Tag: public_speaking

5 interesting things (08/03/2024)

(Almost) Every infrastructure decision I endorse or regret after 4 years running infrastructure at a startup – in my current role as a CTO of an early-stage startup, I make many choices about tools, programming languages, architecture, vendors, etc. This retrospective view was fascinating not only for the tools themselves but also for the arguments.

https://cep.dev/posts/every-infrastructure-decision-i-endorse-or-regret-after-4-years-running-infrastructure-at-a-startup/

Everything You Can Do with Python’s textwrap Module – I have used Python for more than 10 years and never heard of textwrap model. Maybe you, too, haven’t heard of it.

https://towardsdatascience.com/everything-you-can-do-with-pythons-textwrap-module-0d82c377a4c8

It was never about LLM performance – I couldn’t agree more. The performance gaps between different LLMs are becoming neglectable. Now, it is about the experience you build using those models and the guardrails you put in to ensure the experience.

https://read.technically.dev/p/it-was-never-about-llm-performance

How to build an enterprise LLM application: Lessons from GitHub Copilot – the post ends with a summary of 3 key takeaways – 

  • Identify a focused problem and thoughtfully discern an AI’s use cases.
  • Integrate experimentation and tight feedback loops into the design process
  • As you scale, continue to leverage user feedback and prioritize user needs

Those takeaways are general and correct for almost every product launch I can think of. The post provides more concrete tips for LLM applications. It is interesting to read about a product on such a scale that I use it on a daily basis.

https://github.blog/2023-09-06-how-to-build-an-enterprise-llm-application-lessons-from-github-copilot/

Speaking for Hackers – public speaking is hard. From choosing a topic, submitting a CFP, preparing your talk and slides, and wrapping it all up. Every step can be tricky, and each of us has other things that are harder for us. This site provides excellent materials for all the parts before, during, and after the talk, making it easier to step out of our shells and share the knowledge.

https://sfhbook.netlify.app/

Acing the Code Assignment Interview – Tips for Interviewers and Candidates

One of the most common practices today as part of the interview process are take-home assignments. However, though practical and valuable, this practice is tricky and needs to be used wisely to be beneficial. On the candidate’s side, it is not enough to only solve the tasks, as there are a few more things you can do to make your submission shine and impress the reviewers. On the employer’s side, companies have the challenge of creating a good assignment that will help assess the candidates and make the company attractive in the eyes of the candidate.

This week I took part in DevDays Europe Conference!
I was honored to participate in 2 sessions:

I moderated a “Leadership for Engineering Teams in Remote Work Era” session. The recording can be found here.

The session ended up with a few reading recommendations – Radical Candor, Six Simple Rules, Conscious Business, and The Promises of Giants.

I also talked about “Acing the Code Assignment Interview – Tips for Interviewers and Candidates”, sharing my experience from our recruitment process at Lynx.MD. The recording can be found here and the slides are here.

A summary of my tips –

For candidates – plan ahead, document your work, and polish it by proofreading and linting just before handing it over, use version control tools and write tests to emphasize the added value you bring.

For companies – make the test relevant for the position and the candidate, respect the candidate’s time and be available for her. Know your biases both when giving the assignment and when evaluating and giving feedback.