I don’t have much to add this week. Hope you are enjoying the long weekend!
Software Engineering ⚙️
Clarity on Flow’s Direction and Open Source Engagement
The Facebook engineering manager of the Flow team provided the new direction for Flow, a Typescript competitor. In short, the goal of Flow is to support Facebook engineers, and the open-source community’s needs won’t count. I applaud the bravery to say “no” publicly, but it’s really a time to get off Flow if you haven’t already.
OpenSLO
OpenSLO is an open-source project to create a common interface to define SLOs, or service-level objectives. While the idea looks interesting, I am skeptical about its value; what problem do centralized SLO definitions solve without consistent measurements between vendors?
People ❤️
Don’t Let Employees Pick Their WFH Days
The author gives two reasons why companies should decide when to work from home: the challenge with the hybrid model and the risk that flexible schedules can put women at a disadvantage. I strongly disagree with the second argument. That risk should be a call to improve how we promote and grow employees equitably, not a reason to take away the flexibility from families.
The Elements of Self-Reflection
I read this article as a pre-read for an I&D workshop, but the article is broadly applicable. Of the three abilities discussed (openness, observation, and objectivity), I see openness as my biggest area for improvement. It’s been difficult to be honest with myself about my values as I conflate mine with others’.
Business 💸
SPACS, EXPLAINED
Many late-stage startups are choosing to go public via SPAC rather than IPO. I wanted to understand better how a SPAC, or a special-purpose acquisition company, works and found this article quite informative.
The Cost of Cloud, a Trillion Dollar Paradox
This interesting analysis argues that the economics works against cloud in a scaled environment as the negative impact on the operating margin hurts the market capitalization.
youngk.im 