Engineering Culture by InfoQ

Adrian Perrier, a facilitator who designs and runs meetings for tech teams to improve information flow and culture. He discusses Ron Westrum’s three culture types and how information flow shapes team behavior. Short, practical steps for mapping and treating information as a product are explored. He also highlights how to detect weak signals and carve time for reflection to spot important anomalies.

Ben Greene, multi-time founding CTO now building Tessie.ai to speed disaster recovery with AI and geospatial imagery. He talks about engineers embracing generative AI, shifting from pure coding to business context, the rise of forward-deployed engineering and empathy, systems thinking as a competitive edge, and when to favor agents versus traditional code.

Trisha Ballakur, CEO and co-founder of Points and former CTO who built a bike-mapping app from college, talks about moving from coder to founder. She contrasts deep technical problem solving with leadership priorities. She discusses using AI as a tool, avoiding burnout with sleep and timeboxing, and learning through direct customer conversations and practice to build confidence.

Nick Gillian, Co-founder and CTO of Archetype and former Google AI lead, dives into innovative strategies for leading interdisciplinary teams in the realm of physical AI. He highlights how positive tensions between research and product can enhance engineering culture. Gillian discusses the importance of evolving team structures and maintaining productive cross-functional dynamics. He also emphasizes the value of amplifying desired behaviors within a team and navigating the shift from technical issues to social challenges as projects scale.

This is the Engineering Culture Podcast, from the people behind InfoQ.com and the QCon conferences. In this podcast, Shane Hastie, Lead Editor for Culture & Methods, spoke to Gonzalo (Glo) Maldonado about the central role of engineering culture, measuring team health through qualitative metrics, and learning from other engineering disciplines. Read a transcript of this interview: https://bit.ly/3NqHCBF Subscribe to the Software Architects’ Newsletter for your monthly guide to the essential news and experience from industry peers on emerging patterns and technologies: https://www.infoq.com/software-architects-newsletter Upcoming Events: QCon London 2026 (March 16-19, 2026) QCon London equips senior engineers, architects, and technical leaders with trusted, practical insights to lead the change in software development. Get real-world solutions and leadership strategies from senior software practitioners defining current trends and solving today's toughest software challenges. https://qconlondon.com/ QCon AI Boston 2026 (June 1-2, 2026) Learn how real teams are accelerating the entire software lifecycle with AI. https://boston.qcon.ai The InfoQ Podcasts: Weekly inspiration to drive innovation and build great teams from senior software leaders. Listen to all our podcasts and read interview transcripts: - The InfoQ Podcast https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/ - Engineering Culture Podcast by InfoQ https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/#engineering_culture - Generally AI: https://www.infoq.com/generally-ai-podcast/ Follow InfoQ: - Mastodon: https://techhub.social/@infoq - X: https://x.com/InfoQ?from=@ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/infoq/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InfoQdotcom# - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infoqdotcom/?hl=en - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/infoq - Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/infoq.com Write for InfoQ: Learn and share the changes and innovations in professional software development. - Join a community of experts. - Increase your visibility. - Grow your career. https://www.infoq.com/write-for-infoq

Gilad Shoham, VP of Engineering at Bit.Cloud, excels in developer productivity and mentorship. He delves into the essence of effective mentorship, highlighting the importance of trust and soft skills. Gilad discusses the dynamics of remote team culture, emphasizing the need for clear communication and flexibility across time zones. He also addresses how to avoid burnout by fostering a trusting environment. Aspiring leaders will appreciate his advice on delegation and building team success through public recognition.

This is the Engineering Culture Podcast, from the people behind InfoQ.com and the QCon conferences. In this podcast Shane Hastie, Lead Editor for Culture & Methods spoke to Richard Bown about transitioning from management back to individual contributor roles, leading from any position, and creating humane engineering organizations. Read a transcript of this interview: https://bit.ly/48BF9v9 Subscribe to the Software Architects’ Newsletter for your monthly guide to the essential news and experience from industry peers on emerging patterns and technologies: https://www.infoq.com/software-architects-newsletter Upcoming Events: QCon AI New York 2025 (December 16-17, 2025) - SOLD OUT! https://ai.qconferences.com/ QCon London 2026 (March 16-19, 2026) QCon London equips senior engineers, architects, and technical leaders with trusted, practical insights to lead the change in software development. Get real-world solutions and leadership strategies from senior software practitioners defining current trends and solving today's toughest software challenges. https://qconlondon.com/ QCon AI Boston 2026 (June 1-2, 2026) Learn how real teams are accelerating the entire software lifecycle with AI. https://boston.qcon.ai The InfoQ Podcasts: Weekly inspiration to drive innovation and build great teams from senior software leaders. Listen to all our podcasts and read interview transcripts: - The InfoQ Podcast https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/ - Engineering Culture Podcast by InfoQ https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/#engineering_culture - Generally AI: https://www.infoq.com/generally-ai-podcast/ Follow InfoQ: - Mastodon: https://techhub.social/@infoq - X: https://x.com/InfoQ?from=@ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/infoq/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InfoQdotcom# - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infoqdotcom/?hl=en - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/infoq - Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/infoq.com Write for InfoQ: Learn and share the changes and innovations in professional software development. - Join a community of experts. - Increase your visibility. - Grow your career. https://www.infoq.com/write-for-infoq

Satish Kothapalli, a technology leader and CTO with over 25 years in life sciences, discusses the revolutionary impact of AI on drug development. He explains how automation can drastically shorten timelines, simplifying molecule discovery and documentation. Satish introduces the concept of vibe coding, revealing how AI acts as a co-worker for developers, altering their roles to focus on orchestration and fine-tuning. He emphasizes the need for upskilling both junior developers and business analysts to thrive in this new AI-enhanced environment.

This is the Engineering Culture Podcast, from the people behind InfoQ.com and the QCon conferences. In this podcast, Shane Hastie, Lead Editor for Culture & Methods, spoke to Joe Cassavaugh about building a sustainable solopreneur game development business, the importance of authenticity over conventional wisdom, and learning from both successes and failures in the digital content marketplace. Read a transcript of this interview: http://bit.ly/3KtvGy1 Subscribe to the Software Architects’ Newsletter for your monthly guide to the essential news and experience from industry peers on emerging patterns and technologies: https://www.infoq.com/software-architects-newsletter Upcoming Events: QCon AI New York 2025 (December 16-17, 2025) https://ai.qconferences.com/ QCon London 2026 (March 16-19, 2026) QCon London equips senior engineers, architects, and technical leaders with trusted, practical insights to lead the change in software development. Get real-world solutions and leadership strategies from senior software practitioners defining current trends and solving today's toughest software challenges. https://qconlondon.com/ QCon AI Boston 2026 (June 1-2, 2026) Learn how real teams are accelerating the entire software lifecycle with AI. https://boston.qcon.ai The InfoQ Podcasts: Weekly inspiration to drive innovation and build great teams from senior software leaders. Listen to all our podcasts and read interview transcripts: - The InfoQ Podcast https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/ - Engineering Culture Podcast by InfoQ https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/#engineering_culture - Generally AI: https://www.infoq.com/generally-ai-podcast/ Follow InfoQ: - Mastodon: https://techhub.social/@infoq - X: https://x.com/InfoQ?from=@ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/infoq/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InfoQdotcom# - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infoqdotcom/?hl=en - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/infoq - Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/infoq.com Write for InfoQ: Learn and share the changes and innovations in professional software development. - Join a community of experts. - Increase your visibility. - Grow your career. https://www.infoq.com/write-for-infoq

In this engaging discussion, Jon Kern, a systems-minded software consultant, and Anita Zbieg, CEO of Network Perspective, dive into how AI can boost team strengths while exposing weaknesses. They explore the importance of fundamental collaboration practices and holistic system thinking. Highlights include the role of AI in onboarding juniors, the need for rapid feedback, and the dangers of oversized changes. The duo emphasizes that AI might widen the gap between top-performing and struggling teams, calling for a return to Agile values to drive success.