# software engineer Published articles for software engineer. This is one page of public article previews, not the complete archive. Follow Next page to continue. Summaries are not the original full articles. ## It's Okay to Break Things: Reflections on Khan Academy's Healthy Hackathon DevFeed: [It's Okay to Break Things: Reflections on Khan Academy's Healthy Hackathon]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Khan Academy Published: 2017-03-06T23:00:00Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [Khan Academy]() Topics: [Hackathon](), [Software Engineering](), [API](), [Web]() Tags: [api](), [collaboration](), [engineering](), [equity](), [hackathon](), [mozilla](), [news](), [reflections](), [software-engineer](), [web-frontend]() ### AI overview Kimerie Green reflects on participating in Khan Academy's internal Healthy Hackathon while working as a Software Engineering Fellow. She describes building Read-to-Me, an experimental project using Mozilla's Web Speech API to read Perseus widget content aloud for early learners. The project was not shipped because it needed further code review and design work, but it provided lessons about curiosity, collaboration, and software engineering. ### Source excerpt By Kimerie Green For the past few months, I have been working as a Software Engineering Fellow at ... Read more ## How Software Engineers Progress from Entry-Level to Senior Roles DevFeed: [How Software Engineers Progress from Entry-Level to Senior Roles]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Ashish Pratap Singh Published: 2026-09-10T12:17:04Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [AlgoMaster Newsletter]() Topics: [Software](), [Job]() Tags: [article](), [career-growth](), [engineering](), [guest-post](), [software-engineer](), [strategies]() ### AI overview A guest post explains how software engineers progress toward senior roles by taking on broader problems, more ambiguity, greater ownership, and larger impact. It outlines changing expectations from entry-level to mid-level engineering, including driving loosely defined work through design, implementation, testing, and delivery. ### Source excerpt Growing Through the Levels ## What to expect at the Zephyr Project Meetup (September 17, 2026) - Zurich, Switzerland DevFeed: [What to expect at the Zephyr Project Meetup (September 17, 2026) - Zurich, Switzerland]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Susan Remmert Published: 2026-09-10T05:00:25Z Content type: news Language: en Sources: [Zephyr Project]() Topics: [Embedded Systems](), [Embedded Software Dev](), [Open Source](), [systems](), [Tooling](), [Software]() Tags: [2026](), [blog](), [community](), [developers](), [embedded](), [embedded-systems](), [event](), [events](), [hardware](), [meetup](), [open](), [open-source](), [software](), [software-engineer](), [switzerland](), [talk](), [technical](), [zephyr]() ### AI overview The Zephyr Project community will hold an in-person meetup in Zurich, Switzerland, on September 17, 2026. The event will include technical presentations, networking, and discussions about Zephyr development, hardware, developer tools, and embedded systems. ### Source excerpt The Zephyr Project community is heading to Zurich, Switzerland! Join us on Thursday, September 17, 2026, for an in-person Zephyr Project Meetup organized by Zoi TechCon GmbH. The meetup will take place at Westhive Kitchen, Hardturmstrasse 161, 8005 Zürich, Switzerland. The event is open to developers, engineers, contributors, students, technology professionals, and anyone interested in open source and embedded systems. ## How to Grow Past Senior Engineer DevFeed: [How to Grow Past Senior Engineer]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Gregor Ojstersek Published: 2026-09-08T15:30:36Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Engineering Leadership]() Topics: [coding](), [meetings](), [implementation]() Tags: [career](), [productivity](), [software-engineer](), [team-lead]() ### AI overview An experienced software engineer shares four practical ways to move beyond the senior engineer level: discuss career goals with a manager, track accomplishments, become a go-to person in a project, technology, or domain, and propose and own an impactful codebase improvement. ### Source excerpt My 4 recommended starting moves that'll help you gain trust and credibility to grow to the next step! ## A switchback career move from engineering management to software engineering DevFeed: [A switchback career move from engineering management to software engineering]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Anton Zaides Published: 2026-09-08T06:01:00Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Manager.dev]() Topics: [Job](), [AI-assisted coding](), [Software](), [Tech Lead]() Tags: [agents](), [career](), [data](), [engineering-manager](), [experiment](), [software-engineer]() ### AI overview The author describes moving from engineering management back to software engineering after struggling to secure another Engineering Manager role. The article also discusses an experiment in which an engineering team worked more deliberately with coding agents and a tech lead. ### Source excerpt The perfect time for a switchback career move ## What running a Senior Software Engineer Cohort Taught Me DevFeed: [What running a Senior Software Engineer Cohort Taught Me]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Hemant Pandey Published: 2026-08-23T13:40:11Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [The Hustling Engineer]() Topics: [Software](), [coding]() Tags: [learnings](), [mentoring](), [software](), [software-engineer]() ### AI overview An account of lessons learned from mentoring more than 60 software engineers. ### Source excerpt My learnings after mentoring 60+ Software Engineers ## Conceptual integrity and counting lines of code DevFeed: [Conceptual integrity and counting lines of code]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Simon Willison Published: 2026-08-19T22:46:07Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Simon Willison]() Topics: [AI Development](), [AI-assisted coding](), [code productivity](), [Software Engineering](), [Programming]() Tags: [agents](), [ai](), [ai-2-235](), [code](), [coding-agents](), [coding-agents-248](), [generative-ai](), [generative-ai-1-981](), [llms](), [llms-1-947](), [podcast-appearances](), [podcast-appearances-41](), [productivity](), [software-development](), [software-engineer]() ### AI overview This article presents transcript highlights from a Talking Postgres discussion about AI-assisted software development. It argues that lines of code can sometimes indicate productivity when coding agents produce maintainable, tested, production-quality code, while emphasizing that skill and experience remain necessary. It also argues that cognitive capacity and conceptual integrity limit how much agent-generated code engineers can effectively manage. ### Source excerpt Last week I recorded an episode of the Talking Postgres podcast with Claire Giordano on the subject of "How AI is changing software development". We had a really great conversation. Here are a couple of my highlights from a lightly edited transcript (prompt to Claude: "very minor edits to remove disfluencies"). This is the latest version of an argument I've been trying to build about why sometimes it does make sense to talk about lines of code as an indicator of productivity with coding agents, at 35:01: A lot of people will tell you it makes no sense to measure productivity in lines of code. I'd actually disagree, because there's a hard limit. In the before-times, a software engineer could produce a few hundred lines of production-ready code per day -- and 200 lines of working, debugged, production-level code is an incredibly good day. Most days you'd produce 50 or 60. If agents let you produce a thousand lines of debugged code, that really is a very meaningful improvement -- as long as the code is the same quality: maintainable, tested, all of that. You can get to that point with agents, but it takes a huge amount of skill and knowledge and experience. That's what senior engineers are made of. I can do way more work as a single engineer than I could without agents. So you could argue, why should a company have more than one engineer? Beyond the obvious bus factor thing -- a team of one is a very badly designed team -- the answer is that the new limiting factor is cognitive capacity. I can churn out code a hundred times faster. I don't have the cognitive capacity to stay on top of 100 times the amount of code. So you still need a team of engineers, so you can load balance that cognitive capacity across the team. And this section on conceptual integrity at 46:03, which Claire equated to the Winchester Mystery House! Simon: There's a concept in The Mythical Man-Month -- conceptual integrity -- where well-designed software has an integrity to it: there are no surprises in i ## Containing Locally Running AI Agents with Layered Security Controls DevFeed: [Containing Locally Running AI Agents with Layered Security Controls]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Spencer Reeves Published: 2026-08-10T18:00:00Z Content type: tutorial Language: en Sources: [Apartment 304]() Topics: [Artificial Intelligence](), [Security](), [Containers](), [virtualization](), [macOS](), [npm]() Tags: [agent](), [ai-agents](), [apartment-304](), [apple](), [credentials](), [custom-software-solutions](), [devops](), [devops-engineer](), [macos](), [networking](), [npm](), [open-source](), [sandboxing](), [security](), [software-architecture](), [software-development](), [software-engineer]() ### AI overview This article presents a layered security approach for running AI agents locally. It focuses on sandboxing the agent, restricting internet access, and protecting secrets and environment files, with container isolation as the foundation. ### Source excerpt Running an agent locally gives it a foothold on your machine -- here's how we keep it contained. ## Sentry's Greg Pstrucha on why a better prompt won't fix your agent's code DevFeed: [Sentry's Greg Pstrucha on why a better prompt won't fix your agent's code]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: WorkOS Published: 2026-08-06T00:04:02Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [WorkOS Blog]() Topics: [Artificial Intelligence](), [Tooling](), [coding](), [Software](), [Large Language Model]() Tags: [agent](), [agents](), [ai](), [ai-engineer](), [code](), [evals](), [metrics](), [quality](), [sentry](), [software](), [software-engineer](), [test](), [tests](), [tooling]() ### AI overview Sentry staff engineer Greg Pstrucha argues that improving AI-generated code requires more than better prompts. In his discussion of the "Stop Prompting" talk, he recommends linters, strong tests, type systems, frameworks, and skills as baseline safeguards, supplemented by evaluations for harder-to-codify quality judgments. ### Source excerpt Sentry staff engineer Greg Pstrucha on linters, stronger tests, evals for Seer, and the quality metrics agents game -- from AI Engineer World's Fair 2026. ## The Software Engineers No One Wants to Work With DevFeed: [The Software Engineers No One Wants to Work With]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Hemant Pandey Published: 2026-08-05T13:50:29Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [The Hustling Engineer]() Topics: [Software]() Tags: [skills](), [software](), [software-engineer]() ### AI overview The article discusses improving as a software engineer and notes that conversations commonly focus on technical skills. ### Source excerpt When people talk about becoming a better software engineer, the conversation usually revolves around technical skills. ## Adaptability Matters More Than Framework Mastery in Product Work DevFeed: [Adaptability Matters More Than Framework Mastery in Product Work]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: David Pereira Published: 2026-08-04T12:28:01Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Untrapping Product Teams]() Topics: [Framework](), [context](), [User Stories](), [Code](), [Software]() Tags: [code](), [context](), [flexibility](), [framework](), [learning](), [product](), [software-engineer](), [user-stories]() ### AI overview The author reflects on unlearning rigid beliefs about product frameworks and software development. The central lesson is that adapting to each company's context and focusing on creating value matter more than mastering prescribed frameworks, definitions, or conventions. ### Source excerpt The lesson I learned at 21, and forgot later. ## Building a Multi-Theme Design System in Figma DevFeed: [Building a Multi-Theme Design System in Figma]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Jacqueline Rhoda Published: 2026-07-27T18:53:49Z Content type: tutorial Language: en Sources: [Apartment 304]() Topics: [Design system](), [Figma](), [configuration](), [color]() Tags: [apartment-304](), [color](), [configuration](), [custom-software-solutions](), [design](), [design-system](), [design-systems](), [devops](), [devops-engineer](), [figma](), [software-architecture](), [software-development](), [software-engineer](), [tokens]() ### AI overview This tutorial explains how to build a multi-theme design system in Figma. It describes keeping components, layouts, and patterns consistent while adapting brand identity and visual styles through variables, styles, and semantic color tokens. ### Source excerpt Build flexible Figma design systems that scale across brands and customers. ## The Career Flywheel Every Software Engineer Should Build (Part 2) DevFeed: [The Career Flywheel Every Software Engineer Should Build (Part 2)]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Hemant Pandey Published: 2026-07-26T13:50:08Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [The Hustling Engineer]() Topics: [Software]() Tags: [career](), [software-engineer]() ### AI overview Part 2 of an article about a career flywheel for software engineers; it says the previous week covered the first half of the flywheel. ### Source excerpt Last week, we talked about the first half of the flywheel. ## The Career Flywheel Every Software Engineer Should Build (Part 1) DevFeed: [The Career Flywheel Every Software Engineer Should Build (Part 1)]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Hemant Pandey Published: 2026-07-19T13:45:07Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [The Hustling Engineer]() Topics: [Software](), [coding]() Tags: [career](), [software](), [software-engineer]() ### AI overview This commentary introduces a career framework for software engineers, arguing that career growth compounds even though salary does not. ### Source excerpt Your salary doesn't compound but your career does ## What Makes a Software Engineer AI-Native? DevFeed: [What Makes a Software Engineer AI-Native?]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Fran Soto Published: 2026-07-05T04:00:37Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Strategize Your Career]() Topics: [Artificial Intelligence](), [context](), [Software](), [cursor]() Tags: [agents](), [ai](), [context](), [cursor](), [software](), [software-engineer]() ### AI overview The article argues that becoming AI-native is not simply a matter of buying Cursor. It emphasizes defining context, tools, loops, and evidence to make agents reliable. ### Source excerpt Buying Cursor does not make you AI-native. The real skill is defining the context, tools, loops, and evidence that make agents reliable. ## \[GSoC 2026\] Bluetooth: HCI Improvements & HID Profile | Haiku Project DevFeed: [\[GSoC 2026\] Bluetooth: HCI Improvements & HID Profile | Haiku Project]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: mohammedrattia Published: 2026-05-03T13:46:03Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [Haiku Project]() Topics: [Bluetooth](), [Computer science](), [Development](), [Software Engineering](), [Operating system]() Tags: [2026](), [bluetooth](), [computer-science](), [google-summer-of-code](), [gsoc](), [gsoc2026](), [haiku](), [hci](), [hid](), [improvements](), [profile](), [programming](), [project](), [software](), [software-engineer](), [software-engineering](), [systems]() ### AI overview A GSoC 2026 proposal for Haiku aims to modernize the operating system's Bluetooth stack and implement the Bluetooth HID profile. The planned work includes completing HCI commands, improving pairing and Link Key persistence, and handling disconnection and timeout events. ### Source excerpt Hello! I'm Mohammed R. Attia, a 2nd-year Computer Science Student. I've been accepted into Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2026 with Haiku, with my proposal titled "Modernizing Haiku's Bluetooth Stack: HCI Completion and HID Profile Implementation." About Me I consider myself a competitive programmer and a software engineer. I haven't decided on a specific specialization in software engineering just yet; rather, I'm interested in systems development and low-level programming. You can check my GitHub for more information about my latest projects. I go by the handle mohammedrattia in many places on the internet, so feel free to reach out :). How did I get here? I first learned about Haiku while searching for GSoC organizations to contribute to. It was my first time learning about a desktop operating system other than the famous trio: Windows, macOS, and Linux. So, I started by reading the GSoC guide and joining IRC. I remember that the process was smooth because the guide contained everything, and people on IRC were welcoming and supportive. Then, I started working towards building Haiku, and I got my first commit merged into Haiku after several days. Current Goals The main goal of my proposal in GSoC is to modernize the Bluetooth stack. Currently, the Bluetooth stack in Haiku can't communicate effectively with modern Bluetooth devices because of the outdated standards it uses. However, making the Bluetooth core perfectly align with modern standards won't benefit Haiku users because it would still need a Bluetooth Profile to perform a useful task. One of the most common uses of Bluetooth is Human Interface Devices (HID) (e.g., keyboards and mice). Accordingly, this project will build the HID Bluetooth profile to provide useful functionality for Haiku users. The following three sub-sections contain a brief specification for the goals of the project from my GSoC proposal. Modern HCI Event & Command Handling Build upon the recent SSP/EIR groundwork by implementing the remai ## How AI Is Changing Coding Interviews in 2026 DevFeed: [How AI Is Changing Coding Interviews in 2026]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Brian Jenney Published: 2026-04-28T16:21:33Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Brian Jenney]() Topics: [coding](), [AI Engineering](), [Artificial Intelligence](), [HackerRank](), [LeetCode]() Tags: [2026](), [ai](), [career](), [coding](), [interviews](), [software-engineer](), [technical-interview]() ### AI overview This opinion article argues that coding interviews in 2026 remain disconnected from day-to-day software work, while AI has changed how developers write code. It describes traditional data-structures-and-algorithms assessments and other interview formats developers may encounter. ### Source excerpt Coding interviews have been notoriously tone deaf for years. ## The Seniority Trap: Why You Might Have 1 Year of Experience, 10 Times DevFeed: [The Seniority Trap: Why You Might Have 1 Year of Experience, 10 Times]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Kevin Naughton Jr. Published: 2026-04-05T14:03:00Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [The Software Engineer Weekly]() Topics: [Software](), [coding](), [CRUD](), [App]() Tags: [app](), [complex](), [crud](), [engineering](), [linkedin](), [metric](), [novel](), [patterns](), [problems](), [software](), [software-engineer](), [times]() ### AI overview An opinion piece argues that years of experience alone do not establish software engineering seniority. It contrasts engineers who solve increasingly complex, novel problems with those who repeatedly solve similar CRUD application problems using familiar patterns. ### Source excerpt We've all seen the "Senior Software Engineer" LinkedIn profiles with 10+ years of experience. But in the world of engineering, time is a deceptive metric. There is a massive, quiet difference between an engineer who has spent a decade solving increasingly complex, novel problems and an engineer who has spent a decade solving the same CRUD app problems using the same patterns they learned in year one. ## Reconsidering a Software Engineer Identity After Working at Google and Amazon DevFeed: [Reconsidering a Software Engineer Identity After Working at Google and Amazon]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Kevin Naughton Jr. Published: 2026-03-29T15:00:22Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [The Software Engineer Weekly]() Topics: [Software](), [Computer science](), [amazon](), [Google]() Tags: [amazon](), [computer-science](), [google](), [software](), [software-engineer]() ### AI overview The author reflects on moving beyond a software engineer identity shaped by computer science training and work at Google and Amazon. ### Source excerpt For nearly a decade, my identity was defined by a single title: Software Engineer. It's an identity I picked up early, starting in a Computer Science lecture hall and carrying it through to the offices of Google and Amazon. In the corporate world, this title is a comfortable box, but it also trapped me. ## Software engineer interviews for the age of AI DevFeed: [Software engineer interviews for the age of AI]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: hi@swizec.com (Swizec Teller) Published: 2026-03-25T00:00:00Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Swizec Teller]() Topics: [Artificial Intelligence](), [coding](), [SRE](), [systems]() Tags: [ai](), [coding](), [interviews](), [software-engineer](), [sre](), [system-design]() ### AI overview This opinion article argues that software engineer interviews should account for AI-assisted coding while still testing practical experience, depth of project knowledge, system design, and willingness to take responsibility for reliable production systems. It recommends repeatable, low-noise evaluation processes with multiple interviewers and detailed follow-up questions. ### Source excerpt Maybe AI will replace engineers, I don't know. Self-driving cars were just around the corner for 50 years. Until then we've got shit to do and engineers to hire. ## How to Improve Coding Interview Performance with Personal Stories and Targeted Technical Practice DevFeed: [How to Improve Coding Interview Performance with Personal Stories and Targeted Technical Practice]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Brian Jenney Published: 2026-03-24T15:05:22Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Brian Jenney]() Topics: [coding](), [Development](), [Code](), [JavaScript]() Tags: [approach](), [career](), [coding](), [interviews](), [javascript](), [manager](), [recursion](), [software-engineer]() ### AI overview The author describes struggling with coding interviews despite being able to do the underlying job. They recommend cataloging personal work stories for recurring behavioral questions and focusing practice on recurring technical gaps. ### Source excerpt Five years ago, during an interview for a senior dev role, I had a panic attack. ## 5 Career Myths From Women in Engineering DevFeed: [5 Career Myths From Women in Engineering]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Emily Majewski Published: 2026-03-17T13:28:39Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Two Sigma Engineering]() Topics: [Job](), [Software Engineering](), [engineering-culture](), [Amazon Web Services](), [Feature Engineering](), [Finance](), [Users]() Tags: [advice](), [career](), [careers](), [engineering](), [skills](), [software-engineer](), [team](), [users]() ### AI overview The article examines five common career myths through the experiences of three Two Sigma engineering leaders. Their nonlinear careers illustrate how lateral moves, detours, and varied roles can build useful skills and inform later work in software engineering, architecture, and technical leadership. ### Source excerpt The post 5 Career Myths From Women in Engineering appeared first on Two Sigma. ## The Right Team for the Job: From Engineering to Product: A Superpower for Developer Platform... DevFeed: [The Right Team for the Job: From Engineering to Product: A Superpower for Developer Platform...]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: The NYT Open Team Published: 2026-02-11T21:52:17Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [New York Times]() Topics: [Developer Platform](), [code productivity](), [Software Engineering](), [systems](), [Back end](), [Content Management System](), [Product Management]() Tags: [backend](), [cms](), [developer](), [developer-platform](), [developer-productivity](), [development](), [engineering](), [product](), [product-management](), [software-engineer](), [web-development]() ### AI overview This New York Times Open series article introduces Danny Cassidy, a senior technical product manager in Developer Productivity, and traces his transition from software engineering to product management. It describes his early frontend work, later experience building backend APIs and content management systems, and his interest in connecting engineering decisions with business and user impact. ### Source excerpt The Right Team for the Job: From Engineering to Product: A Superpower for Developer Platform StrategyIntroducing Danny Cassidy, Senior Technical Product Manager, Developer Productivity in Developer PlatformsIllustration by Claire Merchlinsky By Geethu Jacob, Daniel Cassidy, Nikki Larson and Erica Vendetti "PMs actively and effectively engage with engineering and technology decisions, understanding possibilities and consequences." This article is part of a New York Times Open series showcasing the breadth of experiences and backgrounds of our Product Managers. Engineering can fuel product leadership For Danny Cassidy, coding was an early creative outlet. As a high school student, he taught himself to code, trying his hand at frontend web development. "I was very inspired by online communities back then, and how the internet could foster connection for people across the world. So, I first learned how to make extensions on forum software. My first paid gig in high school was building a social networking feature into a site for pet owners so that they could create profile pages for their pets. Those were the days!" Building on the base of that passion, Danny studied information technology in college. "There's a definite craft to software development", he says. "It's not just technical. You are thinking about solving a problem in an elegant and legible way. I always enjoyed that part of the process." As a software engineer, Danny focused on building backend APIs and content management systems (CMS) for media brands. Here, Danny learned to understand how engineering solutions fit into the business context. Engineers "need to know how a solution will evolve and scale over time. And their solutions need to be understood and maintainable by a multitude of people throughout all of this." In 2015, Danny accepted an engineering job at The Times working on the backend APIs that deliver our digital content from our CMS to our desktop and mobile apps. As an engineer at The New Yor ## A Q&A on Site Reliability Engineering and Observability at Thumbtack DevFeed: [A Q&A on Site Reliability Engineering and Observability at Thumbtack]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Thumbtack People Team Published: 2026-02-05T18:01:47Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [Thumbtack Engineering - Medium]() Topics: [site-reliability-engineering](), [observability](), [Software as a service](), [Self-hosted](), [Incident response](), [telemetry]() Tags: [careers](), [company](), [culture](), [employee-experience](), [engineering](), [growth](), [incident-response](), [observability](), [saas](), [scale](), [self-hosted](), [site-reliability](), [software-engineer](), [software-engineering](), [systems](), [technical](), [technology](), [work]() ### AI overview In this Q&A, Thumbtack Senior Software Engineer Brett Shouse discusses his site reliability engineering work, including migrating self-hosted observability services to a unified SaaS platform. He also describes addressing technical debt, improving incident response, and unifying logs, traces, and metrics. ### Source excerpt A Q&A with Brett Shouse, Senior Software Engineer.As an engineer, what drew you to Thumbtack? I joined Thumbtack in March of 2025, and from day one it's felt like the right place to grow, build, and make a real impact. I was ready for a fresh challenge and wanted to help evolve a business that truly aligned with my values. I took a very intentional approach to my search. I reviewed the career sites of 106 companies to deeply understand their cultures, and from that process I applied and interviewed with four outstanding organizations. Each had strong teams and compelling missions, but Thumbtack stood out immediately. The values resonated with me, the opportunities for growth were clear, and I could see countless ways to meaningfully contribute -- not just within site reliability engineering, but across engineering as a whole. Choosing Thumbtack felt both exciting and obvious. What work are you currently focused on? I'm currently leading work to migrate a collection of self-hosted observability services into a unified SaaS platform. This effort is reducing the ongoing burden of systems administration, application support, and alert fatigue, while also lowering costs. Most importantly, it frees up engineering time and energy so teams can focus on the projects that directly support Thumbtack's customers. It's deeply satisfying work because the benefits compound across the entire organization. How would you describe the culture of your team? Supportive, driven, and genuinely fun. My teammates are endlessly curious, highly skilled, and always learning. We love automating toil away so we can focus on meaningful, high-impact work. It's a team that pushes for excellence while lifting each other up along the way. What are some of the unique technical challenges you're solving? Tackling technical debt that naturally accumulates when a company leans in early and then grows rapidly. Defining what effective incident response means for the business and enabling fast, confident res [Next page]()