Thread by @mipsytipsy

Honeycomb heads the list of "10 tech startups for 2020 that will help the world build more resilient, secure and observable software" along with @gremlininc, @launchdarkly, @rookoutlabs and other good company. Piece is aces.

hub.packtpub.com/10-tech-startu…

@GremlinInc @LaunchDarkly @rookoutlabs Something that strikes me occasionally is how much we are all preaching the same message, different parts of the elephant.

✨Building software doesn't have to be terrible.✨

❄️You can have nice things.❄️

☔️Democratize production excellence.☔️

@GremlinInc @LaunchDarkly @rookoutlabs You see this in the DORA report too -- where increasing % of teams are becoming phenomenally more effective. Yet ~half the teams in the world are stuck in place, barely treading water, even losing ground.

The problems are getting harder and harder.

cloud.google.com/blog/products/…

@GremlinInc @LaunchDarkly @rookoutlabs Last week I went out for a beer with our shiny new honeyhires @paulosman and @SVesselov. (Yes, you may now proclaim your envy. They rule.)

We were swapping tales and laments of the incredible, world-class engineers we know who stick around at shitty jobs undeserving of them.

@GremlinInc @LaunchDarkly @rookoutlabs @paulosman @SVesselov Why? We couldn't figure it out. Inertia, maybe; dislike of interviewing processes (some justified, some no -- interview practices have gotten steadily Less Awful out there, folks); loyalty to their tribe, comfort level, etc. It's different for everyone, I suppose.

@GremlinInc @LaunchDarkly @rookoutlabs @paulosman @SVesselov But if you're wavering over whether to look around or not, consider this.

The quality of your team -- is it high-performing or not, does it learn and improve, do you feel safe, nurtured, invested in, supported -- directly informs your quality of life and future career prospects.

@GremlinInc @LaunchDarkly @rookoutlabs @paulosman @SVesselov ☀️You only have one career.☀️

You owe it to yourself to roam restlessly in search of a place to plant yourself for a few solid years. A place that you feel good pouring your heart and soul into, a product you believe makes the world a better place, a team you care for.

@GremlinInc @LaunchDarkly @rookoutlabs @paulosman @SVesselov I've had two jobs where I stayed for a year and day. I shouldn't have. I didn't owe them! I knew by the end of the first week -- the first day? -- in that I wasn't going to learn or grow there, that we weren't compatible.

If you know that, and you can leave, go.

@GremlinInc @LaunchDarkly @rookoutlabs @paulosman @SVesselov Look at that graphic again from the DORA report. Being on an "elite team" -- it sounds so snobby ☺️.

But you can measure it in times not woken up, hours not spent grinding, momentum not diverted into tech debt that shouldn't exist, motivation not lost, burnout not happening.

@GremlinInc @LaunchDarkly @rookoutlabs @paulosman @SVesselov And -- to close the loop -- one damn fine indicator of whether or not a team is high performing or not is the tools they use (and why they use em).

Shipping software can definitely suck sometimes. But some teams take that as an inevitability, while others rise to the challenge.

@GremlinInc @LaunchDarkly @rookoutlabs @paulosman @SVesselov This isn't a "silicon valley vs the world" thing either. Some of the best, highest performing teams I've ever seen are tucked far away at companies you've haven't heard of.

And it isn't a question of rockstar engineers. The best teams are not made up of the "best" engineers.

@GremlinInc @LaunchDarkly @rookoutlabs @paulosman @SVesselov The best teams are the ones that practice ownership and feedback loops, value your personal life, are humble and curious and always up for an experiment.

The best teams are the ones that believe that shipping software doesn't have to suck, and make it true.

Go find you one. 🌈