The Engineering Leadership Podcast

Lindsey Simon, VP of Engineering at Vercel and former Google core team member who helped launch App Engine, discusses live all-hands turned demo days for alignment and inspiration. He explores live visual demos for accountability, low-rehearsal demo tactics, his "vote with your wallet" career framework, the janitor mindset of prioritizing mission, and why building hobby projects keeps managers technically and empathetically sharp.

Chris Chiu, VP of Engineering at Salesforce who builds enterprise AI agents, shares career navigation wisdom. He talks about spotting energy mismatches, crafting a personal career thesis, and running a structured exploration phase. He explains the “Running Framework” for safe role change and why modern leaders must develop real technical depth in AI-led teams.

Sulman Choudhry, Head of ChatGPT engineering at OpenAI and former product lead at Meta and UberEATS, discusses how engineering teams evolve around missions. He covers fluid mission-driven teams, vertical vs horizontal structures, and the Directly Responsible Individual model. Conversations dive into coordinating many experiments, managers as systems designers, mentoring across levels, and scaling decision-making without bottlenecks.

Kiren Sekar, Chief Product Officer at Samsara and builder of a platform processing trillions of operational data points. He unpacks Samsara’s decade-long compound product strategy. He describes accelerating feedback loops, a 25-trillion-point data flywheel, and embedding engineers in frontline environments to spark customer-driven innovation.

James Birchler, executive leadership coach and technical advisor with 20+ years in engineering leadership. He argues founders should invest in early coaching, install leadership and communication systems before scaling, and use simple practices like daily design, reflective listening, and the 5-Minute Alignment Loop to prevent costly churn and misalignment.

Jaikumar Ganesh, Head of Engineering at Anyscale and former Android and Uber AI leader, brings practical wisdom from scaling ML infrastructure and cross-functional orgs. He discusses aligning engineering growth with customer needs. He explores fast prototyping with AI agents, tradeoffs in ML platform choices, and techniques to break silos and drive customer outcomes.

Vineeta Puranik, CPTO at SmartBear and product/AI leader, discusses evolving standalone developer tools into a unified, AI-powered product ecosystem. She explores AI-native versus AI bolt-on approaches. She covers designing for jobs-to-be-done, testing for intent, integrating acquisitions, and UX that serves both humans and AI agents.

Tyson Singer, SVP of Technology & Platforms at Spotify, dives into the company's innovative shift from localized to systematic speed. He discusses how AI is transforming the prototyping and maintenance phases of product development. Tyson unveils internal tools like AiKA for AI-driven prototyping and Honk for fleet management, emphasizing a holistic approach beyond just coding. He also explores the evolution of team dynamics from I-shaped specialists to T-shaped generalists, advocating for skills discovery and cross-functional mobility within the workforce.

In this discussion, guest James Tyack, an engineering manager with a decade of experience, shares insights from ELC's first hackathon, where 14 senior engineering leaders built functioning apps in just one weekend. The conversation explores hands-on learning and how tackling real challenges can mitigate imposter syndrome. James also emphasizes the need for problem-first thinking, effective collaboration, and the importance of psychological safety in leadership. He outlines plans for future hackathons, aiming for broader participation and innovation.

Bill Coughran, a partner at Sequoia Capital and former Google SVP, teams up with Bret Reckard, a talent partner and founder's coach, to explore the evolving landscape of leadership in the AI era. They discuss the importance of measurable business value amidst AI hype and the balance between servant leadership and decisive action. Bill shares insights on avoiding hiring mistakes, the necessity for leaders to return to their technical roots, and the implications of AI on job roles. He emphasizes mentorship through an apprenticeship model and offers practical advice for transitioning from big tech to startups.