Transforming teams doesn’t go without its challenges. Let’s look at Tinder’s example.  In this episode, Chris O'Brien, Director of Engineering at Tinder, shares his insights on building and leading engineering teams, particularly focusing on turning around existing teams. He discusses transforming teams, transitioning into a leadership role, Tinder’s culture and hiring process and a lot more. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Building a new team...

Scaling engineering teams can happen in a lot of different ways. Let’s take a look at a real-life example, how Fleetio scaled their product and team over the years. Their Principal Software Engineer, Richard Young shares what challenges they faced, the strategies they implemented and gives valuable tips to those who consider joining or scaling a startup.  Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Fleetio’s approach to scalingFleetio’s approach to...

Liam Martin, Co-Founder of Time Doctor, debunks myths around remote work and shares valuable tips on managing remote engineering teams so they remain well-aligned in an asynchronous environment. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Finding unbiased informationSocial implicationsState of remote workingAsynchronous team managementRemote work is here to stay Excerpt from the interview: "If you try to force employees back to the office, you'll likely...

Ian Tien, CEO and Co-Founder of Mattermost, talks about these core principles and their impact on his company. He highlights the importance of customer obsession, self-awareness, transparency and earning trust, just to name a few. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Customer-centric approach and its impactEngineering principlesFollowing the engineering principles in day-to-day processesStories of the engineering principles in real life The role of...

Gil Broza, Value Delivery & Agile Leadership Expert, gives actionable advice for leaders who want truly great product development. He emphasizes the importance of putting people first, creating a culture of continuous improvement and a lot more. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Why isn’t product development great yet?Improving your software delivery system step by stepPutting people first in practiceThe right mindset for better product...

Magda Miu, Senior Engineering Manager at Adobe, discusses the importance of mentoring and shares her experiences as both a mentor and mentee. She highlights the benefits of mentoring, explains how she created a program at Adobe, and offers tips for others looking to organize something similar in their organization. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Magda’s personal experience with mentoringHow to seek mentorsMagda’s mentoring program at AdobeKey...

Dave Yeager, Director of Data Infrastructure at Recurve, shares aspects of healthy organizations, lists some signs of unhealthy ones and gives you actionable tips that you can implement today to make your company a better place to work at. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Creating healthy work environments in bigger vs. smaller organizationsSome aspects of a healthy cultureSpotting an unhealthy cultureThe impact of managersAdvice for...

Mayakrishnan Chakkarapani, Senior Director of Software Engineering at Salesforce, shares interesting insights on how his organization uses Agile to meet business goals and empower developers while doing so. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Agile in SalesforceSome benefits of implementing Agile What to keep in mind when implementing AgileHow to empower developers when following AgileSetting up and managing virtual teams Excerpt from the...

Robert Hodges, CEO of Altinity, discusses various important aspects of open source software development. He talks about the decisions every company should make before embarking on an open source journey, the unresolved issues within the community, some interesting predictions about the future of OSS, and a lot more.  Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Robert’s open source journeyEarly vs. current principlesThe benefits of open sourceCurrent...

Peter Anderton, Founder of Internal Alignment, shares actionable tips to become a better leader by creating alignment, fighting your own ego, improving your listening skills and appreciating the differences within your team. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Strategies for leadersCreating true diversity comes down to truly appreciating differences  Presenting constructive criticismMore tips for leadersCommon mistakes Excerpt from the...

Level-up your software engineer career development through other professionals’ stories: meet Max Rudman, CEO of Prodly, who went from IC to CEO over the years and has even founded a startup of his own. He shares interesting details about his career development and gives valuable advice to people interested in a similar path. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Max’s career development Skills for software engineering career developmentChoosing...

Interview with Varun Mohan, CEO & Co-Founder of Exafunction and Codeium. He gives valuable insights on the considerations of AI deployment in the enterprise and shares his own thoughts and predictions on what the future holds for these models. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Considerations of AI deploymentBenefits of deploying AI in the enterpriseConcerns regarding AI deploymentTypical mistakes when deploying AI Excerpt from the...

Interview with Dan Lines, CPO and Co-Founder of LinearB. He talks about the importance of representing engineering teams and gives valuable advice on how to start communicating your team’s impact. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: The importance of communicating your engineering team’s impact Tips to get started on representing your engineersCommunication channels to useTypical mistakesStorytime: Founding LinearB to track KPIs Excerpt from the...

Interview with Joey Wilhelm, Security Engineer at Pinwheel. He talks about the benefits of open source software and gives great advice for companies who want to join the open source community. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Getting to know open sourceBenefits of open source softwareOpen source vs. proprietary software from a security perspectiveCommon mistakes of releasing open source software Storytime: Becoming an open source advocateOpen...

Interview with Yaron Perlman, author of the book DevStreams: Scaling Software Delivery. Naturally. He talks about the main ideas of DevStreams - a new paradigm for scaling software delivery. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Defining DevStreamsMain ideas of the book DevStreamsDevStream’s impactWhat type of companies benefit most from DevStreamsImplementing DevStreams Common objections regarding DevStreams Excerpt from the interview: "After...

Interview with Alan Watkins, CEO and Founder of Complete. He talks about managing workplace stress through breathing techniques and overcoming our animal instincts. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter!

Interview with Morgan Teachworth, VP of Engineering at Cisco Meraki. He shares valuable insights on building and managing innovation-oriented teams. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Defining innovationEncouraging innovation at workBuilding teams that prioritize innovationCommon pitfalls when focusing on innovation

Interview with Gopal Erinjippurath, CTO and Head of Product at Sust Global. He shares valuable insights on how to build and manage analytics engineering teams. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Analytics engineering 101Success metricsAssembling analytics engineering teamsProcessesToolsCommon pitfalls Excerpt from the interview: "We’re a mission-driven team that wants to serve the environment and businesses as well. We’re looking at business...

Interview with Sophie Wade, Founder of Flexcel Network. She talks about quiet quitting and how empathy can help employees and leaders deal with difficult workplace situations. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Defining quiet quittingQuiet quitting vs. Acting your wageQuiet quitting nowadays vs. in the pastHow to prevent quiet quitting as an employeeHow to prevent quiet quitting as a leader Excerpt from the interview: "If a particular area of...

Interview with Hadi Hariri, VP of Developer Advocacy at JetBrains. He talks about the challenge of dealing with the constant influx of information, creating processes to manage information overload, and the importance of interpersonal skills in the workplace. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Defining information overload Dealing with information overloadPossible drawbacks of poor information managementMethods to track relevant...

Interview with Rod Garcia, VP of Engineering at Slack. He talks about the importance of understanding the big picture before implementing processes, shares the steps he uses to determine if a process needs improvement, and tells stories of process management from previous projects and from his current workplace. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Process management 101Creating engaging processesMaking sure your processes workCommon mistakes in...

Interview with James Stanier, Director of Engineering at Shopify. He talks about setting yourself up for success by planning for the unexpected, goal- and achievement tracking and keeping your calendar under control.  Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Reasons to manage your energy, not your timeTips to manage your energyAspects of managing your energy, not your time Energy management for senior leaders vs. ICsCommunication with colleagues while...

Interview with Steven Lopez, VP of Engineering, Technology and Operations at Deem. We go through real life examples and take a deep dive into choosing the right tech stack for your business and team, especially while leading a digital transformation. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Parts of a tech stackChoosing a tech stack for a project vs. digital transformationOther tools to consider when choosing a tech stackHow to choose a tech stack...

Interview with Álvaro Moya, Founder of LIDR.co. He shares his approach to building high-performance teams. He talks about the importance of clearly defined values and goals within the company, and shares which areas can be improved to foster high performance. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter! In this interview we're covering: Defining high performance Measuring high performance in software engineeringBuilding high-performance teamsImproving a team's performance Priorities in...