GOTO - The Brightest Minds in Tech

This interview was recorded for GOTO Unscripted.https://gotopia.techRead the full transcription of this interview here:https://gotopia.tech/articles/408Michael Nygard - Chief Architect at Nubank & Author of "Release It!"Charles Humble - Freelance Techie, Podcaster, Editor, Author & ConsultantFULL TALK TITLEBuilding Software That Survives: Autonomy, Architecture & Alignment at ScaleRESOURCESMichaelhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mtnygardhttps://twitter.com/mtnygardhttp://www.michaelnygard.comCharleshttps://bsky.app/profile/charleshumble.bsky.socialhttps://linkedin.com/in/charleshumblehttps://mastodon.social/@charleshumblehttps://conissaunce.comDESCRIPTIONMichael Nygard, author of the influential "Release It!" and Chief Architect at Nuank, discusses his journey from programmer to technical leader.In this conversation, he shares insights from major transformation projects at Sabre and Nubank, exploring the nuances of centralization versus autonomy, the often-misunderstood implications of Conway's Law, and how architectural boundaries can reduce the need for constant organizational alignment.He emphasizes that effective technical leadership involves more than reorganizations - it requires understanding communication structures, celebrating the right behaviors, and creating systems that enable teams to operate independently within well-defined boundaries.RECOMMENDED BOOKSMichael Nygard • Release It! 2nd Edition • https://amzn.to/3WJeKV8Michael Nygard • Release It! 1st Edition • https://amzn.to/3XCkiRfRichard Monson-Haefel • 97 Things Every Software Architect Should Know • https://amzn.to/3JdRYU2Charles Humble • Professional Skills for Software Engineers • https://www.conissaunce.com/professional-skills-shortcutPatterson, Grenny, McMillan & Switzler • Crucial Conversations • https://amzn.to/3LhGHTaYevgeniy Brikman • Fundamentals of DevOps and Software Delivery • https://amzn.to/3WMPMFUTod Golding • Building Multi-Tenant SaaS Architectures • https://amzn.to/3YfM49oJacqui Read • Communication Patterns • https://amzn.to/3E37lvvMatthew Skelton & Manuel Pais • Team Topologies • http://amzn.to/3sVLyLQJames Stanier • Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager • https://amzn.to/3vHrx1EBlueskyTwitterInstagramLinkedInFacebookCHANNEL MEMBERSHIP BONUSJoin this channel to get early access to videos & other perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs_tLP3AiwYKwdUHpltJPuA/joinLooking for a unique learning experience?Attend the next GOTO conference near you! Get your ticket: gotopia.techSUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL - new videos posted daily!

Yevgeniy "Jim" Brikman, an author and DevOps expert, shares insights from his journey in tech, spurred by a crisis at LinkedIn. He discusses defining DevOps as an efficient software delivery methodology and the balance between infrastructure management and application orchestration. Jim emphasizes the significance of frameworks over custom solutions and introduces Terragrunt as a Terraform framework. The conversation also explores emerging paradigms like infrastructure from code and interactive runbooks, while advocating for stable tools over fleeting trends.

Fabrizio Romano, a seasoned Python programmer and co-author of "Learning Python Programming," joins Naomi Ceder, a Python instructor and author of "The Quick Python Book." They dive into the evolution of Python education, highlighting the shift from GUI-focused content to command-line applications. Fabrizio discusses the nuances of programming typing, the role of AI in coding, and the critical importance of nurturing junior developers. The conversation emphasizes maintaining essential programming skills while embracing innovative tools.

This conversation features Albert S. Tanure, a Microsoft Solutions Architect and author, alongside Rafael Herik de Carvalho from Devoteam. They dive into the creation of "ASP.NET Core 9 Essentials," highlighting the importance of foundational knowledge amid rapid tech changes. Albert discusses modern cloud-native practices, emphasizing observability, DevOps, and the need for dynamic configurations. They explore gaps developers often overlook, like secrets handling and CI/CD, while providing insights for both novice and seasoned programmers navigating today’s landscape.

David Whitney, Director of Architecture at NewDay, and Ian Cooper, Senior Principal Engineer at Just Eat Takeaway, delve into the evolution of software architecture. They discuss the shift from traditional to collaborative approaches, highlighting the tension between emergent and designed architectures. Key points include the importance of communication, the danger of pattern cargo-culting, and the need for sustainable design over quick fixes. They emphasize that architectural challenges are ultimately about people, requiring empathy and shared language to succeed.

Matt Housley and Joe Reis, co-authors of *Fundamentals of Data Engineering*, dive into the transformative impact of AI on data engineering. They discuss the balance between leveraging AI tools and retaining core expertise, cautioning against over-reliance on AI due to potential pitfalls. The duo highlights the resurgence of classical techniques and the importance of data quality in storage choices. They warn that cutting junior roles can jeopardize long-term expertise development, emphasizing the necessity of foundational knowledge in this evolving field.

Join Matt Welsh, a former Harvard professor and AI innovator, as he shares his vision for the future of computing with Julian Wood, a Serverless Developer Advocate at AWS. They discuss how evolving language models could democratize programming, making it accessible to everyone. Matt believes this shift will spur creativity and innovation, transcending traditional coding barriers. He also addresses societal challenges, the need for equitable AI access, and the potential job disruptions as AI takes on more roles in problem-solving.

Patrice Roy, a seasoned C++ programmer with three decades of experience and a member of the C++ Standards Committee, joins Kevin Carpenter to dive deep into memory management. They discuss critical pitfalls like over-allocation, the advantages of smart pointers, and the role of modern tools in enhancing code safety. Patrice shares insights from his book and provides best practices for new developers, emphasizing the importance of using standard containers and measuring performance before optimizing. The conversation also touches on custom allocators and instrumentation techniques for optimizing memory usage.

In this insightful discussion, Laura Tacho, CTO at DX and an expert in engineering leadership, shares her journey from engineering to executive roles. She highlights common leadership gaps in CTOs, especially in setting expectations without micromanaging. Laura introduces her innovative DX Core 4 framework for measuring developer productivity, emphasizing speed, effectiveness, quality, and impact. She discusses the importance of maintaining technical fluency as a leader, translating developer work into business value, and the thoughtful design of metrics to foster trust.

In this engaging discussion, Alex Ewerlöf, a Senior Staff Engineer at Volvo Cars and reliability engineering author, shares his journey from product engineering to the challenges of implementing Google's SRE practices. He highlights the gap between theoretical frameworks and real-world limitations, discussing the importance of aligning SLIs with business impact and the critical role of SLOs in setting expectations. Alex warns against cookie-cutter SLIs and emphasizes the need for tailored approaches based on service criticality, making reliability a strategic conversation in engineering.