Software Lead Weekly
Issue #666, 29th August 2025
This Week's Favorite
Exotic Metrics: A Disease That Affects Many Product Teams
5 minutes read.
Simplicity only seems easy. We've all been in that game of picking OKRs or KPIs (and yes, also KFIs to match!) and debating tirelessly until the meeting ends. We'll do better next time, right?
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
5 minutes read.
Simplicity only seems easy. We've all been in that game of picking OKRs or KPIs (and yes, also KFIs to match!) and debating tirelessly until the meeting ends. We'll do better next time, right?
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
Culture
Updated Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
1 minutes read.
My humble effort to help you start the weekend with a smile on your face. Bring it!
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
1 minutes read.
My humble effort to help you start the weekend with a smile on your face. Bring it!
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
Product Shouldn't Decide What to Build
2 minutes read.
Every manager and technical lead in your organization needs to understand the role in building a sustainable business: "If your team never negotiates, you are unknowingly building a tower of tech/product/monetary/goodwill debt that will crack a kneecap if never paid."
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
2 minutes read.
Every manager and technical lead in your organization needs to understand the role in building a sustainable business: "If your team never negotiates, you are unknowingly building a tower of tech/product/monetary/goodwill debt that will crack a kneecap if never paid."
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
What Are You Optimizing For?
7 minutes read.
I've been a long-time reader and a fan of Jack Raines, and I'm cheering for him as he iterates on his business: "You have to separate the 'means' from the 'end,' otherwise you’ll keep chasing the same means long after they detached themselves from the ends."
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
7 minutes read.
I've been a long-time reader and a fan of Jack Raines, and I'm cheering for him as he iterates on his business: "You have to separate the 'means' from the 'end,' otherwise you’ll keep chasing the same means long after they detached themselves from the ends."
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
AWS CEO Says Using AI to Replace Junior Staff Is 'Dumbest Thing I've Ever Heard'
4 minutes read.
Great engineers will apply their system thinking to leverage the latest tools. People will need to continue learning and understanding broader aspects of the business. Software engineers will need to learn how to do some product work, just like product people will need to grow bigger into marketing and even engineering (to extent).
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
4 minutes read.
Great engineers will apply their system thinking to leverage the latest tools. People will need to continue learning and understanding broader aspects of the business. Software engineers will need to learn how to do some product work, just like product people will need to grow bigger into marketing and even engineering (to extent).
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
Peopleware
A Systems Design Approach to Prompt Engineering
10 minutes read.
"Attention literacy is the modern equivalent of algorithmic literacy. Seeing prompts as structured systems elevates you from a passive user of AI to an active architect of its output. Like with Big-O notation, the engineers who grasp this early will build the most significant advantages — creating cheaper, faster, and more resilient systems." -- Alex Chesser with excellent tips on how to think about context engineering by understanding how LLM works to produce a response.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
10 minutes read.
"Attention literacy is the modern equivalent of algorithmic literacy. Seeing prompts as structured systems elevates you from a passive user of AI to an active architect of its output. Like with Big-O notation, the engineers who grasp this early will build the most significant advantages — creating cheaper, faster, and more resilient systems." -- Alex Chesser with excellent tips on how to think about context engineering by understanding how LLM works to produce a response.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
Stoic Strategies for Achieving Sustainable Success (Video)
23 minutes read.
If you haven't seen content by Ryan Holiday or learned a little about Stoicism, this one is for you. The 9th practice of having habits is essential for your well-being. If you're in a relationship, having a habit you do together is proven to be one of the strongest ways to bring you closer together.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
23 minutes read.
If you haven't seen content by Ryan Holiday or learned a little about Stoicism, this one is for you. The 9th practice of having habits is essential for your well-being. If you're in a relationship, having a habit you do together is proven to be one of the strongest ways to bring you closer together.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
Inspiring Tweets
@readswithravi: “Three decisions determine 90% of your life outcomes: who you're with, what you do, and where you live.” - @naval
@thejustinwelsh: Most “lucky” people try more stuff than everyone else. They throw volume at uncertainty and learn fast. It looks like luck, but it’s really just reps.
- Oren
P.S. Can you share this email? I'd love for more people to experiment and improve their company's culture.
P.S. Can you share this email? I'd love for more people to experiment and improve their company's culture.