Newsletter : Issue #46
A few thought-provoking articles for a lazy Sunday
Happy Sunday! Welcome to the 46th edition of my weekly newsletter. Here are some of the articles and resources that caught my attention this week.
Reading
1. 21 Lessons From 14 Years at Google
“When I joined Google ~14 years ago, I thought the job was about writing great code. I was partly right. But the longer I’ve stayed, the more I’ve realized that the engineers who thrive aren’t necessarily the best programmers - they’re the ones who’ve figured out how to navigate everything around the code: the people, the politics, the alignment, the ambiguity.”
2. The Next Two Years of Software Engineering
“The consistent thread: change is the only constant. By keeping a finger on technology trends (and skepticism around them), you avoid being caught off-guard by hype or doom. By updating skills, diversifying abilities, and focusing on uniquely human aspects (creativity, critical thinking, collaboration) you remain in the loop. Whether the future brings a coding renaissance or a world where code writes itself, there will always be demand for engineers who think holistically, learn continuously, and drive technology toward solving real problems. The best way to predict the future is to actively engineer it.”
3. The Prison Of Financial Mediocrity
“The algorithm is optimized to show you the next tranche of what could be. Always the vacation you haven’t taken. The apartment you can’t afford. The lifestyle one rung above yours. It doesn’t matter where you are on the ladder; there’s always someone above you, and the algorithm will find them. Previous generations had limited visibility into how others lived. You compared yourself to your neighbors, your coworkers, maybe some celebrities in magazines. The reference class was narrow. Now the reference class is infinite. A 25-year-old making $70k is constantly fed content from people their age making $2mn, living in Bali, “working” four hours a day. The baseline for “enough” keeps moving. You never catch up. No matter what you achieve, social media will show you what you’re missing. The spread between your life and the life you “should” have is maintained algorithmically, forever uncollapsible.”
Few more :
How Will the Miracle Happen Today?
Watching
Tools
Neatnik A simple printable calendar with the full year on a single page.
“When people compete, somebody loses. So go where you’re the only one. Do what only you can do. Run a race with yourself.”
- Anthony D. Saint, Exupiry