This week, give the podcasts about Uber’s AI infrastructure and the Serbian student movement a listen. Quote of the Week You’d be amazed at how fast you can get going with a tiny acceleration over a long time. The Martian Andy Weir Leadership The revised rules of engineering management with Will Larson [Podcast] - It is a bit depressing, but he is probably right that it isn’t as much about people any more. ...
Two weeks of links and quite a few urbanism ones, mostly about the new Oxford Street. I recommend the podcast about the “fat bikes” ban in the Netherlands. The engineering articles about Coding Alone and small-change code reviews are very good too. Quote of the Week How does a manager motivate his subordinates? For most of us, the word implies doing something to another person. But I don’t think that can happen, because motivation has to come from within somebody. Accordingly, all a manager can do is create an environment in which motivated people can flourish. High Output Management Andrew S. Grove Leadership Interview with Eric Ries: AI, Founder Mode, and Why Good Companies Go Bad - “MVPs are still misunderstood, even after 15 years” - this won’t change, ever. ...
The trend is definitely going towards a smaller Engineering and a bigger AI section. I don’t like that. This week, have a look at John Cutler’s Feature Factory Retrospective and the No Man Is an Island post. If you want a podcast and like engineering, check out “Building resilient systems”. Quote of the Week And that’s the deciding factor. We can’t win against obsession. They care, we don’t. The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams and Neil Gaiman Leadership TBM 445: The Feature Factory: A 10-Year Retrospective - “First, you ARE working in a feature factory. So you don’t need any signs.” ...
Good long reads this week: Camille Fournier on the manager’s path in the age of AI and how AI affects building things by Paulo André. Quote of the Week The first rule is that a measurement—any measurement—is better than none. High Output Management Andrew S. Grove Leadership If your team is happy, are you doing a good job? - it’s a business and happy means different things to different people. ...
Quick one this week. I really liked the sustainability post by Etsy. They are about measuring stuff and advocating for change in the industry. Quote of the Week How does a manager motivate his subordinates? For most of us, the word implies doing something to another person. But I don’t think that can happen, because motivation has to come from within somebody. Accordingly, all a manager can do is create an environment in which motivated people can flourish. High Output Management Andrew S. Grove Leadership The simple answer to improving productivity: asking employees [Podcast] - I really wish more organisations would take employee surveys more seriously. ...