Engineering Culture by InfoQ

This is the Engineering Culture Podcast, from the people behind InfoQ.com and the QCon conferences. In this podcast, Shane Hastie, Lead Editor for Culture & Methods spoke to Sagar Batchu about building engineering teams in different environments, the transition from individual contributor to leadership roles, the importance of culture and autonomy in organizations, and the implications of AI agents on the future of APIs. Read a transcript of this interview: https://bit.ly/4kENUtG Subscribe to the Software Architects’ Newsletter for your monthly guide to the essential news and experience from industry peers on emerging patterns and technologies: https://www.infoq.com/software-architects-newsletter Upcoming Events: QCon London (April 7-10, 2025) Discover new ideas and insights from senior practitioners driving change and innovation in software development. https://qconlondon.com/ InfoQ Dev Summit Boston (June 9-10, 2025) Actionable insights on today’s critical dev priorities. devsummit.infoq.com/conference/boston2025 InfoQ Dev Summit Munich (October 15-16, 2025) Essential insights on critical software development priorities. https://devsummit.infoq.com/conference/munich2025 QCon San Francisco 2025 (17-21, 2025) Get practical inspiration and best practices on emerging software trends directly from senior software developers at early adopter companies. https://qconsf.com/ InfoQ Dev Summit New York (Save the date - December 2025) https://devsummit.infoq.com/ The InfoQ Podcasts: Weekly inspiration to drive innovation and build great teams from senior software leaders. Listen to all our podcasts and read interview transcripts: - The InfoQ Podcast https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/ - Engineering Culture Podcast by InfoQ https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/#engineering_culture - Generally AI: https://www.infoq.com/generally-ai-podcast/ Follow InfoQ: - Mastodon: https://techhub.social/@infoq - Twitter: twitter.com/InfoQ - LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/infoq - Facebook: bit.ly/2jmlyG8 - Instagram: @infoqdotcom - Youtube: www.youtube.com/infoq Write for InfoQ: Learn and share the changes and innovations in professional software development. - Join a community of experts. - Increase your visibility. - Grow your career. https://www.infoq.com/write-for-infoq

This is the Engineering Culture Podcast, from the people behind InfoQ.com and the QCon conferences. In this podcast Shane Hastie, Lead Editor for Culture & Methods spoke to Chad Whitacre about the Open Source Pledge, an initiative to encourage companies to financially support open-source maintainers to ensure the sustainability and security of the software they depend on. The goal is to address the social contract within open source, where companies benefit from freely available software and should reciprocate to support its creators. Read a transcript of this interview: https://bit.ly/43k3kx5 Subscribe to the Software Architects’ Newsletter for your monthly guide to the essential news and experience from industry peers on emerging patterns and technologies: https://www.infoq.com/software-architects-newsletter Upcoming Events: QCon London (April 7-10, 2025) Discover new ideas and insights from senior practitioners driving change and innovation in software development. https://qconlondon.com/ InfoQ Dev Summit Boston (June 9-10, 2025) Actionable insights on today’s critical dev priorities. devsummit.infoq.com/conference/boston2025 InfoQ Dev Summit Munich (October 15-16, 2025) Essential insights on critical software development priorities. https://devsummit.infoq.com/ QCon San Francisco 2025 (17-21, 2025) Get practical inspiration and best practices on emerging software trends directly from senior software developers at early adopter companies. https://qconsf.com/ InfoQ Dev Summit New York (Save the date - December 2025) https://devsummit.infoq.com/ The InfoQ Podcasts: Weekly inspiration to drive innovation and build great teams from senior software leaders. Listen to all our podcasts and read interview transcripts: - The InfoQ Podcast https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/ - Engineering Culture Podcast by InfoQ https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/#engineering_culture - Generally AI: https://www.infoq.com/generally-ai-podcast/ Follow InfoQ: - Mastodon: https://techhub.social/@infoq - Twitter: twitter.com/InfoQ - LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/infoq - Facebook: bit.ly/2jmlyG8 - Instagram: @infoqdotcom - Youtube: www.youtube.com/infoq Write for InfoQ: Learn and share the changes and innovations in professional software development. - Join a community of experts. - Increase your visibility. - Grow your career. https://www.infoq.com/write-for-infoq

This is the Engineering Culture Podcast, from the people behind InfoQ.com and the QCon conferences. In this podcast Shane Hastie, Lead Editor for Culture & Methods spoke to Courtney Nash about her research on the unintended consequences of automation in software systems, the importance of learning from incidents and maintaining human expertise in complex systems. Read a transcript of this interview: https://bit.ly/4gY9ZjZ Subscribe to the Software Architects’ Newsletter for your monthly guide to the essential news and experience from industry peers on emerging patterns and technologies: https://www.infoq.com/software-architects-newsletter Upcoming Events: QCon London (April 7-10, 2025) Discover new ideas and insights from senior practitioners driving change and innovation in software development. https://qconlondon.com/ InfoQ Dev Summit Boston (June 9-10, 2025) Actionable insights on today’s critical dev priorities. devsummit.infoq.com/conference/boston2025 InfoQ Dev Summit Munich (October 15-16, 2025) Essential insights on critical software development priorities. https://devsummit.infoq.com/ QCon San Francisco 2025 (17-21, 2025) Get practical inspiration and best practices on emerging software trends directly from senior software developers at early adopter companies. https://qconsf.com/ InfoQ Dev Summit New York (Save the date - December 2025) https://devsummit.infoq.com/ The InfoQ Podcasts: Weekly inspiration to drive innovation and build great teams from senior software leaders. Listen to all our podcasts and read interview transcripts: - The InfoQ Podcast https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/ - Engineering Culture Podcast by InfoQ https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/#engineering_culture - Generally AI: https://www.infoq.com/generally-ai-podcast/ Follow InfoQ: - Mastodon: https://techhub.social/@infoq - Twitter: twitter.com/InfoQ - LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/infoq - Facebook: bit.ly/2jmlyG8 - Instagram: @infoqdotcom - Youtube: www.youtube.com/infoq Write for InfoQ: Learn and share the changes and innovations in professional software development. - Join a community of experts. - Increase your visibility. - Grow your career. https://www.infoq.com/write-for-infoq

Ganesh Datta, CTO and co-founder of Cortex, shares his insights on building excellent engineering organizations. He discusses the importance of treating platform engineering as a product, emphasizing the need for a product-centric mindset. Ganesh highlights how to cultivate a positive organizational culture through accountability and clear goals. He also explores the evolving concept of continuous production readiness and its impact on microservices. Finally, he offers valuable advice for new leaders transitioning from technical roles to leadership.

Inna Tokarev Sela, CEO of illumex and an expert in graph technology, shares her insights on implementing generative AI in development teams. She emphasizes the crucial need for robust governance and explainability to foster trust in AI systems. The conversation highlights initiatives for gender balance in tech, including successful mentorship programs for women and flexible work policies. Inna also discusses the cultural shift that AI brings to software engineering, streamlining mundane tasks and increasing enthusiasm among developers.

John Heintz, a technologist and co-founder of an AI-focused product company, discusses the vital link between psychology and user experience. He highlights how understanding emotional responses to data can inform better design. The conversation dives into user-centric interface design, emphasizing the role of psychological principles and collaboration with UX professionals. He also explores the impact of 'nudges' on user decisions and suggests revisiting foundational knowledge to enhance team performance and align software with human systems.

Sophie Weston, a Principal Engineer at ClearBank with 30 years in tech, shares her insights on cultivating healthy engineering cultures. She discusses the importance of team autonomy and critiques the 'feature factory' mindset. The conversation rethinks Agile practices, distinguishing genuine approaches from superficial ones. Sophie highlights the challenges engineers face in management roles and advocates for better support and training. Lastly, she emphasizes that small, consistent changes can lead to significant improvements and help mitigate burnout.

Geoffrey Huck, a software engineer and public speaking coach, shares insights on enhancing communication skills for tech professionals. He discusses overcoming stereotypes of introversion, emphasizing that it can evolve with practice. Geoffrey highlights the significance of tailoring messages for different audiences and using analogies to clarify complex concepts. He also addresses the challenges of networking for introverts, advocating for gradual exposure and genuine connections. Finally, he offers tips for effective engagement in video communications.

In this engaging talk, Austin Vance, CEO of Focus Labs and an active technologist, shares insights on building intentional workplace culture and innovative compensation strategies. He discusses the essential role of structured onboarding to integrate new developers into the company ethos seamlessly. Vance also highlights core values like 'love your craft' and 'learn why' that drive continuous learning. Plus, he advocates for frequent compensation assessments to better align with performance, transforming how companies retain top talent.

Neeraj Mainkar, VP of Software Engineering at Procreo and an expert in medical device software, shares insights on the rigorous processes needed for safe design. He emphasizes the importance of user-centric design and regulatory compliance in improving patient outcomes. The conversation delves into usability challenges, advocating for intuitive interfaces that minimize cognitive load. Neeraj also discusses the impact of AI on medical software, highlighting its potential to enhance usability while managing complexities in data use and software updates.