The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source Oxide builds servers (as they should be) (Interview)
18 snips
Jul 8, 2022 
Join Bryan Cantrill, co-founder and CTO of Oxide Computer, known for his innovative work on DTrace. He shares the journey of starting Oxide with a surprising VC backing and their mission to redefine server design by integrating hardware and software. The conversation dives into humorous tech anecdotes, the impact of bold investors, and the challenges of co-designing systems. They also explore the potential of RISC-V in hardware innovation and discuss a fresh, reliability-focused operating system, Hubris, built on Rust.
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Interviews are Terrible
- Interviews are a poor way to assess a person's ability.
- Software engineering is often a solitary activity, requiring deep thought.
Portfolio-Based Hiring
- Use portfolios and written samples when hiring software engineers.
- Ask values-based questions to assess alignment and experience.
Blank Check Inspiration
- Bryan Cantrill and Steve Tuck considered small startup ideas.
- A VC's "blank check" offer inspired them to pursue a bigger problem.
