
Latest
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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 8 & 9, 2027
Loved LDX3 New York? Pre-sale tickets for 2027 are now available.
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.


2027 pre-sale tickets are live!
Join the conversations next year. Book now to secure the lowest price.
New York • September 8 & 9, 2027
More for Staff engineers
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Build a productive code review culture
Code reviews can be tense and stressful if done incorrectly. Avoid bikeshedding and set good cultural standards with these nine simple steps.
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Engineering leadership is not just about code
If you’re looking to move into an engineering leadership position, you’ll have to do more than brush up on code!
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Influencing influencers: Powerful strategies to scale your impact at work
If you looking to widen the breadth of your impact, you’ll want to brush up on some of these areas to see the best results.
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The best feature management and experimentation software 2025
Feature flags and experimentation are critical for progressive developer teams who want granular control over their feature delivery. But which tool is the right one for you?
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How to handle difficult conversations as a leader
Difficult conversations are never anyone’s favorite pastime. For many, it can be an anxiety-inducing trip…but it doesn’t have to be.
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Be careful with ‘open source’ AI
Open source AI models may be appealing for developers, but there are still plenty of complex risks to assess.
Videos for Staff engineers
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Engineering leadership in 2026
Explore what 600+ engineering leaders revealed about how their roles, priorities, and challenges are changing in 2026.
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In partnership with VercelAgentic triage for tackling technical debt
A practical look at using agents to separate urgent system issues from backlog noise, without removing human judgment.
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We doubled engineering productivity at eBay, but couldn’t change culture
Learn how to use stories to improve your influence as a leader.
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Look for the helpers
This is a talk about showing up for each other, in the work we do and in our communities at home.
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Engineering at scale: Why developer experience is your competitive advantage
How reducing developer friction at scale boosts velocity, quality, and retention, and becomes a real competitive edge in the AI era.
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Shipping secure, reliable and high performance AI agents
A hands-on engineering guide to building AI agents that stay secure, reliable, and fast in real, high-stakes production systems.
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One silver bullet: Adaptability
Hire for adaptability over pedigree, and build teams that can learn, grow, and deliver in a changing industry.
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In partnership with incident.ioDon’t wait for an outage to improve your reliability
A reliable system isn’t just about your infrastructure. Learn to effectively leverage game days to train engineers and build resilience before real incidents force you to.
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In partnership with Skiller WhaleAI productivity at enterprise scale
Turning AI adoption into real productivity gains requires changing habits, building skills, and scaling learning across the entire organization.
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Taming the legacy system monster
Learn how to document, stabilize, and modernize legacy systems without risky rewrites or single-person dependencies.
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In partnership with DockerShip 10x code safely with agents
Learn how to safely turn AI-generated code into shipped software without slowing developers or compromising enterprise governance.
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The Staff Engineer’s playbook: Intellectual shift to systemic impact
A practical framework for making the Staff Engineer leap, shifting from solving tasks to defining strategy and delivering lasting systemic impact.


