I started reading books on film making and the movie industry to better understand my team’s projects as we prioritize them (this was from my 2020 review). I’ve learned that the same titles in Hollywood and Korea do not mean the same roles from one book. I am also learning how movies have been distributed pre-Netflix based on seasonality and competition.

I got so much more excited and informed about my team’s impact that I think you should also read more about your company’s domain, even if you are “just an engineer.”

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Software Engineering ⚙️

How to communicate about tech debt

Tech debt has become that thing all ‘good’ engineers should strive to get rid of. But it’s quite the contrary. We, engineers, are hired to drive business results. So tech debt, like any other project, should be viewed and prioritized in the context of business outcomes. We should learn to explain either quantitative or qualitative business values of the tech debt work to our partners. Link

Is it possible to migrate from a cloud provider in a week?

When Parler went offline last week after AWS refused to work with the controversial service, its founder said the service would be back in a week. But is it possible? Corey Quinn, the famous cloud economist, doesn’t think so. The service hasn’t come online yet. Link

People ❤️

Take risks to grow your career

To keep growing, we need to be exposed to new challenges and learn from them. But once we get that cushy role, it is hard to get out of the comfort zone. I already feel more risk-averse since I work at Netflix — it pays well, my family is proud of me, and so on. I can’t change my roles yet anyway because of my immigration process. But will I try something new when I can? Link

“Escape your 9-to-5 job”

Gumroad is not your typical venture-backed startup. There is no hypergrowth, long hours, nor promised career growth. Even its founder is working part-time (they also pay 50% less for any hours beyond the first 20 hours). This serves as a good reminder that not all paths have to look alike, and we should choose our own lifestyle. Link

Hiring is the last resort

When work gets overwhelming, managers’ first instinct is to hire more. I’ve made that same mistake in the past. But hiring is the most expensive and slowest lever to pull and will make the organization slower to adapt in the future. Philip Fisher-Ogden (an engineering director at Netflix) recommends prioritization, optimization, and innovation before hiring. Link

Business 💸

TV is now a game console

LG’s 2021 TVs will support two game streaming platforms — Google Stadia and GeForce Now. Previously, both platforms have only been available on computers and their proprietary devices. As Phil Spencer said, TV is now turning into a game console. Link

Sports and Gen Z

Gen Z won’t sit down and watch the 2.5-hour match in full but will follow the sports stars on social media for a peek into their personal lives. Also, there is uncertainty from COVID shutting down youth sports. Link