The Ten Commandments of Maintaining Legacy Code

Writing new software is fun but a minor part of the software engineering job. Let's talk about the real meat of the job. Legacy code.

22 Somewhat Random Bits of (Mostly Tech Career) Advice From Dave

Not in any order, or theme, just 22 thoughts from Dave.

Three Mistakes That Changed How I Lead (More Than Any Training Ever Did)

You can sit through training for years. One mistake you care about will teach you more in a day.

My Experience at an Amazon Recruiting Trip

From scheduling chaos to final offers, a firsthand account of high-volume hiring at Amazon.

The Cheese Pizza Problem: Consensus Is Killing Your Best Decisions

When everyone has a voice, the outcome gets safer, slower, and more boring. This is exactly the opposite of what great companies need.

Diversity Metrics Are Easy to Fix. Real Diversity Means Hiring People You Disagree With.

Diversity isn't about checking the box on hiring people who look different. It's about having true differences of opinions on teams.

Relying on Your Manager Isn’t a Career Plan

The steps to take to grow your skills and career without your manager helping.

The AI Gold Rush Looks a Lot Like the Dot-Com Bubble. Let's Remember 1999.

A walk down memory lane from 1999, and what that might tell us about today's boom.

Finishing Your Tasks Doesn’t Mean You’re Doing Your Job

Helping gets tasks done. That's nice. Ownership removes problems entirely, and that’s the only way teams and leaders can scale.

If You're Busy All Day, Your Approach to Work is Probably Wrong.

Creating an impact doesn't always make you feel accomplished, and feeling accomplished doesn't necessarily mean you're creating an impact. This is about the dopamine trap of getting things done.

Anyone Can Have a Big Idea. Thinking Big is About Charting a Path.

The concept of Thinking Big is not about having big ideas. It's about charting a path to accomplish great and challenging things.

Big Companies Don’t Get Slower Because They Become Stupid

Designing processes and software to scale is expensive but necessary. I'll walk through why scaling by definition (basically always) leads to a loss of agility.