Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

How Shopify builds a high-intensity culture | Farhan Thawar (VP and Head of Eng)

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Dec 19, 2024

Farhan Thawar, VP and Head of Engineering at Shopify, shares insights from his extensive tech leadership experience. He discusses the importance of choosing challenging paths for growth and how pair programming can enhance productivity and job satisfaction. Thawar reveals his innovative hiring strategies that focus on cultural fit instead of traditional interviews and highlights his mission to create a thriving environment for engineers. With a focus on cultivating a high-intensity work culture, he provides lessons on resilience and effective collaboration.

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ADVICE

Choose the Harder Path

Choose the harder path when faced with multiple options.
This leads to valuable learning experiences, even if the outcome isn't successful.

ADVICE

Focus on Learning

Prioritize learning and growth in your career path.
Seek out challenging opportunities and collaborate with smart people.

ANECDOTE

Embracing Dumb Questions

Farhan Thawar recounts being told he asked the "stupidest fucking question."
He emphasizes his goal is understanding, not annoyance.

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Manna: Two Visions of Humanity's Future

Marshall David Brain II

The novel is a thought experiment that delves into two potential futures. In the dystopian vision, the United States struggles with mass unemployment and extreme income inequality due to the automation of jobs, leading to a highly controlled and surveilled society. In contrast, the utopian vision set in Australia depicts a society with Universal Basic Income, where people are free to pursue their interests without the need for paid labor. The book explores themes such as the impact of AI and robotics on society, class structure, and the failings of capitalism in coping with technological advancements.

The Undoing Project

Michael Lewis

The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis chronicles the intellectual and personal relationship between Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, two Israeli psychologists whose research fundamentally changed our understanding of human decision-making. Their studies, conducted from the late 1960s to the 1980s, exposed systematic errors in human judgment under uncertainty and laid the foundation for behavioral economics. The book delves into their extraordinary lives, including their careers in the Israeli military, and how their personal differences and eventual estrangement affected their work. Lewis's narrative makes complex psychological concepts accessible through engaging storytelling, highlighting the profound impact of Kahneman and Tversky's work on various fields, including economics, medicine, and government regulation[3][4][5].

Business Adventures

John Brooks

Business Adventures is a compilation of twelve essays written by John Brooks, originally published in The New Yorker. The book delves into various significant events in the world of American business and finance, including the launch of the Edsel, the rise and fall of Piggly Wiggly, and the Xerox Corporation's growth. Brooks's writing style turns complex financial topics into engaging narratives, inviting readers to draw their own conclusions about best practices. The book is praised for its timeless insights and its ability to make financial and corporate life entertaining and accessible[2][4][5].

Range

Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

David Epstein

In this book, David Epstein examines the success of generalists in various fields, including sports, arts, music, invention, forecasting, and science. He argues that generalists, who often find their path late and juggle multiple interests, are more creative, agile, and able to make connections that specialists cannot. Epstein uses stories and research studies to show that wide sampling and late specialization can be more valuable than early specialization, especially in complex and unpredictable environments. He also discusses the distinction between 'kind' and 'wicked' learning environments and the importance of balancing specialization with range for long-term success[2][4][5].