This interview was recorded for GOTO Unscripted.
https://gotopia.tech

Check out more here:
https://gotopia.tech/articles/400

David Whitney - Director of Architecture at NewDay
Ian Cooper - A Polyglot Coding Architect at Just Eat
Hannes Lowette - Principal Consultant at Axxes, Monolith Advocate, Speaker & Whiskey Lover

RESOURCES
David
https://bsky.app/profile/davidwhitney.co.uk
http://twitter.com/david_whitney
https://www.instagram.com/davidwhitneycouk
https://github.com/davidwhitney
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidwhitney
https://davidwhitney.co.uk/blog

Ian
https://bsky.app/profile/icooper.bsky.social
https://hachyderm.io/@ICooper
https://twitter.com/ICooper
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-cooper-2b059b
https://github.com/iancooper
https://ian-cooper.writeas.com

DESCRIPTION
Three experienced software engineers - Ian Cooper, David Whitney, and Hannes Lowette - discuss the evolution of software architecture from traditional "ivory tower" approaches to modern, collaborative practices. The conversation explores the tension between emergent and designed architecture, the importance of sustainable versus "slash-and-burn" development approaches, and how architectural decisions scale with organizational growth.
Key themes include the critical role of communication and coaching in architecture, the dangers of pattern cargo-culting, and the fundamental reality that all architectural challenges are ultimately people problems requiring empathy, shared language, and cultural change.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Barry O'Reilly • Residues • https://leanpub.com/residuality
Barry O'Reilly • The Architect's Paradox • https://leanpub.com/architectsparadox
Diana Montalion • Learning Systems Thinking • https://amzn.to/3ZpycdJ
Sam Newman • Monolith to Microservices • https://amzn.to/2Nml96E
Ronnie Mitra & Irakli Nadareishvili • Microservices: Up and Running• https://amzn.to/3c4HmmL
Jacqui Read • Communication Patterns • https://amzn.to/3E37lvv
Vaughn Vernon & Tomasz Jaskula • Strategic Monoliths & Microservices • https://amzn.to/3AcUscj

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This interview was recorded for the GOTO Book Club.
http://gotopia.tech/bookclub

Read the full transcription of the interview here:
https://gotopia.tech/episodes/399

Matt Housley - Co-Author of "Fundamentals of Data Engineering", Keynote Speaker & Podcaster
Joe Reis - Co-Author of "Fundamentals of Data Engineering", Keynote Speaker, Professor & Podcaster

RESOURCES
Matt
https://www.linkedin.com/in/housleymatthew

Joe
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephreis
https://github.com/JoeReis
https://joereis.substack.com

Link
https://mathstodon.xyz/@tao/114915604830689046

DESCRIPTION
Joe Reis and Matt Housley, co-authors of "Fundamentals of Data Engineering," discuss the evolution of their field three years after their book's publication. They explore how the rise of AI tools has transformed data engineering practices, the ongoing importance of foundational knowledge, and the challenges facing junior engineers in an AI-dominated landscape. The conversation covers the balance between leveraging AI assistance and maintaining core expertise, the resurgence of classical techniques, and why fundamental principles remain more relevant than ever.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Joe Reis & Matt Housley • Fundamentals of Data Engineering • https://amzn.to/4n85049
Karen Hao • Empire of AI • https://amzn.to/46qeL6B
Keach Hagey • The Optimist • https://amzn.to/4nlcS20
Parmy Olson • Supremacy • https://amzn.to/3IpHdgI
Peter Norvig & Stuart Russel • Artificial Intelligence • https://amzn.to/420ZgR8
David Foster • Generative Deep Learning • https://amzn.to/48ZgP4x
Sol Rashidi • Your AI Survival Guide • https://amzn.to/3UFYnKC

Hacks, scams, cyber crimes, and other shenanigans explored and explained. Presented...

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This interview was recorded for GOTO Unscripted.
https://gotopia.tech

Check out more here:
https://gotopia.tech/articles/398

Matt Welsh - Head of Al Systems at Palantir
Julian Wood - Serverless Developer Advocate at AWS

RESOURCES
Matt
https://twitter.com/mdwelsh
https://www.mdw.la
https://github.com/mdwelsh
https://www.linkedin.com/in/welsh-matt
https://www.ultravox.ai

Julian
https://bsky.app/profile/julianwood.com
https://twitter.com/julian_wood
https://github.com/julianwood
http://www.wooditwork.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianrwood

DESCRIPTION
Matt Welsh, former professor at Harvard University and AI researcher, argues to Julian Wood that we're witnessing the death of classical computer science as language models evolve into general-purpose computers capable of direct problem-solving without human-written code.

He envisions a future where AI eliminates programming barriers, democratizing computing power so anyone can instruct computers through natural language. While acknowledging concerns about job displacement and societal equity, Matt believes this transformation will unleash unprecedented human creativity by putting the full power of computing in everyone's hands, moving beyond the current "programming priesthood" to universal access to computational problem-solving.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Michael Feathers • AI Assisted Programming • https://leanpub.com/ai-assisted-programming
Matthias Kalle Dalheimer & Matt Welsh • Running Linux • https://amzn.to/3YSwAIv
Alex Castrounis • AI for People and Business • https://amzn.to/3NYKKTo
Phil Winder • Reinforcement Learning • https://amzn.to/3t1S1VZ
Kelleher & Tierney • Data Science (The MIT Press Essential Knowledge series) • https://amzn.to/3AQmIRg

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This interview was recorded for the GOTO Book Club.
http://gotopia.tech/bookclub

Read the full transcription of the interview here:
https://gotopia.tech/episodes/397

Patrice Roy - Author of "C++ Memory Management"
Kevin Carpenter - Software Engineering Manager at EPX

RESOURCES
Patrice
https://bsky.app/profile/patriceroy1.bsky.social
https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrice-roy-a050b02a4

Kevin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbcarpenter
https://github.com/kevinbcarpenter

Link
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/c-memory-management-masterclass-tickets-1580340644409

DESCRIPTION
Kevin Carpenter talked to veteran C++ programmer Patrice Roy. The conversation explores the intricacies of memory management in modern C++. Patrice, who has been programming in C++ for over 30 years and serves on the C++ Standards Committee, shares wisdom from his new book "Memory Management in C++" while discussing everything from the pitfalls of over-allocation to the nuances of smart pointers.

The conversation reveals how proper memory management isn't just about performance—it's about writing safer, more maintainable code that leverages C++'s powerful abstractions while avoiding common traps that lead seasoned developers astray.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Patrice Roy • C++ Memory Management • https://amzn.to/3K4gnet
Sy Brand • Building a Debugger • https://amzn.to/4cWWr84
Andreas Zeller • The Debugging Book • https://www.debuggingbook.org
Bjarne Stroustrup • Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++ • https://amzn.to/3I5Q335
Marius Bancila • Modern C++ Programming Cookbook • https://amzn.to/41ES4Kd

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This interview was recorded for GOTO Unscripted.
https://gotopia.tech

Laura Tacho - CTO at DX & Executive Coach at Laura Tacho Consulting
Charles Humble - Freelance Techie, Podcaster, Editor, Author & Consultant

RESOURCES
Laura
https://x.com/rhein_wein
https://bsky.app/profile/lauratacho.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauratacho
https://lauratacho.com

Charles
https://bsky.app/profile/charleshumble.bsky.social
https://linkedin.com/in/charleshumble
https://mastodon.social/@charleshumble
https://conissaunce.com

Links
https://getdx.com/research/measuring-ai-code-assistants-and-agents
https://www.conissaunce.com/professional-skills-shortcut.html
https://getdx.com/research/measuring-developer-productivity-with-the-dx-core-4
https://dora.dev
https://getdx.com/blog/understanding-dora-metrics
https://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=3454124
https://getdx.com/blog/space-metrics
https://getdx.com/research/devex-what-actually-drives-productivity
https://getdx.com/news/introducing-genai-impact-report

DESCRIPTION
Laura Tacho, CTO at DX and executive coach, shares her take on the challenging transition from technical contributor to business leader. She discusses the most common leadership skill gaps she sees in CTOs, particularly around setting clear expectations without falling into the "micromanagement spiral of doom".

Laura explains the development of the DX Core 4 framework for measuring developer productivity through four balanced dimensions:
• Speed
• Effectiveness
• Quality
• Impact

She emphasizes the critical importance of connecting technical work to business outcomes, arguing that the era of engineering having a "blank check" is over and that today's leaders must think like business leaders who speak in terms of ROI and impact. The conversation with Charles Humble also covers emerging trends in AI-assisted development and unconventional approaches to performance management.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Will Larson • An Elegant Puzzle • https://amzn.to/4gb9VyC
Will Larson • The Engineering Executive's Primer • https://amzn.to/3UURQuT
Meri Williams • The Principles of Project Management • https://amzn.to/4lj5B1G
Daniel H. Pink • Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us • https://amzn.to/3UHx535
Kathy Sierra • Badass • https://amzn.to/4b9fb2V
James Stanier • Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager • https://amzn.to/3vHrx1E

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This interview was recorded for the GOTO Book Club.
http://gotopia.tech/bookclub

Alex Ewerlöf - Senior Staff Engineer at Volvo Cars & Author of "Reliability Engineering Mindset"
Charity Majors - Co-Founder & CTO of honeycomb.io & Co-Author of "Observability Engineering"

RESOURCES
Alex
https://bsky.app/profile/alexewerlof.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexewerlof
https://www.alexewerlof.com

Charity
https://twitter.com/mipsytipsy
https://linkedin.com/in/charity-majors
https://charity.wtf
https://www.honeycomb.io/blog/slos-are-the-api-for-your-engineering-team

DESCRIPTION
Alex Ewerlöf shares his journey from product engineering to reliability engineering and discusses the practical challenges of implementing Google's SRE practices in real-world companies.

He emphasizes the significant gap between Google's idealized SRE approach — which he links to "a fantastic chef's recipe for Michelin-starred restaurants" — and the reality most companies face with limited resources and infrastructure. The discussion covers key topics including the evolution from traditional operations to where engineers own their code in production, the critical importance of choosing SLIs that align with business impact, and how SLOs help set expectations and help the service consumers prepare non-functional requirements.

Alex coined the law of 10x per 9 highlighting that reliability isn't free and requires careful cost-benefit analysis.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Alex Ewerlöf • Reliability Engineering Mindset • https://blog.alexewerlof.com/p/rem
C. Majors, L. Fong-Jones & G. Miranda • Observability Eng. • https://amzn.to/38scbma
C. Majors & L. Campbell • Database Reliability Eng. • https://amzn.to/3ujybdS
Alex Hidalgo • Implementing Service Level Objectives • https://amzn.to/4pbWJxw
Brian Klaas • Fluke • https://amzn.to/41V1Cko
Simler & Hanson • The Elephant in the Brain • https://amzn.to/4fYCG1i

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This interview was recorded for GOTO Unscripted.
https://gotopia.tech

Simon Peyton Jones - Key Contributor of Haskell & Engineering Fellow at Epic Games
Chelsea Troy - MLOps Tech Lead at Mozilla & Lecturer at University of Chicago

RESOURCES
Simon
https://simon.peytonjones.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Peyton_Jones
https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonpj

Chelsea
https://chelseatroy.com
https://social.clawhammer.net/@HeyChelseaTroy
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseatroy

Links
https://www.barefootcomputing.org
https://www.computingatschool.org.uk/resources/2015/january
https://www.computingatschool.org.uk/forum-news-blogs/2023/november
https://chelseatroy.com/2025/05/14
https://computingeducation.org.uk
https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog

DESCRIPTION
Simon discusses how a simple math problem led him to discover the binary system 55 years ago. He explores how to maintain the essence of computational thinking in an era where AI can instantly solve coding problems, emphasizing concrete, motivated contexts over abstract algorithms.

The discussion spans from elementary programming to his unique role as a computing fellow at Epic Games, where he works with CEO Tim Sweeney to design the Verse programming language, proving that even big companies can prioritize denotational semantics over quarterly profits.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Simon Peyton Jones • The Implementation of Functional Programming Languages • https://amzn.to/3HQE0Xn
Chelsea Troy • Remote Work Sucks • https://heychelseatroy.gumroad.com/l/remoteworksucks

Hacks, scams, cyber crimes, and other shenanigans explored and explained. Presented...

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This interview was recorded for GOTO Unscripted.
https://gotopia.tech

Andrew Harmel-Law - Technical Principal at Thoughtworks & Author of "Facilitating Software Architecture"
Marit van Dijk - Developer Advocate at JetBrains, Java Champion & Open Source Contributor

RESOURCES
Andrew
https://bsky.app/profile/andrewhl.bsky.social
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewharmellaw
https://andrewharmellaw.github.io

Marit
https://bsky.app/profile/maritvandijk.bsky.social
https://linkedin.com/in/maritvandijk
https://medium.com/@mlvandijk
https://maritvandijk.com

Links
https://facilitatingsoftwarearchitecture.com
https://ruthmalan.com
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse

DESCRIPTION
Andrew Harmel-Law discusses their book "Facilitating Software Architecture" and how traditional architecture approaches often become bottlenecks that slow down high-performing development teams.

Rather than architects making top-down decisions in isolation, they advocate for a facilitation approach centered on the "advice process".

This collaborative method shifts the architect's role from decision-maker to conversation facilitator. The approach has proven successful even in traditional corporate environments, ultimately creating more maintainable code bases where development teams actually enjoy working and can respond effectively to changing requirements.

RECOMMENDED BOOK
Andrew Harmel-Law • Facilitating Software Architecture • https://amzn.eu/d/5kZKVfU

Hacks, scams, cyber crimes, and other shenanigans explored and explained. Presented...

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This interview was recorded at GOTO Copenhagen 2024.
https://gotocph.com

Russ Olsen - Author of "Getting Clojure" & "Eloquent Ruby"
James Lewis - Software Architect & Director at Thoughtworks

RESOURCES
Russ
https://bsky.app/profile/russolsen.bsky.social
https://hachyderm.io/@russolsen
https://github.com/russolsen
https://www.linkedin.com/in/russolsen
http://russolsen.com

James
https://bsky.app/profile/boicy.bovon.org
https://linkedin.com/in/james-lewis-microservices
https://github.com/boicy
https://www.bovon.org

Read the full abstract here:
https://gotocph.com/2024/sessions/3522

RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Russ Olsen • Getting Clojure • https://amzn.to/3J8zI8s
Russ Olsen • Eloquent Ruby • https://amzn.to/37gOhcG
Russ Olsen • Design Patterns in Ruby • https://amzn.to/3r2uBjW
Barry O'Reilly • Unlearn • https://amzn.to/3O3DQeI
Jez Humble, Joanne Molesky & Barry O'Reilly • Lean Enterprise • https://amzn.to/3Cpt6ET
Sarah Wells • Enabling Microservice Success • https://amzn.to/4aa8xrv
Martin Fowler • Refactoring • https://amzn.to/3EVcHXQ
Matthew Skelton & Manuel Pais • Team Topologies • http://amzn.to/3sVLyLQ

Hacks, scams, cyber crimes, and other shenanigans explored and explained. Presented...

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This interview was recorded for GOTO Unscripted.
https://gotopia.tech

Jessica Kerr - Engineering Manager of Developer Relation at Honeycomb.io & Symmathecist
Diana Montalion - Systems Architect, Mentrix Founder & Author of "Learning Systems Thinking"

RESOURCES
Jessica
https://bsky.app/profile/jessitron.bsky.social
https://linkedin.com/in/jessicakerr
https://www.twitch.tv/jessitronica
https://jessitron.com

Diana
https://bsky.app/profile/dianamontalion.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamontalion
https://montalion.com
https://learningsystemsthinking.com

DESCRIPTION
Systems architect Diana Montalion and engineering manager Jessica Kerr cut through the AI coding hype to explore what these tools actually do well - and where they have room for improvement. Moving beyond the "AI will replace developers" narrative, they reveal how AI assistants excel at the tedious work of typing, scaffolding, and error handling while remaining surprisingly bad at the nuanced thinking that experienced developers bring to complex systems.

Their discussion illuminates a more mature relationship with AI tools: one where developers maintain agency over design decisions while leveraging AI's strengths in automation, synthesis, and rapid prototyping. The result is a pragmatic roadmap for using AI to amplify human expertise rather than replace it.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Diana Montalion • Learning Systems Thinking • https://amzn.to/3ZpycdJ
Andrew Harmel-Law • Facilitating Software Architecture • https://amzn.eu/d/5kZKVfU
Donella H. Meadows • Thinking in Systems • https://amzn.to/3XtqYCV
Yu-kai Chou • Actionable Gamification • https://amzn.to/45D8bHA

Hacks, scams, cyber crimes, and other shenanigans explored and explained. Presented...

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