Will Larson

Guest: Will Larson - CTO at Carta. Will is a seasoned software engineering leader with experience at Stripe, Uber, Calm, and Digg. He is the author of "An Elegant Puzzle" and "Staff Engineer," and runs a popular blog at lethain.com. Key Takeaways: Engineering Strategy: Engineering teams often lack a clear strategy. Will emphasizes the importance of documenting strategies to improve clarity and alignment, using frameworks like Richard Rumelt's three components: diagnosis, guiding policies, and actions. Systems Thinking: Will advocates for systems thinking, which involves understanding stocks and flows within a system to diagnose and solve problems effectively. This approach helps in identifying where to focus efforts for improvement. Engineer and PM Alignment: Aligning incentives between engineering managers (EMs) and product managers (PMs) is crucial. Will suggests giving EMs and PMs the same performance ratings to ensure shared accountability and alignment. Writing and Career Impact: Writing about topics that energize you can enhance both personal growth and career development. Will advises focusing on writing that aligns with your work to maintain motivation and relevance. Engineering Productivity: While metrics like those from the Dora framework are useful for diagnosis, they don't directly measure productivity. Will recommends aligning engineering evaluation with business goals and showcasing meaningful accomplishments to stakeholders. Topics Covered: Engineering strategy, systems thinking, engineering and product management alignment, writing and career development, measuring engineering productivity, company values.