Tech Lead Journal

• #224 - Move Fast, Break Silos: Leadership for Interdisciplinary Teams - Klaus Breyer

  Is your software development process stuck on a conveyor belt? Discover how to break free from outdated manufacturing mindsets and build truly high-performing, agile teams that “Move Fast and Break Silos.”In this episode, experienced CPTO, Klaus Breyer, introduces a revolutionary approach to software development. He explains why treating software engineering like a factory assembly line leads to inefficiency, micromanagement, and disempowered teams. Learn how to slice work effectively—from objectives down to delivery—and align small, empowered teams to solve real customer problems and ship value faster.Key topics discussed:Why software development is a design process instead of a manufacturing processHow Agile and Scrum has become micromanagement toolsWhy ticketing systems can create communication silosHow to slice work into objectives, problems, solutions, and deliveryGiving teams problems to solve, not just solutions to buildThe concept of empowered teams that own their outcomesWhy small, dynamic groups of 2-3 people work bestAligning your teams’ work with company goals and business objectives Timestamps:(00:00) Trailer & Intro(02:10) Career Turning Points(05:26) Critical Key Skills as CPTO(07:40) Juggling Between Being Optimistic vs Pessimistic(09:15) Move Fast and Break Silos(13:08) The Difference Between Manufacturing and Software Development(16:51) The Problems with the Status Quo of Software Development Practices(23:50) Key Practice 1: Slicing Work(25:51) Slicing Objectives(28:30) Slicing Problems(33:25) Slicing Solutions(38:03) Slicing Delivery(41:09) Key Practice 2: Aligning Teams(43:21) The Effective Teams Alignment Practices(48:10) Working in Small Teams at a Time(51:07) Alignment with the Value Streams(53:15) Mapping the Sliced Work to the Organization(56:41) The Importance of Reporting Structure in the Large Organization(58:52) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom_____Klaus Breyer’s BioKlaus Breyer is an experienced B2B SaaS CPTO who specializes in bridging the gap between technical delivery and agile product strategy, driven by a passion for breaking down silos. His career includes founding and leading the startups Buddybrand (a digital agency) and BuzzBird (a B2B marketplace), as well as building corporate startups and business units for major companies like Voith and edding in the IoT and B2B SaaS sectors.Based in Berlin, he has extensive experience working with diverse and primarily remote teams. In addition to his leadership roles, he sometimes invests in and advises leadership teams on building effective interdisciplinary teams themselves. He is also a speaker, blogger, and book author who champions the philosophy of “Move Fast And Break Silos!”Follow Klaus:LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/klaus-breyerTwitter – twitter.com/klausbreyerWebsite – v01.ioEmail – [email protected] this episode?Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/224.Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

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• #223 - The Software Engineer Identity Crisis in the AI-Driven Future - Annie Vella

  Is AI taking over the craft of coding? Many engineers now face an identity crisis.In the episode, Distinguished Engineer Annie Vella discusses her research on AI’s impact on software development. She explores the “software engineering identity crisis” as the craft of coding becomes automated. Annie warns that the seductive speed of AI tools can lead to lower quality and delivery instability, a trend supported by reports from DORA and GitClear. She also cautions that over-reliance on AI prevents engineers from gaining the hands-on experience needed for deep skill acquisition.Key topics discussed:How AI is reshaping the software development lifecycleThe software engineer’s professional identity crisisThe real danger of over-relying on AI toolsHow to balance the seduction of speed with long-term qualityCrucial advice for junior engineers entering the industryWhy leaders must shift focus from speed to qualityThe idea of treating AI as a team member instead of just a tool  Timestamps:(00:00:00) Trailer & Intro(00:02:32) AI Impact on Career and Software Engineering(00:07:00) The Future of AI-Driven Software Engineering(00:14:29) The Shift in the Role of Software Engineer(00:22:13) When Writing Code is Not the Bottleneck Anymore(00:32:04) The Danger of Over-Reliance on AI(00:38:51) The Software Engineering Identity Crisis(00:48:09) Advice for Junior Engineers in This Challenging Time(00:53:34) The Shift in the Role of Engineering Management(00:59:46) You Are Not Alone(01:00:50) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom_____Annie Vella’s BioAnnie Vella is a Distinguished Engineer at Westpac NZ with two decades of experience in software engineering and technical leadership across various industries and countries.Vella has returned to an engineering role after a period in management and is also a part-time Master’s student at the University of Auckland, researching the impact of AI on software engineering. She believes that technologies like Generative AI, LLMs, and Agentic AI will revolutionize the field and problem-solving in general.Follow Annie:LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/annievellaX – x.com/codefrenzyWebsite – annievella.com/Like this episode?Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/223.Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

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• #222 - Closing the Knowledge Gap in Your Legacy Code with AI - Omer Rosenbaum

  What if your most critical systems run on code that no one fully understands?In this episode, Omer Rosenbaum, CTO and co-founder of Swimm, explains how to use AI to close the knowledge gap in your legacy codebase. Discover the limitations of AI in understanding legacy code and learn novel approaches to automatically document complex systems, ensuring their critical business logic is preserved and understood within the organization. Beyond legacy systems, Omer also shares practical advice for how junior developers can thrive in the AI era and how teams and organizations can conduct more effective research.Key topics discussed:How junior developers can thrive in the age of AIThe danger of shipping code you don’t fully understandWhy AI can’t deduce everything from your code aloneHow writing documentation becomes more critical now with AIHow to analyze code that even LLMs struggle to read, like COBOLHow to keep your organization’s knowledge base trustworthy and up to dateThe real danger of letting AI agents run uncheckedA practical approach to conducting more effective research  Timestamps:(00:00) Trailer & Intro(02:10) Career Turning Points(05:24) What Juniors Should Do in the Age of AI(11:05) Junior Developer’s Responsbility When Using AI(14:50) AI and Critical Thinking(16:20) Understanding & Preserving Domain Knowledge(18:11) The Importance of Written Knowledge for AI Usage(21:51) Limitations of AI in Understanding Knowledge Base(26:34) The Limitations of LLM in Navigating Legacy Codebases (e.g. COBOL)(32:38) Effective Knowledge Sharing Culture in the Age of AI(34:54) Keeping Knowledge Base Up-to-Date(36:55) Keeping the Organization Knowledge Base Accurate(39:08) Fact Checking and Preventing AI Hallucination(41:24) The Potential of MCP(43:24) The Danger of AI Agents Hallucinating with Each Other(45:00) How to Get Better at Research(53:41) The Importance of Investing in Research(57:18) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom_____Omer Rosenbaum’s BioOmer Rosenbaum is the CTO and co-founder of Swimm, a platform reinventing the way engineering organizations manage internal knowledge about their code base. Omer founded the Check Point Security Academy and was the Cyber Security Lead at ITC, an educational organization that trains talented professionals to develop careers in technology. Omer has a MA in Linguistics from Tel Aviv University and is the creator behind the Brief YouTube Channel.Follow Omer:LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/omer-rosenbaum-034a08b9Twitter – x.com/Omer_RosSwimm – swimm.ioEmail – [email protected]📚 Gitting Things Done – buymeacoffee.com/omerr/extras▶️ Brief – youtube.com/@BriefVidLike this episode?Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/222.Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

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• #221 - Writing for Developers: How to Create Content People Read and Share - Piotr Sarna

  Feeling like you have valuable technical insights to share but struggle to put them into words? You’re not alone.In this episode, Piotr Sarna, author of “Writing for Developers” and an experienced open-source maintainer, shares the common hurdles developers face in writing and provides practical tips to get started. Discover how cultivating a writing habit can not only boost your personal brand but also improve your technical skills and create new career opportunities.Key topics discussed:The Writing Challenge: Why many developers who have interesting things to say don’t write and the importance of writing culture in a company.Finding Your First Topic: How to identify valuable topics from your daily work, even if you think they’re not interesting enough or have already been written about.Overcoming Writer’s Block: Practical tips to overcome the fear of writing, including dealing with imposter syndrome and language concerns.Leveraging AI for Writing: How to effectively use AI as a reviewer to find logical fallacies, get feedback, and improve your writing without sacrificing authenticity.Proven Blog Post Patterns: Learn about effective patterns like the “Bug Hunt” to create engaging and educational content.Promoting Your Writing: Strategies to get your work in front of a larger audience, from company blogs to social media and content aggregators.Beyond the Blog Post: Discover how writing can open doors to speaking at conferences and even writing a book.  Timestamps:(00:00) Trailer & Intro(02:06) Career Turning Points(04:30) The Challenge of Writing for Developers(06:08) The Importance of Writing Culture(08:36) Piotr’s Journey to Writing Books(11:19) The Impact of Writing on Engineering Culture(13:39) How to Overcome Common Excuses for Not Writing(16:32) Finding The First Blog Post Topic(20:32) Tips on How to Start Writing(22:19) The Importance of Goal and Perspective in Writing a Draft(24:55) The Use of AI in Writing(29:01) AI Prompts to Improve Your Writing(30:14) The Best LLM Model for Writing(31:53) The Best Workflow Working with AI(33:41) Blog Post Pattern: Bug Hunt(37:16) Blog Post Pattern: Thoughts on Trends(40:13) The Importance of Promoting Our Writing(42:47) How to Promote Your Writing Independently(45:00) Future Opportunities of Writing(47:55) Writing as a Developer(49:02) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom_____Piotr Sarna’s BioPiotr Sarna is a software engineer who is keen on open source projects and the Rust and C++ languages. He previously developed an open source distributed file system and had a brief adventure with the Linux kernel. He’s also a long-time contributor and maintainer of ScyllaDB, as well as libSQL and Turso. Piotr graduated from University of Warsaw with a Master’s degree in computer science.Follow Piotr:LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/sarna-devTwitter – x.com/sarna_devGitHub – github.com/psarnaWebsite – bio.sarna.devWrite That Blog! – writethat.blogInterview with Tech Bloggers – writethatblog.substack.com📚 Writing for Developers – https://www.manning.com/books/writing-for-developersLike this episode?Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/221.Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

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• #220 - From Hibernate to Quarkus: Modernizing Java for Cloud-Native - Sanne Grinovero

  In this special in-person episode, Sanne Grinovero shares the story of Java’s evolution from his unique perspective as a long-time open-source contributor. He shares his 16-year career journey at Red Hat, highlighting his amazing work on key projects like Hibernate, Infinispan, and especially the creation of Quarkus. His career trajectory, from a student who initially disliked Java’s complexity to a leading figure in its modernization, shows the transformative power of open source.A key part of the conversation focuses on how technical challenges spark innovation. Sanne explains how the task of making the popular Hibernate framework compatible with GraalVM’s limitations led directly to the birth of Quarkus. This journey tells the bigger story of how Java adapted for cloud-native development, ensuring it continues to be a top choice for developers seeking high performance and a great developer experience.  Timestamps:(00:00:00) Trailer & Intro(00:02:16) Career Turning Points(00:04:52) Winning an Innovation Award(00:06:35) Java Heroes(00:08:04) Working as a Consultant(00:09:56) Taking a Massive Pay Cut to Work on Open Source(00:10:59) Contributing to Big Open Source as a Youngster(00:12:53) State of Hibernate Project(00:15:15) Spring Boot(00:16:54) Making Hibernate Work on GraalVM(00:21:05) GraalVM Limitations for Running Hibernate(00:26:09) Java for Cloud Native Application(00:28:04) Quarkus vs Spring Boot(00:33:21) JRebel & Quarkus(00:34:35) Java vs New Programming Languages(00:39:22) The ORM Dilemma(00:42:38) Some Hibernate Design Pattern Tips(00:46:40) Getting Paid Working on Open Source(00:48:41) Hibernate License Change(00:51:05) Intellectual Property & Meaningful Contributions(00:52:52) AI Usage & Copyright in Open Source(00:55:21) Biggest Challenge Working in a Big Open Source(00:56:08) Politics in Open Source(00:58:32) Security Risks in Open Source(01:02:25) Donating Hibernate to Commonhaus Foundation(01:04:49) The Future of Red Hat(01:06:39) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom_____Sanne Grinovero’s BioSanne Grinovero has been a member of the Hibernate team for 10 years; today he leads this project in his role of Sr. Principal Software Engineer at Red Hat, while also working on Quarkus as a founding R&D engineer.Deeply interested in solving performance and concurrency challenges around data access, scalability, and exploring integration with new storage technologies, distributed systems and search engines.Working on Hibernate features led him to contribute to related open source technologies; most notably to Apache Lucene and Elasticsearch, Infinispan and JGroups, ANTLR, WildFly, various JDBC drivers, the OpenJDK and more recently getting interested in GraalVM.After being challenged to reduce memory consumption and improve bootstrap times of Hibernate, Sanne worked as part of a small R&D team at Red Hat on some ideas which have evolved into what is known today as Quarkus.Follow Sanne:LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/sannegrinoveroTwitter – twitter.com/SanneGrinoveroGitHub – github.com/sanneLike this episode?Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/220.Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

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