
Latest
-
AI-generated abandonware is hollowing out open source
When everyone can build, the scarce resource becomes maintainers.
Editor’s picks
What is a staff engineer? Technical leaders who aren’t managers
Staff engineers are technical leaders who have deep domain knowledge, walking the line between tech and the business.

New York • September 15 & 16, 2026
Cut through the hype.
Find what works at LDX3 New York
Essential reading
On our StaffPlus playlist
How to master the four Staff archetypes and elevate your impact
While the specifics of the job can vary widely, Will Larson has famously categorized the Staff+ experience into four archetypes: Tech Lead, Architect, Solver, and the Right Hand.
Understanding the role as a Staff engineer
How to define, develop and deliver in your role on the technical track.
How to balance technical direction and leadership work
But as is often the case in business, priorities constantly shift and where you focus your efforts will too. So how do you strike the right balance between working on the technical direction of the business and those tasks that require you to put your leadership hat on?
Start with an exit in mind: How to be effective by being selfish as a staff engineer
Staff engineers often get overwhelmed by long-term ownership of critical projects. This talk explores how to avoid burnout by starting every project with an exit strategy—whether transferring ownership, pausing or bootstrapping a team.


The festival for modern engineering leadership
New York • September 15 & 16, 2026
More for Staff engineers
-
“Vibe hacking” signals seismic shift for engineering leaders
Blackhat hackers have an addition to their armoury. Here’s how engineering leaders can safeguard their systems and stay on high alert.
-
Where staff+ engineers can move the needle
As you become more senior in your role, the pressure to expand your impact grows. Here are some ways to get the ball rolling.
-
AI coding trackers are here. Proceed with caution
Companies are finally starting to track AI usage within their engineering orgs. Should we be worried or remain cautiously optimistic?
-
4 ways to manage the lows of leadership
Any well-seasoned leader will know that it’s not always an easy journey. The key is to tackle the low moments with the right approach.
-
5 AI agent frameworks for developer teams
If you’re thinking of dipping your toes into the agentic pool, here are some frameworks you could explore.
-
Your go-to professional growth model
When you’re an engineering leader, finding the time to upskill is almost impossible. Following the S-curve model might keep you on track.
-
The unions are (finally) coming for big tech
After decades of taking a back seat, the rise of AI, layoffs, and industry-wide burnout has led to a call for more prominent tech unions.
-
Tech CEOs reckon with the impact of AI on junior developers
CEOs are concerned that the rise of AI tools like Copilot and GPT is causing junior developers to lose touch with core coding skills.
Videos for Staff engineers
-
Refactoring LIVE – In conversation with Rands
Luca Rossi sits down with Michael Lopp, aka Rands, to explore engineering leadership in the age of AI.
-
Game time: A playbook to (unsuccessfully) 10x in a week and (successfully) 10x in a year
A candid scaling story about why rushed 10x efforts fail, and how disciplined metrics, culture, and architecture win over time.
-
Rethinking how distributed teams deliver complex tech
Practical patterns for delivering complex work across distributed teams while improving inclusion, decision quality, and team autonomy.
-
The shadow culture: Why engineering principles fail under load
Why engineering principles collapse under pressure, and how redesigning systems makes the right behavior the easy default.
-
In partnership with incident.ioAccelerating sustainably with AI
Scaling AI coding across teams requires culture shifts, standards, documentation, and thoughtful sustainable engineering practices.
-
Planning next moves: Improving performance when half your stack is someone else’s problem
Learn how to measure latency, set realistic goals, and improve performance even when critical parts of your system are out of your control.
-
Rebuilding the kitchen: Human connection in distributed engineering teams
This is a practical, leadership-focused talk for managers who want their remote teams to feel connected, aligned, and human – not just productive.
-
Four dimensions of burnout: An anti-burnout framework for the AI era
A practical framework to help engineering leaders recognize burnout early, rebalance demands, and recover while staying effective and healthy.
-
Guardrails, not gates: Scaling juniors in the AI era
How automated guardrails let junior engineers ship faster with AI, while protecting quality, safety, and senior reviewer sanity.
-
AI in the trenches: Real-world wins without breaking things
How to integrate AI into real engineering workflows to boost delivery speed while keeping systems stable and teams confident.
-
Building for reliability
Reliability emerges from systems, teams, and decisions. Learn how to design, operate, and scale it intentionally.
-
In partnership with VercelFrom code to confidence: The missing layer in AI-powered development
Explore why AI-powered development needs to move beyond generating code and focus on building confidence to ship safely.

