Where are all the laid-off software developers going? Part 1 w/ LeadDev’s Scott Carey
Plus, how Spotify uses developer metrics, a quick idempotency refresher, the lost art of technical documentation, and more.
The news has been filled with stories of layoffs at many of tech’s biggest companies, so where are all those engineers going?
Scott Carey, LeadDev’s Editor-in-Chief, rolled up his sleeves, dusted off his skills as a trained journalist, and set out to answer that question. What he found was a simple question with a complicated answer.
On this week’s episode of Dev Interrupted, co-host
interviews Scott about the shifting job landscape, spotlighting the findings in Scott’s pivotal article, “Where are all the laid-off software developers going?”Beyond the dynamics shaping the future of tech employment, the two discuss why non-traditional tech companies have difficulty hiring engineers [hint: it’s not money!], whether or not the “boom times are over,” and the major trends LeadDev is seeing within the engineering community.
“The broader trend that we're trying to really wrap our head around now is, how do you navigate the end of boom times?”
Episode Highlights:
(3:00) What is LeadDev?
(8:00) Where are all the laid-off software developers going?
(15:00) Transitioning to jobs outside of tech
(18:30) How big tech influences the job market
(20:30) Software engineers "know their value"
(27:00) Major trends: Are the boom times over?
(32:00) Developer productivity and Gen AI
(38:30) LeadDev's upcoming events
The Download
The Download is engineering leadership content we’re reading, watching, and attending that we think you might find valuable.
*NEW* Check out The Download’s Engineering Events section at the bottom of this email for the in-person and online events worth your time.
1. See How Spotify is Leading The Metrics-Driven Engineering Community
We spend a lot of time thinking about how metrics can help engineering leaders create high-performing organizations. It’s good to see iconic companies like Spotify leading the movement.
In this piece, Spotify’s Laurent Ploix highlights the importance of aligning developer productivity metrics with organizational goals for successful platform engineering. Ploix emphasizes using a mix of leading and lagging metrics, with leading ones offering immediate insights and actionable data, while lagging metrics, although harder to change, reflect long-term value and impact.
Read: Metrics-Driven Developer Productivity Engineering at Spotify
2. Teach Your Team the Proper Use of “Idempotency”
We’re guessing you don’t say “Idempotency” to your team a lot. After today, though, you might!
Idempotency, a key concept in programming, ensures that an operation's outcome remains consistent even when repeated multiple times, making it critical for robust and reliable system construction, especially in distributed systems.
For engineering managers overseeing systems like payment APIs or distributed architectures like microservices, implementing idempotent operations can prevent issues such as unintended double charges or redundant orders, which can harm customer trust and operational efficiency.
Furthermore, understanding idempotency within the context of HTTP methods, such as the consistent behavior of GET, PUT, and DELETE versus the non-idempotent nature of POST, helps design more resilient web services.
Read: Every Programmer Should Know - Idempotency
Sponsored By “DORA & LinearB present: Insights into the 2023 Accelerate State of DevOps Report”
With input from over 33,000 professionals worldwide, the annual Accelerate State of DevOps Report provides an independent view into the practices and capabilities that organizations can employ to drive better performance of their DevOps practices.
Join DORA Dev Advocate Dave Stanke, LinearB CEO and co-founder Ori Keren, and LinearB CTO Yishai Beeri as they walk you through key findings from this year’s DORA Report.
In this webinar, we’ll dive into:
AI’s contribution to software delivery and team performance
Teams with faster code reviews = 50% higher software delivery performance
DORA trends across industries and company size
Predicted outcomes by team type
Key impacts of documentation quality
Importance of flexible infrastructure
Work distribution across engineering teams and impact on burnout
3. Re-Embrace Technical Documentation
The Dev Interrupted podcast sat with Hila Fish during LeadDev New York for an enlightening conversation surrounding the critical role and significance of technical documentation in engineering. During the discussion, Fish offered valuable insights and practical advice on simplifying the process of creating effective technical documentation, emphasizing that it doesn't have to be a daunting task.
4. Settle Your Dev’s Fears About AI
Nothing has kept your engineers up at night quite like the existential threat of being replaced by AI. Enter: GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke, who stated that the demand for software developers will persist due to the exponential growth in software and the maintenance needs of existing legacy code.
Dohmke argues AI tools like Copilot are seen not as replacements but as productivity boosters for developers, helping manage the increasing volume and complexity of code.
Read: GitHub CEO: Despite AI Gains, Demand for Software Developers Will Still Outweigh Supply
5. Read: I Spent 2 Years Building A Chrome Extension, Lost $15,000 In The Process, & Made Just Over $200.
Thinking about adding a Chrome extension to your team’s roadmap? The journey of Zecento offers valuable insights.
First and foremost, while creating value for users is crucial, devising a robust monetization strategy from the onset is equally vital, as evidenced by Zecento's struggle to generate revenue despite its utility.
Upcoming Events
Plato elevate
The No-BS conference for engineering leaders | November 7-8 | San Francisco, CA
Highlights: Dev Interrupted readers get discounted tickets for Plato through this link.
DevOps Enterprise Summit
The Best Place To Learn From The DevOps Enterprise Community | October 3-5 | Las Vegas, NV
Highlights: Come hang out at the Dev Interrupted booth (#203) to meet the team and watch live recordings.
DORA & LinearB present: Insights into the 2023 Accelerate State of DevOps Report
October 10, 10:00 a.m. PST
Highlights: A free webinar where Google’s DORA team and LinearB join forces to go through the results of Google’s forthcoming 2023 Accelerate report.
LeadDev West Coast
Navigating the biggest change to the tech industry in a generation | October 16-17 | San Francisco, CA
Highlights: The Dev Interrupted Team will be on-site each day of the conference recording live episodes of the podcast. Come say hello; we’d love to meet you!
DevOpsDays Tel Aviv
October 29-30 | Tel Aviv, Israel
Highlights: Our Dev Interrupted Hebrew podcast will be recording episodes live at the event.