Thoughtful Engineering

How to Lead....When Leadership Won't

Navigating middle management when the existing culture and system is broken. An answer to a reader's letter.

Sep 3 • 

Christine Miao

5

August 2025

Developers: Stop Job Hunting like it's 2015

Tech job hunters are working with outdated playbooks.

Aug 7 • 

Christine Miao

 and 

Randy Brown

12

June 2025

"Explain the Business Impact!” (And Other Useless Advice)

Why the standard playbook for tech debt prioritization fails — and what we can do instead.

Jun 24 • 

Christine Miao

6

1

May 2025

Not using AI? You're not the problem.

Successful technology adoption requires intentional, user-centered design and research. Too many AI companies have lost sight of this.

May 21 • 

Christine Miao

7

April 2025

How Good Engineers Become Bad Leaders

The way we promote and insulate software engineers often sets them up to fail dramatically as leaders. Here's how, and a better way forward.

Apr 29 • 

Christine Miao

6

How NOT to Learn AI

Why the AI hype machine really, *really* doesn't help

Apr 9 • 

Christine Miao

6

3

March 2025

Why are Engineers so Hard to Understand?

Hint: it's not because they didn't explain the "business impact".

Mar 20 • 

Christine Miao

5

AI is going to hack Jira

Hide your kids, hide your wife: how the Agile Industrial Complex has set us all up to be duped by AI codegen

Mar 3 • 

Christine Miao

57

7

January 2025

The Magical Thinking of Busy CTOs

A cautionary tale

Jan 21 • 

Christine Miao

3

December 2024

AI: A Vibe Check

AI isn't about producing faster, cheaper, and more of the same.

Dec 3, 2024 • 

Christine Miao

7

1

November 2024

It's Ethical and Normal to Play Politics

It's every executive's job to make perception match reality. Engineering needs to stop being the exception.

Nov 4, 2024 • 

Christine Miao

3

October 2024

Dear CTO: it's not 2015 anymore

With AI and big tech layoffs, engineering organizations have been put under a microscope like never before. Engineering leaders need to adapt to this…

Oct 8, 2024 • 

Christine Miao

42

17