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 15 & 16, 2026
Delivering AI results without a playbook?
Find what’s working at LDX3
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
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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In partnership with TailscaleInclusion: What works, and why I’m still talking about it
Explore practical ways to make inclusion part of everyday teamwork, from communication styles to better collaboration and decision-making.
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In partnership with DXThe state of AI in software development: Insights across 400+ organizations
Learn where AI actually boosts developer productivity, how leading teams measure impact, and practical ways to separate measurable gains from hype.
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In partnership with UnblockedYour agents lack context: Here’s how to fix “You’re absolutely right!”
Learn how to build the context layer AI agents need to produce organization-aware, permission-safe, genuinely useful code.
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In partnership with PagerDutyProduction AI agents: The gap between promise and reality
Learn what it really takes to move AI agents from impressive demos to safe, reliable production systems.
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Mentoring that actually changes careers
A practical, human take on mentoring that actually helps people grow, by sharing real experience and honest guidance.
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The mechanics of scaling: Why delivery slows as you grow, and what to do about it
In this talk, I will show how rising incidents, fragile systems, slower delivery and constant firefighting are often signs of hitting systemic limits rather than execution failure.
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Finding the 80/20: Lessons from delivering our first LLM feature
How to choose what actually matters when shipping your first LLM feature, balancing evaluation, trust, and delivery without overengineering.
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Inclusive leadership across cultures: Practical patterns for global engineering teams
Concrete, repeatable patterns for leading global teams across cultures, reducing friction, building trust, and helping diverse voices contribute fully.
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Things fall apart – Architecture to avoid progressive collapse
How to design systems so small failures stay contained, preventing cascading outages and large-scale architectural collapse.
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30 to 70 PRs a day: How we managed to not wreck our systems
Practical platform practices that compound over time, helping teams ship faster, improve reliability, and make AI-assisted delivery actually work.
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In partnership with LaunchDarklyFrom code tsunami to controlled innovation: Launching software in the age of AI
How to harness the explosive speed of AI-driven development without losing control, compromising safety, or putting customer experience at risk.
