The engineering mindset | Will Larson (Carta, Stripe, Uber, Calm, Digg)

Will Larson, CTO at Carta and author of essential engineering books, discusses the changing landscape of engineering, emphasizing the shift from coddling engineers to treating them as peers capable of handling significant responsibilities. He advocates for systems thinking, using the stock and flow model to analyze scenarios like hiring pipelines, and stresses the importance of written engineering strategies that prioritize constraints and focus resources effectively. Larson also shares insights on making time for writing by aligning it with work, and advises product managers to understand engineers' needs to foster better relationships. He recounts his challenging experience with Digg V4, highlighting the value of learning from failures, and offers advice on developing honest, applicable, and reversible company values.