CTO Insights - Issue #149
CTO Insights - Issue #149
Evaluating performance with composite metrics, enhancing engineering speed, developing a growth framework for engineers, envisioning work's future with AI, and more.
Welcome to CTO Insights #149!
I hope you're all having a great Sunday morning. I'm sending this issue as I prepare for my business trip to Amsterdam this week—if anyone is around and willing to meet for a drink, drop me a note!
CTO Insights is a weekly newsletter on software engineering and technical leadership, aiming to provide you with a set of topics to keep you up to date with the latest developments in the industry and help you be a better leader.
This week’s favorite - Engineering Growth Framework That Promotes High Performance and Evolution of Developer Productivity.
Your support for CTO Insights makes all the difference.
Architecture
Evolution of a high-performance system: from synchronous to seamless scalability
Giuseppe Pinto's article unveils lastminute.com's shift to microservices, enhancing scalability and system efficiency. With deep JAVA expertise, Pinto illustrates how transitioning from a synchronous system to a message-driven model streamlined travel planning processes, achieving better resource management and deployment simplicity while preserving user contracts. A compelling read for those interested in system evolution and performance optimization. Read the whole article for insights.
Lessons Design Systems teams can learn from Open-Source maintainers
In this insightful article, the author dives into the often underappreciated realm of design systems teams, drawing parallels with open-source maintainers to unveil strategies for demonstrating their value and fostering innovation.
By embracing models like Federations or Clubs and focusing on maintenance over expansion, the piece offers practical advice for design systems teams to navigate the complexities of their roles. A story about finding balance, ensuring sustainability, and leveraging documentation and community engagement to drive success.
Scalability
The Importance of Using a Composite Metric to Measure Performance
Ben Cripps delves into why a single metric falls short in capturing user experience on Indeed's platform. He advocates for a "composite metric" approach, combining multiple data points for a holistic view of client-side performance.
This story is about evolving beyond traditional measurements to truly understand and enhance how users interact with web pages. A must-read for those seeking to refine performance evaluation methods. Read the whole article for a deeper dive.
Scaling smoothly: Data-caching techniques for 1.2 billion daily API requests
In this article, the RevenueCat’s team dives into the world of managing 1.2 billion daily API requests with efficient cache management techniques. The author explores the necessity of low latency, maintaining a warm cache, ensuring consistency, and the strategies to handle potential failures and maintain system reliability.
It's a story of tackling immense scale with smart engineering solutions. Read the whole article for an in-depth exploration of these cache management strategies.
Culture
Evolution of Developer Productivity at Square
In this article, the author dives into Square's journey to enhance development velocity, sharing insights on frameworks that trim build times and tackle technical debt. Despite mixed outcomes with Bazel, lessons in adaptability shine through, underscoring that boosting speed transcends tech fixes—it's about evolving and balancing innovation, efficiency, and teamwork.
Read more here for a deep dive into Square's innovative strategies.
Leadership
Engineering Growth Framework That Promotes High Performance
In this article, Lokajit Tikayatray shares a comprehensive guide on crafting a growth framework that nurtures high-performing engineering teams. Discover the essentials of setting clear expectations, fostering skill development, and promoting leadership within the tech space.
It's a must-read for leaders looking to align individual ambitions with organizational goals. Dive into the whole story here for valuable insights.
Useful tradeoffs are multi-dimensional
In this thought-provoking article, Will Larson unveils an approach to software development dilemmas: transcending the 'quick vs. safe deployment' tradeoff by introducing feature flags.
Delve into a world where adding dimensions to tradeoffs can turn frustrations into breakthroughs, promising both speed and safety in deployment. Discover how to make tradeoffs work in your favor. Read the whole article for a deeper insight.
AI
Improving machine learning iteration speed with faster application build and packaging
In this insightful piece, Barys Skarabahaty and Stanislau Hlebik from Meta’s Engineering Team tackle the daunting challenge of slow machine learning build times. They ingeniously enhance efficiency by focusing on the nitty-gritty of build and packaging processes, leading to significant time savings for ML/AI engineers.
Their journey reveals not just technical fixes but a blueprint for fostering rapid innovation in the demanding realm of AI/ML development. Read the whole article for a deep dive into their transformative strategies.
Product
How diverse teams unlock product innovation
This story talks about how diverse teams are the secret sauce to unlocking 45% more innovation-driven revenue. The author explores the synergy of unique perspectives in fostering creativity and out-of-the-box solutions, emphasizing that diversity is more than a metric—it's a catalyst for extraordinary products. Dive into the power of inclusivity in tech leadership and discover how to weave this golden thread through your team's fabric.
Other
Microsoft New Future of Work Report 2023
This is a summary of recent research from Microsoft and around the world that can help us create a new and better future of work with AI.
The report unveils insights on AI's role in enhancing information work, critical thinking, and team collaboration, aiming to dismantle knowledge silos and reimagine the workplace. A must-read for envisioning how technology molds our work future.
My Diverse Hiring Playbook
In this playbook, the author shares proven tactics for building diverse teams, asserting that diversity enriches team performance and creativity. From adopting a "Rooney Rule" to focusing on underrepresented candidates, the strategies outlined emphasize the ethical and performance benefits of inclusive hiring. Dive into the playbook to transform your hiring approach and cultivate a more diverse workforce. Read more here.
How hard is it to cheat in technical interviews with ChatGPT?
In this intriguing experiment by Michael Mroczka, the impact of ChatGPT on technical interviews is tested. Surprisingly, even when candidates used ChatGPT to cheat, interviewers rarely suspected foul play. This raises questions about the future of coding interviews and the necessity for more custom questions.
Is AI the end of traditional technical assessments? Read the whole article to uncover the experiment's revealing insights and implications for the tech hiring landscape.
End Note
That's all for now, friends! Thanks for sticking around. Wishing you all a fantastic week ahead!
Cheers,
Tosho