#263 – October 12, 2025
balancing four key elements: time, context, proximate objectives, and expertise
Getting more strategic
8 minutes by Cate Huston
Good strategy requires balancing four key elements: time, context, proximate objectives, and expertise. Many people struggle to be seen as strategic because they focus too heavily on one element while neglecting others. Strategy must adapt to context - what worked in one situation may fail in another. The most effective approach involves defining incremental steps rather than just end goals, especially in uncertain environments where quick learning and adaptation are crucial.
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Look for yes
2 minutes by Andrew Bosworth
Product teams and legal teams often clash when risk management meets speed of execution. Andrew argues that the real problem isn't lawyers being too cautious or product managers being reckless. Instead, product teams lack clarity on what risks they can actually handle themselves. Risk managers need to frame their advice as guidance rather than hard stops. Product teams should dig deeper into concerns and look for solutions rather than accepting "no" immediately. Great organizations learn to navigate gray areas responsibly instead of treating every risk as catastrophic.
The static risk fallacy
7 minutes by Chris Beckman
Security teams often fall into the static risk fallacy by approving repeated instances of the same risk type without considering cumulative exposure. While one privileged account or vendor integration might be acceptable, ten of them multiply the attack surface significantly. This differs from how legal professionals view risk, where they always consider the total portfolio rather than individual instances. Organizations can counter this by capping repetitions, making accumulation visible in governance processes, and requiring justification for each additional instance of an existing risk type.
When to hire a computer performance engineering team
21 minutes by Brendan Gregg
Performance engineering teams deliver high ROI by reducing infrastructure costs, improving latency, and ensuring system scalability. While tools help, dedicated engineers go deeper—optimizing software and hardware, enabling developers, and driving strategic improvements. Companies spending over $1 million yearly on compute should consider building such teams, targeting 5–10% annual savings. Brendan explains what performance engineers do, why they matter, and offers practical advice on when to hire and how to scale a team effectively.
How I influence tech company politics as a staff software engineer
6 minutes by Sean Goedecke
Software engineers often avoid company politics because they think they can't compete with managers and executives. However, engineers can succeed politically without scheming. The best approach is to align technical projects with company priorities. When executives focus on reliability or performance, propose relevant technical improvements you've already planned. This lets executives spend their political capital on your ideas instead of you spending yours.
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