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Newsletter archive
AI agents and the missing link in DevOps
AI agents aren’t just assistants anymore – they’re making decisions. Are engineers ready for the shift or are they just too skeptical?
Carving out time for large-scale engineering chores
Determine what to prioritize, set out a path, and be prepared for some hiccups along the way.
Encouraging a passion for productivity
In this edition of DirectorPlus, Neha Batra, VP of Engineering at GitHub, explains how she creates a culture of productivity.
Framing AI rollouts in the right light
How can you introduce AI into teams in a way that doesn’t invite unrest within your org? It starts with presenting it in the right light.
Latest
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The one way to crack technical estimations under pressure
Technical estimations require overview of many different moving parts. Why not solicit the help of your team to move things along?
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How to push back when execs are all-in on AI
When AI is seemingly everywhere, how can you make sure your org takes thoughtful steps?
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A smarter way to evaluate LLM applications
LLM evaluations are the ultimate quality gate for your product.
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How Stack Overflow is innovating to keep up with AI disruption
Large language models, trained on public data, have pushed Stack Overflow toward an existential crisis.
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What the end of Section 174 means for software developer hiring
New US law brings in significant tax changes, which could change the face of hiring.
Prices for all New York conferences increase on Monday, August 25 ⏰
Essential reading
What is a Director of Engineering? The glue keeping engineering together
A director of engineering is responsible for keeping an entire engineering function humming. Find out what skills you need to climb the ladder to this vital position.
On our DirectorPlus playlist
Strategies to hone commercial awareness and drive business outcomes
Learn effective strategies for enhancing commercial awareness in tech teams, turning engineering into a business driver through alignment, impactful initiatives, and stakeholder engagement.
The path from Director to CTO: How to follow it, or how to mentor it
This talk is aimed at both aspiring Chief Technology Officers and those who are in a position to mentor future CTOs. Explore the journey from a Director of Engineering role to a CTO, focusing on the skills and experiences needed for this transition and how experienced leaders can guide others on this path.
Making the manager of manager’s mindset
Suzan Bond covers the difference between the two roles and the key mindset shifts leaders need to make to manage managers.
Agendas for New York events are live!
Lineup includes Addy Osmani, Kevin Goldsmith, Robin Bonatesta, and more…
New York • October 15 & 16, 2025
More for managers of managers
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The 3 factors that drive great Revenue per Engineer returns
New DX benchmarking cracks open the black box of engineering departments.
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AI coding mandates are driving developers to the brink
Under pressure to embrace AI, developers are growing frustrated by misguided mandates and are left to clean up any collateral damage inflicted on their codebase.
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The importance of supervising your AI coding agents
And 3 other themes from the latest Thoughtworks’ Technology Radar.
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Bringing internal engineering projects to the world
Pia Nilsson, senior director of engineering at Spotify, on how they identify and externalize impactful internal developer tools like Backstage.
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95% AI-written code? Unpacking the Y Combinator CEO’s developer jobs bombshell
Garry Tan says YC startups are launching with 95% AI-written code. What does this mean for the shape and size of engineering teams?
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Executive communication tactics that work for all audiences
The way you communicate with executives – clear, direct, and to the point – should be the standard for all communication.
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Tech debt is an outdated concept
Tech debt is often overused as a blanket statement for all manner of engineering issues. What if we reframed our approach?
Videos for managers of managers
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Tackling Software Engineering Leaders’ Dual Mandate
Operational excellence has been engineering leaders’ mandate since the beginning. But, success in the business world has shifted over the past two decades, making software delivery the key driver. This revenue generation change added a new mandate for the engineering leader: Driving Business Outcomes.
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In partnership with KaratEverything you need to know about hiring engineers in 2023
How has the tech job market changed, and what does your org need to do to keep up?
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Challenges in transforming a multicultural local-only company to a remote-first
Felipe Furlan discusses the most significant challenges and the strategies we use to overcome them. I will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of such a strategy.
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Facilitating Software Architecture: Andrew Harmel-Law in conversation
How can you ensure architects and development teams are working towards the same goal?
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You will ship your org chart: understanding organization structure tradeoffs
Adam Berman talks about how your organization structure has a big impact on your workflows. Learn how to bolster your approach to drive more efficient product development.