The reason our infrastructure team has been so successful is because they also think of themselves as building products, but for the other engineers of the company.

How developers want to use AI tools (Summary by Abi Noda)

This Microsoft study reveals that developers prefer AI for testing, code analysis, and documentation, tasks that, when automated, free up mental bandwidth for more “exciting” work.

Why your data stack won't last - And how to build data infrastructure that will (SeattleDataGuy)

Simplicity, clarity, and business alignment are the keys to data infrastructure that lasts. Fancy tech might look good on your developers’ resume, but it won't stand the test of time if it doesn't solve real problems.

A well-thought-out and simple system. Naming that people can understand. And documentation that isn't filled with acronyms and assumptions. That can help ensure that years into the future, your data infrastructure is still around.

Questions I ask when checking references (Jason Fried / X)

A list of reference checking questions by Jason Fried, focusing on uncovering a candidate's nuances, blind spots, and impact beyond their resume. I don’t think I’ve seen a more thorough list anywhere.

Some examples:

• Are they better working with what they have, or working with what they want?
• If they hadn't been at your company, how would your company have been different?
• Do they make other people better? How?
• Have they ever changed your mind?

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More reads

• Perfectionism - one of the biggest productivity killers in the engineering industry (Gregor Ojstersek & Jordan Cutler)
• Unlearning the lessons that no longer serve us (Deb Liu)
• Letter to a friend who is thinking of starting something new (Sari Azout)
• Predictions for the future of software engineering (Russel Kaplan / X)

This digest is supported by Gemography.

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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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