In today's episode, Asim sits down with Shailesh Kumar, the Senior Vice President of Engineering at ClickUp. Shailesh has over 18 years of experience in software engineering, architecture, and leadership, with a passion for scaling organizations, products, and processes. The duo breaks down the future of software testing with generative AI, why engineers are moving away from automation testing, and the evolving role of testers with Generative AI's rapid advancement. [00:00] Introduction [02:42] ...
Sep 29, 2023•34 min•Ep. 28
In today's episode, Asim sits down with Umair Akeel, a startup founder, passionate engineer, former distinguished engineer at Twilio Inc, and former VP of Engineering at Oracle. They discuss how to 5X your productivity with generative AI, the future of software development, and advice to engineers on using generative AI. [00:00] Introduction [02:05] Umair’s New Startup [03:09] The Future of Software Development [06:09] How Generative AI is Changing Code Development [08:31] Software Developers Us...
Aug 22, 2023•32 min•Ep. 27
In today's episode, Asim sits down with Arnold Goldberg, the VP/GM of Payments at Google. Over the last 30 years, Arnold has worked with four notable high-growth companies – PayPal, Box, LinkedIn, and eBay, primarily focusing on scaling people, processes, and technology. They discuss the what, why, and how of inner sourcing. They cover the inner source approach to engineering, how to get the most out of it, the mistakes to watch out for, and much more. [00:00] Introduction [02:29] What is Inner ...
Jul 31, 2023•29 min•Ep. 26
In today's episode, Asim sits down with Joe Lynch, an experienced engineering leader and the VP of Engineering at Twilio. Joe boasts comprehensive experience in bringing scalable SaaS products and platforms to market and leading world-class Engineering organizations, with a focus on quality, efficiency, rapid delivery, and continuous improvement. They discuss the best way to frame an engineering problem, how to overcome the solutions-based way of thinking, and effective ways to highlight a probl...
May 22, 2023•31 min•Ep. 25
In today's episode, Asim sits down with Mark Interrante, a technology leader who builds engineering and product development teams for companies ranging in size from startups to Fortune 100. He also enjoys getting involved in new technologies when they're going from early adoption to mainstream. They break down the seven habits of highly effective teams - and the outcomes you can expect from implementing these habits. [00:00] Introduction [03:01] Building Habits in Engineering Teams [05:23] How t...
Apr 18, 2023•39 min•Ep. 24
In today's episode, Asim sits down with Harry Max, an executive player-coach, consultant, and hands-on product design leader with vision and a solid grasp on operations. His experience includes being a founder/CEO, operational leader, and consultant with start-ups, innovators, and global brands, including Apple, Adobe, DreamWorks, Google, and PayPal. They discuss ways to make prioritization a habit, why Harry's Morning Boot Routine is so effective, and the fruits of proper prioritization. [00:00...
Mar 28, 2023•28 min•Ep. 23
In today's episode, Asim sits down with Ashmeet Sidana, the Founder and Chief Engineer at Engineering Capital. His experience includes managing venture capital funds, serving on multiple Boards of Directors, and helping build industry-leading products such as VMware ESX Server and WebFORCE. Before becoming a venture capitalist, Ashmeet was an executive with hands-on operating experience as a CEO and Entrepreneur. They discuss the incredible power of technical insights in engineering and how busi...
Mar 14, 2023•31 min•Ep. 22
In today's episode, Asim sits down with Troy Toman, the Vice President of Engineering at Planet. He is a technology and services executive with an extensive background in systems and infrastructure solutions. His most recent focus is on agile development, continuous delivery, web-scale infrastructure, cloud computing and OpenStack. They discuss why authentic leadership matters and ways engineering leaders can build a more authentic leadership style based on trust. [00:38] Introduction [02:10] Ho...
Feb 27, 2023•27 min•Ep. 21
In today’s episode, Asim sits down with Ron Lichty to discuss the rude awakening of engineering management. Ron is a software engineering leader and product development consultant with a passion for making software developers and leaders thrive. They break down ways managers and aspiring managers can make engineering leadership predictable and reliable. [00:38] Introduction [02:07] Ron’s Back and Forth Movement from Engineering to Management [07:03] Misconceptions About Engineering Management [1...
Feb 21, 2023•31 min•Ep. 20
For today’s episode, Asim is joined by Luca Galante to discuss the spectrum of DevOps and platform engineering. Luca is a product manager at Humanitec, and has been on the development line of work for almost 6 years. He joins Asim to break down platform engineering and its community, goals, career, and history. [00:51] Introduction of Luca Galante [01:50] Backstory of Platform Engineering Community [04:01] Defining Platform Engineering [06:00] Examples of Coder Pads [10:12] Balancing on Opiniona...
Feb 14, 2023•28 min•Ep. 19
For today’s episode, Asim takes on the situation of tech employees going through layoffs. In recent months, there have been many layoffs in the tech industry, and people are either flustered or placed at their lowest points going through this predicament. Asim takes on a guide that can help those who have been laid off and those who are trying to avoid the situation. [00:38] Introduction to Tech Layoffs [01:16] Tips for Laid Off and Recent Grads [01:20] Due to Downsizing [02:20] Understanding Yo...
Feb 07, 2023•10 min•Ep. 18
For today’s episode, Asim is joined by Adam Zimman, a recovering entrepreneur and an engineer who’s spent years developing software in the enterprise domains focused on infrastructure and engineering. He joins today’s show to talk about progressive software delivery to consumers and the key structure to help it roll-out efficiently. [00:34] Introduction of Adam Zimman [01:34] What Motivates Adam [03:13] How Adam Applies to the Business World [07:36] Feature Flagging Interplay [09:15] Other Aspec...
Jan 30, 2023•27 min•Ep. 16
For today’s episode, Asim is joined by Andrea Goulet, who has spent more than 20 years in the tech industry. She joins Asim as she tells her journey in the tech industry and how the idea of empathy has helped her develop some soft skills that may be productive for software engineers in the field. [00:39] Introduction of Andrea [2:00] About Empathy [04:56] Andrea’s Journey in Software [07:47] Frameworks on Empathy [10:27] Applications of Framework to Engineers [14:45] Taking Actions with Empathy ...
Jan 24, 2023•31 min•Ep. 16
For today’s episode, Asim Razzaq is joined by Tim Chou, an entrepreneur and engineer-at-heart who’s had great career success at Oracle and speaking engagement in universities. Tim shares insights on the art of influence, a way to sell yourself and your ideas to clients. He crafts a unique process to let engineers become their very own entrepreneur. [00:46] Introduction of Tim Chou [02:45] The Art of Selling Ideas [06:10] About Insight [07:50] Selling the “Not” [10:58] Strategizing Sales as Indiv...
Jan 17, 2023•31 min•Ep. 15
For today’s episode, Asim Razzaq takes on the skills of interviewing candidates. It’s one thing to be interviewed, and it’s another to be the one asking the questions. When it comes to interviewing software engineers, there are many points to remember when interviewing a candidate. The process should be beneficial for both the candidate and the interviewer. [01:01] Interviewing as a Skill [01:58] Beneficial Strategies of Interviewing [02:21] Approaching as a Collaborator [03:31] Ensuring a Skill...
Jan 10, 2023•15 min•Ep. 14
In this episode, Asim responds to listener questions about how they can build a successful and fulfilling career as a software engineer. There is a lot of information out there regarding tips and tricks, but ultimately it boils down to developing rare and valuable skills that set you apart from others. You have to be deliberate and disciplined about it. The reward is worth the effort. You must invest time and energy into honing your craft before the real passion and enjoyment comes. It can be a ...
Dec 12, 2022•15 min•Ep. 13
In this episode, Asim Razzaq explains Conway’s Law, which states that “Any organization that designs a system, will inevitably produce a design whose structure is a copy of the organization's communication structure.” Applied to software development, this means that your software architecture will mimic your team, organization, and communication structure. Conway’s law is the most critical principle in software design. You can have the best manifesto and intentions, but your architecture and des...
Dec 07, 2022•14 min•Ep. 12
On today’s episode, Asim Razzaq elaborates on the misconceptions between artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, and data science. While many might not be able to see the difference in the 4 fields, experts are still advised to know how each of these work, and the outcomes and process are definitely not the same. [00:57] The Misconceptions of AI, ML, DL, and DS [01:57] How They Are Related [02:01] Artificial Intelligence [04:06] Machine Learning [06:50] Deep Learning [07:48] Da...
Nov 29, 2022•11 min•Ep. 11
Join Asim Razzaq as he introduces the concept of antifragile software systems. This concept aims to demonstrate what happens during catastrophic scenarios inside the system. For today’s episode, he will highlight key principles that can lead to antifragile teams, processes, and code. [01:11] What is Antifragile [02:14] Modern Resilient Software [03:17] Antifragile System [03:51] Building the Software System [04:11] Techniques for Antifragile System [05:34] What Leads to Antifragility [06:39] Sum...
Nov 21, 2022•8 min•Ep. 10
On today’s show, Asim Razzaq focuses on the importance of customer-centric software engineering. Software engineers should always be creating meaningful value for customers, and other stakeholders as well, not just writing code. [01:03] Wasted Software Features [01:25] Envisioning Success for Customers [02:23] Misplaced Customer-Centric Service [07:20] Ways to Be Part of the Conversation [12:42] Summary Always Put the Needs of Customers First A fundamental for software engineers is that you alwa...
Nov 15, 2022•14 min•Ep. 9
In this episode of Always an Engineer, Asim Razzaq breaks down four different types of engineering roles: platform engineering, site reliability engineering, development operations (DevOps), and application engineering. It’s important to know the difference to avoid confusion in tasks and improve overall productivity. [01:11] Platform Engineering [02:45] Site Reliability Engineering [06:34] Development Operations [09:11] Application Engineering [10:10] Summary Knowing Your Function and Expertise...
Nov 08, 2022•12 min•Ep. 8
In this episode, Asim Razzaq talks about the pitfalls of joining the wrong startup when you are early in your software engineering career. While young engineers relish the opportunity to become part of the legacy of a new company and wear multiple hats, early-stage startups often don't have the best engineering culture or approach for grooming new software engineers or establishing the foundational skills for future success. [ 1:40 ] Software Craftsmanship vs Speed of Delivery [ 2:40 ] Limited T...
Oct 31, 2022•9 min•Ep. 7
In this episode Asim Razzaq sheds light on the ongoing debate of whether companies should undertake a software rewrite or instead refactor. This age-old decision can often make or break an organization, especially when a specific software system reaches a certain point of evolution. [01:23] Trade Offs on Rewrites and Refactoring [02:55] Situation Analysis [04:39] Fit Application for the Demand [06:17] Refactor or Rewrite? [09:20] Asim’s Recommendation The Evolution of Systems and Market Demand A...
Oct 24, 2022•10 min•Ep. 6
In this episode, Asim Razzaq clears out the career path dilemma for software engineers, whether they should pursue a path as an individual contributor (IC), or in a managerial role. He will detail the difference as well as give guidance on how you should base your decisions and consider the payoffs. [01:04] Wrong Ways of Choosing a Path [02:22] Difference Between Contributor and Manager [03:12] Advice on Decision-Making [03:52] Management Role [06:52] Individual Contributor Role [08:32] Summary ...
Oct 17, 2022•9 min•Ep. 5
In this episode, Asim Razzaq highlights the difference between a maker’s schedule and the manager’s schedule. In a company, it is important to consider the type of work your colleagues do, and Asim aims to shed some light on an underlying conflict between the two schedules and how one side needs to be more understanding of the other’s work. [00:59] Difference Between Maker and Manager Schedule [01:17] Makers’ Schedule [02:22] Managers’ Schedule [03:18] Clashing of Schedules [03:55] Poorly Planne...
Oct 03, 2022•12 min•Ep. 4
For today’s episode, Asim Razzaq takes on the topic of software estimation and how engineers can improve the quality of estimates through calibration and confidence intervals. Most engineers in companies are overestimating, and in some cases, underestimating, their software estimates. With the help of Doug Hubbard’s research, Asim can share how company engineers can train themselves for a more accurate estimation rate. [01:19] Software Estimation [02:02] Ways to Train Estimation [02:45] Challeng...
Oct 01, 2022•12 min•Ep. 3
In this episode, Asim Razzaq tackles the motivational aspect of software engineering. A lot of companies miss the mark when it comes to motivating engineers, and Asim will elaborate why they leave and how they can be motivated to stay on longer. [01:48] Defining Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation [03:05] Problems with Extrinsic Motivation in Companies [03:55] Three Pillar Solution for Companies [04:32] Mastery [05:11] Purpose [06:31] Autonomy [07:40] Conclusion What Motivates You? According to D...
Sep 30, 2022•8 min•Ep. 2
In this episode, Asim Razzaq defines what is toxic heroism in the field of software engineering. Many engineers do not see this trait, and for Asim, it is important that he shows how this trait manifests and how it could affect the performance and output of a company on a long-term basis. [01:37] Problem of Hero Hailing Engineers [02:50] Why it gets Toxic [03:17] Asim’s Experience [07:18] Solution Going Against Morale While it is important to credit engineers for all the daily tasks and solution...
Sep 29, 2022•9 min•Ep. 1
If you could go back in time and give your less experienced self some advice, what would it be? Today, Asim Razzaq is a founder and CEO, but he started out as a software engineer. The career path he chose wasn't easy, even with mentors to help guide him. He's learned the hard way and acquired a lot of unconventional wisdom — wisdom he wishes he had not just when he was an individual contributor but as he moved up the ladder to lead engineering teams, and eventually lead a company. Because it’s t...
Sep 28, 2022•2 min
