Nobody gets promoted for simplicity

Nobody gets promoted for simplicity
7 minutes by Matheus Lima

Overengineered systems often get rewarded more than simple ones, not by design but because complexity is easier to describe and looks more impressive. The engineer who ships clean, minimal code fast leaves almost nothing for a promotion packet, while the one who builds unnecessary abstractions writes their own case for Staff level. Matheus tells you what to do about it.

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The rewrite that was really a resignation letter
10 minutes by Frank van den Brink

When engineers raise technical concerns and keep getting ignored, a rewrite proposal is usually the last resort, not the first choice. Rejecting it without addressing the real problem sends a clear message that nothing will ever change. Frank says that leaders who say no to a rewrite must immediately offer a real alternative, including protected time for incremental fixes. Without that, the engineer leaves, and the system breaks anyway.

Your manager is already investing in you
7 minutes by Wes Kao

Getting more coaching from your manager Wes suggests to start with recognizing that direct, detailed feedback already is coaching. To get more of it, show how your questions connect to real business value. Ask specific questions tied to recent work, like what went well in a meeting or how to improve a document, rather than vague questions about growth. This makes it easy for your manager to respond and teach you on the spot.

How a promotion can kill a career
8 minutes by Corbin Crutchley

A promotion can sometimes harm a software engineer’s career. Corbin describes two mistakes: requesting an individual contributor title while actually wanting a leadership path, and jumping two levels at once to "Principal Engineer." This makes it harder for recruiters to understand your experience and reduced job opportunities. Corbin shows that titles matter, promotions should match long-term goals, and moving too quickly can create problems in a career path.

Talking to executives
11 minutes by Kevin Goldsmith

Presenting to executives is less about showcasing your work and more about helping them make decisions. Kevin suggests to lead with conclusions, use plain language, and match your technical detail to your audience. When interrupted or taken off script, follow their lead rather than forcing your way back to the slides. Say "I don't know" when you don't, as credibility matters more than appearing to have all the answers.

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industry

• Google ends its 30 percent app store fee and welcomes third-party app stores
• First pilot deployment of humanoid robots successfully completed at BMW
• Nvidia is pulling back from OpenAI and Anthropic
• Arm's Cortex X925: Reaching Desktop Performance
• Tech Publications Lost 58% of Google Traffic Since 2024

security

• A Comparative Security Analysis of Three Cloud-based Password Managers
• One weird trick to get the whole planet to send abuse complaints to your best friend(s)
• Please, please, please stop using passkeys for encrypting user data

And the most popular article from the last issue was:

• Don't become an engineering manager