Back to First Principles | Productiv CTO Ashish Aggarwal
And how "bad days" impact developer productivity.
Everyone knows the era of growth at all costs is over, but where does that leave us? And specifically, where does that leave founders? The answer is straightforward: founders have to start thinking like business people.
This week,
interviews Ashish Aggarwal, founder and CTO of Productiv and an active investor in over 30 companies.Ashish shares his insights on how startups are adapting to the new “efficient growth” environment, why this paradigm shift is an opportunity for founders, and how the pressures of efficiency have created incentives for companies to move towards geo-distributed teams instead of co-located teams.
“The opportunity for startups is clear, especially for founders: Have a clear vision of what customer problem you're solving and how you can actually solve it without requiring a giant boatload of money to make a small amount of money.”
🎃 The Download 🎃
The Download is engineering leadership content we’re reading, watching, and attending that we think you might find valuable.
1. Devs and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day 💀
Microsoft researchers studied what causes developers to have "bad days" at work and found that unreliable tools, inefficient processes, and poor team communication were the biggest culprits. Interestingly, senior developers were more likely to become frustrated with organizational issues, while junior developers often blamed themselves for setbacks.
Read: How "Bad Days" Impact Developer Productivity at Microsoft
2. The undead startup? 🧟
You’ve heard of a unicorn, but have you heard of a ‘zombiecorn’?
A zombiecorn is a startup with a valuation of over $1bn that struggles to achieve product-market fit and is often characterized by a high burn rate, dependence on venture capital, difficulty scaling, and a stagnant customer base.
Read: Everything You Need To Know About A Zombiecorn
3. ‘Creepy AI’ from Google 👻
Google is developing an AI model called Project Jarvis that can take over your Chrome browser and perform tasks like booking flights and making purchases. But is the push for AI making Google's existing products, like Search, Gmail, and Maps, less reliable and prone to error?
Read: Google is working on a new AI model that sounds so creepy
🗳️ Help dev teams everywhere and win a chance at a $150 membership!(Sponsor)
LinearB and Luca Rossi are teaming up to create a comprehensive industry report on how engineering teams use data and metrics to improve their practices. But we need your help!
Our community survey - live now! - will help us collect real-world stories from engineering leaders everywhere. The best insights will be quoted in the final report. We're also giving away 20 paid memberships for free ($150 each!) 🎁 to people who answer the survey!
You can participate below 👇
4. Beware: cloud costs abound 🧛
Cloud costs can be a drain on even the most successful company. Listen as
sits down with Mark Robinson to learn how he helped Plaid save 25% in cloud computing costs.“If you're not careful, cloud computing can lose more money faster than any invention in history.” - Mark Robinson, Infrastructure Engineer at Plaid