GOTO - The Brightest Minds in Tech

Flavia Circiumaru, a software engineer at FundApps, shares insights from her experience establishing a structured support system after rapid company growth. She discusses the challenges of the previous model, emphasizing the importance of reducing context switching and improving collaboration between support and development teams. Flavia explains their goal of making support seamless and discusses actionable strategies for enhancing efficiency. Together with Hannes Lowette, they explore how effective communication and clear priorities can bridge the gap between clients and engineers.

Evan Czaplicki, the creator of the Elm programming language, delves into Elm's journey and the complexities of open-source economics. He shares his insights on the challenges of sustainability and the implications of monetization. Czaplicki advocates for type safety across programming stacks and explores the future of functional programming. He reflects on the political dynamics in open source and how they affect creators. Additionally, he discusses why Rust has gained traction and offers advice to new developers in the open-source space.

In this discussion, Liz Fong-Jones, Field CTO at Honeycomb with expertise in observability and SRE, and Lesley Cordero, Staff Software Engineer at The New York Times, dive into the intricacies of platform engineering. They explore the evolution from DevOps roots, emphasizing the need for psychological safety and effective documentation. Topics include the balance between centralized platform teams and developer autonomy, the relevance of open source, and the pitfalls of conflating Kubernetes with developer platforms. Their insights are vital for fostering a healthy developer experience.

In this conversation, Kief Morris, a Distinguished Engineer at ThoughtWorks and author of "Infrastructure as Code," shares insights alongside Abby Bangser, Principal Engineer at Syntasso. They explore the evolution of infrastructure over the last decade, discussing shifts from server configuration to complex cloud architectures. Kief emphasizes the need for aligning infrastructure with business goals, the role of abstraction layers, and the potential impacts of AI on troubleshooting and decision-making in infrastructure development.

Alice Bartlett, Tech Director for Customer Products at the Financial Times, shares her insights from leading a 70-person team and navigating the balance between technology and editorial priorities. She discusses the challenges of managing legacy code, the evolution of tech roles, and effective communication strategies in her leadership journey. Bartlett also addresses the impact of AI on software engineering, expressing concerns about quality and over-reliance among junior developers, while highlighting practical applications for testing and data.

In this engaging discussion, legendary programmer Dave Thomas, co-author of The Pragmatic Programmer, and Sarah Taraporewalla, CTO APAC at Thoughtworks, explore the essence of simplicity in software development. Dave critiques the commercialization of Agile, revealing his belief that 'Agile is Dead.' He introduces his Orient-Step-Learn framework, emphasizing that true simplicity demands mastery and deliberate practice. The duo also tackles the importance of reducing unnecessary dependencies and enhancing personal agency, while critiquing unproductive meetings that stifle creativity.

In this engaging conversation, Piotr Sarna, a distributed systems engineer and co-author of *Writing for Developers*, shares his journey from a hesitant writer to a respected author. He discusses the nuances of writing as an engineering discipline, including how to balance technical depth with readability. Piotr emphasizes the value of sharing even 'obvious' content and reveals effective patterns for blog topics. With insights on the importance of ruthlessly editing and how technical writing can enhance careers, this talk is a goldmine for aspiring writers in tech.

Michael Nygard, General Manager of Data at Nubank and author of Release It!, teams up with Dave Farley, a pioneer of DevOps and founder of Continuous Delivery Ltd. They dive into how data challenges are often overlooked in DevOps, the modularity of data products compared to APIs, and the intricacies of automatic ETL strategies. They discuss the need for stable abstract interfaces in platform engineering and the balance between universal design and practical limitations. Their insights highlight the evolution of software practices and the complexities of modern software development.

In this engaging discussion, Matt McLarty, CTO at Boomi and co-author of 'Unbundling the Enterprise,' joins Erik Wilde to delve into platform engineering's blind spots. They explore the evolution from DevOps and argue for a shift towards business-focused APIs that drive real innovation. Matt warns against overly generic approaches and emphasizes the need for flexibility and reusable tech components. Furthermore, they caution against blindly following Amazon's model, stressing the importance of aligning platforms with actual business outcomes for success.

Join Martin Fowler, a pioneer in agile development and author, alongside James Lewis, a software architect at Thoughtworks. They dive into the early days of agile, discussing pivotal projects like the Chrysler payroll and the impact of extreme programming. Fowler highlights the evolution of design, advocating that it thrives on testing and refactoring rather than being 'dead.' They also explore the importance of embedding business experts with development teams and how generative AI can aid in legacy system analysis while warning against misconceptions.