Latest
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What to do when internal politics stalls a project
If all teams on a project feel like they’re pulling in different directions, it’s time to build a coalition.
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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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How to stay adaptable as a staff+ engineer
During a period of marked change, how can staff engineers maintain flexibility?
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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?
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.
November 3 & 4, 2025
Book now and save up to €250 💸
Essential reading
Who are staff, principal, and distinguished engineers?
Understand the differences between staff, principal, and distinguished engineers. Job description and salaries included.
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 conference for engineering leaders shaping the future of software
Berlin • November 3 & 4, 2025
Featuring
More for Staff engineers
Videos for Staff engineers
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50 shades of PR dark matter
In this short and fun talk (yes it’ll be fun!) – Avishag Sahar laments about the top blockers of PRs, but cheer up – because I’ll also provide insights into how to unblock them.
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Leading through AI-powered complexity: Balancing business priorities, innovation and resources
João Freiras discusses how leaders are automating through complexity and finding the right balance between the pressure to innovate, business priorities, resources, and the promise of AI business value.
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Stress free onboarding as a Staff+ engineer
What can you do to create an efficient onboarding process for yourself stepping into a Staff+ role?
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Why observability needs to be treated as critical infrastructure
In this talk, I’ll discuss how I worked with my ICs to develop a space where the use of metrics felt less intimidating and more like a valuable tool for growth.
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How do you effectively manage senior ICs?
What does a good manager and direct report relationship look like for ICs?
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AI and the future of software engineering
Hywel Carver talks focuses on the shape of engineering teams and how they work – including how they have changed over time with the advent of Agile and DevOps – and suggest how this will change as AI-generated code becomes mainstream.
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Understanding the role as a Staff engineer
How to define, develop and deliver in your role on the technical track.
