Jeffrey and Isaac discuss the concept of ‘doing more with less.’ They explore the initial visceral reaction to this idea and highlight the importance of doing less of things that don't matter. The impact of layoffs and the need to work smarter, not harder, are also discussed. The hosts emphasize the value of having honest discussions and creating a culture of transparency. They caution against burnout and advocate for trimming the fat responsibly. The episode concludes with a reminder to acknowledge mistakes and continuously learn.

Jeffrey and Isaac discuss their stance on 'never rewriting' given the possibility of AI making rewriting faster, cheaper, and less risky. They explore the limitations of current AI capabilities and the potential benefits of AI-assisted refactoring. The conversation delves into the idea of using AI to write tests and improve code quality. They also discuss the challenges and opportunities of AI in language switching and high-performance code optimization. Overall, the episode highlights the evolving role of AI in the rewriting process and the potential impact it may have on software development in the future.

Jeffrey Sherman and Isaac Askew discuss how iteration can be a defense against micromanagement. They explore the reasons behind micromanagement, such as a lack of progress and fear, and how iteration provides observability and reassurance to managers. They emphasize the importance of breaking down nebulous projects into smaller deliverables and providing checkpoints to show progress.

In this episode, Isaac Askew interviews Ryan Cowan, a software engineering manager, about the perspective of managers on rewrites. They discuss the challenges of placating individual engineers who want to rewrite code, the role of managers in supporting engineers' ideas, and the frequency and success of large rewrites. Ryan shares a case study of data engineers rewriting a data pipeline and highlights the importance of understanding the root cause of concerns before deciding on a rewrite. They also discuss the difference between refactoring and rewriting and the expectations engineers have from their managers.

Isaac and Jeffrey provide strategies for working with colleagues who are emotionally committed to rewriting old and flawed code at their companies.

Jonathan Stark joins as a guest to discuss the risks of hourly billing and the parallels between risk in a rewrite and in hourly billing.

Isaac and Jeffrey explore the significance of maintenance work for developers, stressing its strategic value during uncertain periods like layoffs. They share personal experiences, highlighting how tackling these tasks can lead to trust, new opportunities, and a more impactful role within a team.

Isaac and Jeffrey dissect the flaws in the interviewing process and offer valuable insights for both interviewers and interviewees. They discuss the broken aspects of traditional interviews, highlight the importance of resume tailoring, and share anecdotes about handling past job experiences during interviews. The episode serves as a guide for interviewers to improve the hiring process and for candidates to enhance their chances by navigating the pitfalls and maximizing opportunities.

Jeffrey & Isaac discuss why understanding how your company makes money can help you build products that solve the right problems.

Jeffrey & Isaac discuss methods to clear out your recurring meetings and protect your time as new meetings get added to your calendar.

Continuing our F*ck-Up Friday series, Jeffrey has another humorous story where he went out of his way to fix functionality to match the name of its function...with expensive results.

In this humorous holiday episode, Isaac and Jeffrey discuss ways to be the worst possible teammate in ways that won’t get you immediately terminated by HR. If you didn’t make the naughty list this year and want to lock it in next time, this episode is for you!

Isaac and Jeffrey continue discussions around testing brownfield code, delving deeper into next steps and refactoring.

Brownfield code is existing code (rather than new code) that you might need to add tests for. Join us for a two-part episode on how to get started testing and refactoring existing applications.

Isaac and Jeffrey discuss ways to improve yourself outside of traditional means like college, courses, or reading.

A non technical story of deception, good deeds with terrible consequences, and weak HR.

Sometimes an upgrade to a new version of a framework takes weeks or even months. What do you do when you need to make changes to areas that are being affected by the upgrade?

Special Guest Aadil Farid joins us again to continue his discussion on the harsh realities he confronted when he led a team that computerized ticketing on India’s Railways in the 1980s.

Special Guest Aadil Farid joins us to discuss the harsh realities he confronted when he led a team that computerized ticketing on India’s Railways in the 1980s.

Special guest Brian Genisio from Khan Academy joins us to talk about their 3.5 year rewrite that successfully wrapped up this year. Learn how Brian’s team was able to achieve the nearly impossible act of successfully completing a rewrite using many of the techniques we’ve talked about in the past, plus some brand new ones! If you want to learn about what it takes to do a rewrite, buckle up!