Latest
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Why introverts get overlooked (and what to do about it)
Introverts have natural abilities that can make them the strongest leaders, but getting the visibility on these skills is the key.
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Become a better force multiplier in 4 steps
Becoming a force multiplier might sound daunting, but focusing on sharing knowledge, delegation, and communication is the key to success.
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.
Deadline: January 4, 2026
Call for Proposals for London 2026 is open!
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 of engineering leadership
London • June 2 & 3, 2026
More for Staff engineers
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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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Who is going to fill the engineering leadership vacuum?
As the tech industry continues its assault on middle management, staff engineers are being asked to step up.
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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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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.
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Vibe coding, hype cycles, and why AI isn’t the 10x answer
How has AI impacted some of the cultural and technical aspects of software engineering?
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Vibe coding brought back my love for programming
When so much of the media is steeped in anti-vibe coding rhetoric, it can be easy to forget the joy found in programming this way.
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“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.
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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.
Videos for Staff engineers
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Mind the gap: Navigating the staff+ performance cliff
Explore why new Staff+ leaders often feel lost and how to rebuild confidence, clarity, and impact after the transition.
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“Us vs. Them” thinking
Why us vs. them thinking arises, how to spot it, and how – and why – to bridge the divide.
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Scaling AI for high-stakes, real-time payments
What does it take to run real-time AI in Stripe’s core payment flow? This is the story of scaling ML in a latency-critical system used by billions and built by multiple engineering orgs.
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From classroom to commit: How a one-year, industry-co-designed fellowship equips engineers to ship in the AI era
From classroom to commit: How a one-year, industry-co-designed fellowship equips engineers to ship in the AI era and the simple onboarding patterns partner teams use to turn early talent into durable performers.
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Coherent impact: The art of strategy
Explore how to turn short-term chaos into long-term impact through practical strategies for resilient, grounded engineering leadership.
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Scaling systems, scaling influence: Lessons from distributed architecture
Scaling systems and scaling influence share the same principles. Learn how distributed systems thinking can help you become a more effective technical leader at scale.
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In partnership with FastlyThe silent infrastructure crisis: AI bots and the future of web performance
A technical deep dive into AI bot traffic’s infrastructure, security, and performance impacts, backed by Fastly’s large-scale 2025 analysis.
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Anti-Misalignment: Nobody knows what “alignment” is
Most “alignment” efforts just react to misalignment. This talk reframes alignment as group flow, explores why misalignment is so viscerally felt, and shares practical tools to move from reactive coordination to proactive clarity and autonomy.
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You can big bang!
Explore when rewriting code from scratch actually works and how to plan a successful, high-impact system redesign.
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Leading a team through 0-1 product development
In this talk, we will discuss tips for leading an engineering team through developing a new product fast, especially when there are a lot of unknowns.
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In partnership with AntithesisBuild bravely: Delivering risky projects
Learn how clear specifications and property-based testing help engineers take bolder roadmap risks, ship faster, and collaborate safely with LLMs.
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Lessons from the other side: What your VP is actually thinking
Learn how to build a partnership with your VP by sharing unfiltered reality and gaining the context you need.