Refactoring Podcast How to Build Product Development Teams 🛠️ — with Rob Zuber
30 snips
Nov 22, 2025 
In this engaging discussion, Rob Zuber, CTO of CircleCI and a seasoned expert in software delivery, shares insights on building effective product engineering teams. He highlights the role of AI in revealing process inefficiencies and the necessity of aligning team goals with business outcomes. Rob emphasizes the importance of small, curious teams and discusses the balance between standardization and flexibility. He reflects on hiring choices and stresses the need for T-shaped engineers who adapt quickly. Expect thought-provoking perspectives on leadership and technology choices!
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AI Reveals Bottlenecks, It Doesn’t Fix Them
- AI and fast code generation expose existing bottlenecks across delivery systems.
- Improving one part (like generation) forces you to fix the rest to realize real value.
Metrics Need Context, Not Blind Targets
- Metrics can mislead because best and worst teams sometimes look the same on superficial indicators.
- Data needs context and anecdotes to interpret whether signals mean high trust or chaotic behavior.
Prioritize Fast Experiments Over Long Debates
- Do prioritize the fastest way to get information needed for the next decision.
- Prefer small experiments or direct customer feedback over prolonged internal debate.