Coding Chats episode 39 - Tom Elliott discusses his startup - Ocuroot - which aims to simplify the developer experience by automating the management of complex production environments. He shares insights on the challenges faced by software engineers, the importance of customer feedback, and the lessons learned during his journey as a founder. Tom also delves into the competitive landscape, regulatory challenges, and the technical aspects of building Ocuroot, including his tech stack and the complexities of implementing features like dark mode.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Ocuroot: The Startup Journey

03:10 The Developer Experience: Automating Complex Environments

06:15 Navigating Competition: Positioning Ocuroot in the Market

08:49 Lessons Learned: Insights from a Year as a Founder

11:57 Customer Conversations: Validating Business Ideas

14:35 Understanding CI/CD Challenges in Enterprises

17:10 Regulatory Complexities: The Impact on Software Development

20:05 Bridging the Gap: Communication Between Tech and Business

22:58 Engaging with Customers for Better Solutions

26:33 Simplifying Complex Use Cases

28:12 Avoiding Overengineering in Product Development32:26 Balancing Building and Marketing

34:26 Tech Stack and Development Insights

38:34 The Challenges of Dark Mode

40:57 Future Plans for Ocuroot

Tom's Links:

Ocuroot: https://www.ocuroot.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/telliott1984/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/telliott.me

Substack: https://thefridaydeploy.substack.com

John's Links:

John's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncrickett/

John’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@johncrickett

John's Twitter: https://x.com/johncrickett

John's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/johncrickett.bsky.social

Check out John's software engineering related newsletters:

Coding Challenges: https://codingchallenges.substack.com/ which shares real-world project ideas that you can use to level up your coding skills.

Developing Skills: https://read.developingskills.fyi/ covering everything from system design to soft skills, helping them progress their career from junior to staff+ or for those that want onto a management track.

Takeaways

Ocuroot aims to automate the management of production environments.

The developer experience is a key focus for Ocuroot.

Customer feedback is crucial for validating business ideas.

Not all companies face the same challenges with CI/CD.

Regulatory requirements can complicate software deployment.

Building a simple tool can be more effective than over-engineering.

Engaging engineers with customers can lead to valuable insights.

Dark mode implementation can be complex and time-consuming.

A strong tech stack is essential for startup success.

Continuous learning is vital for founders.

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