Engineering Unblocked Developer productivity drivers and detractors with Max Kanat-Alexander from Capital One
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Jun 4, 2025 
Max Kanat-Alexander, an Executive Distinguished Engineer at Capital One with a rich background from Google and LinkedIn, dives into developer productivity. He reveals common pitfalls for initiatives aimed at boosting it, emphasizing the need to truly understand developers’ challenges. The conversation contrasts individual versus team productivity, critiques the 'ticket-taker' culture that hampers software quality, and discusses the implications of AI on coding. Max also shares valuable advice for junior engineers to grasp core principles amidst evolving technology.
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Diverse Developer Workstyles
- Developers work very differently depending on their backgrounds and roles, like machine learning engineers versus traditional developers.
- Assuming all developers are the same leads to tools that fail most users except those like the builder.
Define Goals Before Measuring
- Always clearly define your goals before measuring productivity; know the problem before proposing solutions.
- Incrementally deliver value and fix every issue thoroughly to increase long-term delivery speed.
Ticket-Taker Culture Harms Quality
- Treating engineers as ticket takers destroys product quality due to lack of ownership and decision-making.
- Empower engineers with ownership and rationale to enable better decision-making and higher-quality software.