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Newsletter archive
AI agents and the missing link in DevOps
AI agents aren’t just assistants anymore – they’re making decisions. Are engineers ready for the shift or are they just too skeptical?
Carving out time for large-scale engineering chores
Determine what to prioritize, set out a path, and be prepared for some hiccups along the way.
Encouraging a passion for productivity
In this edition of DirectorPlus, Neha Batra, VP of Engineering at GitHub, explains how she creates a culture of productivity.
Framing AI rollouts in the right light
How can you introduce AI into teams in a way that doesn’t invite unrest within your org? It starts with presenting it in the right light.
Latest
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Interview tactics to find your footing in a chaotic job market
Navigating the current job market can feel daunting, but certain principles and internal guides can improve the process for you.
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Deloitte rolls out Claude to 470,000 employees
The consulting giant hasn’t been deterred by a recent embarrassing incident in Australia.
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The unseen fixes that boost engineering performance
At the intersection of toil and operational risk lies “perilwork.”
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What US engineering managers can expect to earn in 2026
Are there signs of life in the hiring market?
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Why I expect candidates to use AI in the hiring process
If you’re joining a team where AI use is commonplace, expect the interview process to test those skills.
November 3 & 4, 2025
Book now and save up to €250 💸
Essential reading
What is a Director of Engineering? The glue keeping engineering together
A director of engineering is responsible for keeping an entire engineering function humming. Find out what skills you need to climb the ladder to this vital position.
On our DirectorPlus playlist
Strategies to hone commercial awareness and drive business outcomes
Learn effective strategies for enhancing commercial awareness in tech teams, turning engineering into a business driver through alignment, impactful initiatives, and stakeholder engagement.
The path from Director to CTO: How to follow it, or how to mentor it
This talk is aimed at both aspiring Chief Technology Officers and those who are in a position to mentor future CTOs. Explore the journey from a Director of Engineering role to a CTO, focusing on the skills and experiences needed for this transition and how experienced leaders can guide others on this path.
Making the manager of manager’s mindset
Suzan Bond covers the difference between the two roles and the key mindset shifts leaders need to make to manage managers.
The conference for engineering leaders shaping the future of software
Berlin • November 3 & 4, 2025
Featuring
More for managers of managers
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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 right way to make AI part of your tech strategy
With everyone scrambling to bake AI into their technical strategy, leaders may be resorting to unreliable and unscalable methods.
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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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Is AI code sabotaging its own ROI case?
Charity Majors, CTO at Honeycomb, argues that the biggest value from AI is from rethinking how teams operate.
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How the right workflow can catapult productivity
Do you find that your team constantly misses deadlines and feels miserable in the process? It might be a workflow problem.
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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.
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AI-first hiring is everywhere and it’s not slowing down
Engineers might start being penalized for not using AI in technical interviews.
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How Jit overcame developer resistance to shift to Cursor
Israeli startup Jit overcame engineer pushback and boosted productivity by transitioning from JetBrains to the AI-powered coding assistant Cursor.
Videos for managers of managers
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How games brought our Engineering Principles to life
See how games transformed Engineering Principles into memorable practices for engineering teams, offering ideas for engaging team-building activities.
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Launching a Gen AI powered travel companion: A case for tiger teams
Explore Booking.com’s journey in launching a Gen AI travel companion in 3 months, powered by a tiger team approach for rapid, focused product development and innovation.
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Why you’re doing service catalogs wrong
Learn why service catalogs often fall short and discover practical strategies for building incremental value, avoiding pitfalls, and driving impactful automation and insights.
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Decoding candidate experiences: A new era in tech hiring
Discover how tech hiring is evolving with insights on candidate experiences, market trends, and empathy-driven practices for creating an inclusive, transparent hiring process.
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On-call revolution: Building a culture of ownership and collaboration
Discover how innovative on-call rotations empower developers, foster team collaboration, and reduce complexity, creating a cohesive, ownership-driven culture that enhances service quality.
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In partnership with incident.ioManaging authentically across levels
Learn how to manage engineers at all levels with practical tips for adapting your style to support growth and foster a thriving, high-performing engineering team.
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Effective communication: Mastering growth-oriented feedback
Discover strategies for delivering feedback that builds trust and openness. Learn science-backed techniques to make feedback constructive, approachable, and growth-focused, helping teams unlock their full potential.
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Tackling tech debt
Learn practical strategies from a seasoned CTO on managing tech debt effectively – when to embrace it, how to prioritize it, and turning it into growth.
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Exhausted but not burned out: A manager’s story of how to get the team through a tough project
Discover strategies for leading high-stress projects without burnout. Learn how prioritising team well-being, resilience, and self-compassion fosters sustainable success even under intense pressure.
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Tech odyssey: The epic saga of a mega migration to temporal
Embark on a journey through the challenges and triumphs of a major tech migration, revealing strategies for scaling, continuous development, and operational excellence in platform transformation.
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There and back again – A cautionary tale about entering middle management
Explore the realities of middle management through a journey of promotion, stress, and self-reflection, offering guidance on finding the right leadership path.
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Scaling your ML platform to enable the industrialisation of AI and ML development
Delve into the essentials of scaling ML platforms to industrialize AI development, with insights on prioritizing tools and requirements for efficient, large-scale model deployment.