The Peterman Pod CloudKitchens CTO on Intelligence, Regrets, Steve Jobs and Travis Kalanick Stories
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Nov 21, 2025 Brian Attwell, CTO at CloudKitchens and former senior engineer at Uber, shares captivating stories from his rapid rise in tech. He discusses the balance of luck and hard work, revealing the intense early efforts behind his success. Brian reflects on his biggest career regret—failing to speak up around Steve Jobs—and shares insights on prioritization and truth-seeking in team dynamics. His experiences with Travis Kalanick highlight the impact of strong leadership, while his journey emphasizes the importance of courage and continuous learning.
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Early Career Intensity Pays Off
- Early-career intense work compounds into outsized promotions and opportunities.
- Brian Attwell credits long hours and learning from top engineers for rapid growth at Uber.
Prioritize By Expected Value Per Hour
- Maximize expected value per hour by scoring importance, probability, and time.
- Multiply importance by probability and divide by time to prioritize work.
Prototype Your Way Into Leadership
- Brian and a peer built competing prototypes after hours to decide a team technical direction.
- Their work convinced teammates and accelerated them into tech lead roles at Uber.