Engineering

Many founders think a CTO is just a CTO. I do not think that is true. I have seen many startups look for the wrong kind of technical leader. Usually this happens because the founder knows they need technical leadership, but they do not clearly understand what kind of technical leadership their company actually needs right now. That difference matters. If you are a non-technical founder, maybe you raised some money, maybe you have an idea, and now you are looking for someone to lead the technical side of the company. It is natural to say, “We need a CTO.” ...

I was recently reading a Wall Street Journal article, and one sentence in it reminded me of Jack Welch, the CEO of GE from the 1980s to 2001, roughly 20 years at the top. I want to talk about that, because I think there is a real connection between what happened at GE and what is happening right now with AI coding agents and vibe coding. The article was titled The AI Superstars Who Say a ‘Vibe Slop’ Crisis Is Coming, and it argues that vibe coding is generating code we cannot really trust. As of now, I agree. ...

People say, “I am vibe-coding. Therefore, I am a software engineer.” This is like saying, “I can ride a bike, so I can drive a car.” Both have wheels. Both can move forward, right? Here’s what I’ll say: try merging onto a highway on a bicycle. You’ll learn fast what’s missing. Mapping the Territory Today I want to place vibe-coding, coding, regular coding, and software engineering onto the same map. So you’ll know when to pedal and when to drive. ...

Have you ever joined a new team with a new tech stack, with a new process, and a production issue already waiting for you? Here is how I ramp up fast: I zoom out before I zoom in. The Problem: Everyone Hunts Where They’re Comfortable During my consultant gigs, I am constantly dropped into an unfamiliar environment. New teams, new architecture, new tech stack, new development process, new deployment process, it’s always new. The question is always the same: how do you stay on top of it? ...

“So, what kind of engineer are you?” “I’m a Python engineer.” Every time I hear this, I cringe a little. Not because Python isn’t amazing—it absolutely is. But because somewhere along the way, we’ve started defining ourselves by our tools instead of our craft. I’m sure you’ve heard it too: “I am an AWS engineer,” “I am a React developer,” as if the tool has become their entire professional identity. ...