Changelog Master Feed DO repeat yourself! (Changelog Interviews #666)
17 snips
Nov 12, 2025 
Sean Goedecke, a staff software engineer at GitHub and prolific blogger, dives into the intersection of engineering and politics. He discusses how senior engineers can navigate organizational landscapes and the importance of emotional fitness in avoiding worry-driven development. Sean defines 'good taste' in engineering as an alignment of values tied to context. The conversation also covers the impact of AI agents on engineering priorities and provides insights on effective blogging to reach broader audiences.
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Write Opportunistically With Many Drafts
- Keep many rough drafts and ideas active so new posts can spring from small sparks.
- Use fleeting sentences from one draft to trigger a full new post rather than grinding one piece to completion.
Hacker News Launch Kickstarted His Blog
- A post Sean wrote about shipping projects hit the top of Hacker News and sparked his writing momentum.
- That early success convinced him he had more to say and led to prolific blogging.
Senior Engineers Should Shape Local Politics
- Senior engineers must engage in organizational politics because technical choices are political and consequential.
- If you're best positioned to know an answer, represent it confidently instead of deferring and leaving decisions to others.