Balancing Standards and Flexibility in Software Development

In this episode, Rebecca sits down with Max Kanat-Alexander, Executive Distinguished Engineer for Developer Experience at Capital One, to explore the nuances of developer productivity and experience.

The conversation dives deep into what actually drives — and what kills — productivity in engineering organizations. Max shares hard-won insights about why most developer experience initiatives fail (hint: it’s about not understanding your users), the critical difference between being productive as individuals versus as teams and organizations, and why treating engineers as “ticket takers” destroys software quality.

Find the transcript at: https://www.swarmia.com/podcast/max-kanat-alexander-capital-one/

Timestamps

(0:00) Introductions
(0:48) Max’s journey to Capital One
(2:58) Unsuccessful developer productivity
(5:37) Doing the ‘right’ work
(11:01) Ticket-taker culture
(15:25) Drivers of productivity
(20:32) Performing KTLO work
(25:40) Drivers and detractors of effective software delivery
(33:16) Setting goals
(40:42) The future of coding with AI
(46:36) Max’s advice to junior engineers

Follow Max on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkanat/

Follow Rebecca on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rmurphey/