Is your ML project stuck in POC hell and failing to deliver real value?

In this episode, I sit down with David Tan and Dave Colls, co-authors of the book “Effective Machine Learning Teams” to discuss the complexities of building and deploying ML models, building and managing effective ML teams, and ensuring successful ML projects.

Key topics discussed:
- Learn the key differences between ML engineering and traditional software engineering.
- Why so many ML projects fail to reach production or deliver real business value and how to overcome common challenges.
- Discover the ideal ML team composition and how to apply concepts like team topologies for effective collaboration.
- The importance of product thinking in ML projects and best practices for designing robust, valuable ML products.
- Essential engineering best practices for successful ML projects, including automated testing, continuous delivery, and MLOps practices.

Listen out for:
(02:35) Career Turning Points
(04:54) Writing "Effective Machine Learning Teams"
(08:29) ML Engineering vs Other Types of Engineering
(12:24) ML and LLM
(14:59) Why Many ML Projects Fail
(19:53) ML Success Modes
(23:32) Ideal ML Engineering Team Composition
(31:39) Building the Right ML Product
(39:23) ML Engineering Best Practices
(49:14) MLOps
(52:44) Make Good Easy
(53:56) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom

Tune in to learn how to build and deploy ML products that truly make a difference!

David Tan’s Bio

David Tan is a lead ML engineer with more than six years of experience in practicing Lean engineering in the field of data and AI across various sectors such as real estate, government services and retail. David is passionate about engineering effectiveness and knowledge sharing, and has also spoken at several conferences on how teams can adopt Lean and continuous delivery practices to effectively and responsibly deliver AI-powered products across diverse industries.

Follow David Tan:

- LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/davified

- X – @davified

- GitHub – https://github.com/davified

Dave Colls’ Bio

Dave loves building new things and helping others build too – products and services, people and teams – using technology, Data & AI.

His work building the Thoughtworks Data & AI practice shows how these elements combine: creating a new business, consulting to leaders and making a home for data people to grow. Currently, Dave is working at Nextdata, pushing the frontiers of how organisations work with data.

David thrives on navigating complex challenges and evolving environments. His extensive experience in large-scale digital transformations and deep tech R&D has honed his ability to align efforts and drive impactful results.

A dedicated mentor, David is passionate about guiding data professionals in their career growth. He actively shares his expertise as a speaker, blogger, and author of the book “Effective Machine Learning Teams.”

Follow Dave Colls:
- LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/davidcolls

Links:

- 🎧 #198 - Better Software Faster: Measure & Improve Developer Productivity with DX Core 4 - Laura Tacho – https://techleadjournal.dev/episodes/198/

- 📚 Effective Machine Learning Teams – https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/effective-machine-learning/9781098144623/

- Free preview and overview – https://www.thoughtworks.com/content/dam/thoughtworks/documents/e-book/EffectiveMLTeams_preface.pdf

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“Looking at the development pace of this area, it’s just a question of when generative AI will take over larger parts of software engineering. It’s a leadership responsibility to ensure your organization is ready for AI and you are taking the right path.”

AI is changing EVERYTHING – including the way we build software. Are you READY for it?

In this episode, we dive deep into the impact of AI on the future of work, particularly in the software development space. Join me and André Neubauer as we explore:

* The evolution of AI: From early code generation to today’s advanced Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs).

* The rise of Agentic AI: How AI agents are collaborating to automate complex tasks and reshape software development workflows.

* The impact on organizations: How companies can leverage AI to boost productivity, foster innovation, and navigate the challenges of this new era.

* The future of software teams: Will AI replace developers or empower them? Discover why smaller, leaner, high-performing teams might be the way forward.

* Leadership in the age of AI: Essential strategies for leaders to successfully integrate AI into their organizations and address the concerns of their teams.

Listen out for:

(00:02:11) Career Turning Points

(00:07:56) Giving a Talk on “The Role of AI in Future Workplaces”

(00:10:30) What Drives the AI Advancements

(00:18:54) The Levels of AI Advancement

(00:25:01) AI in Software Engineering

(00:26:53) Concerns on Tech Debt and Issues

(00:31:11) Impact of AI to Organizations

(00:34:34) Smaller and Leaner Teams

(00:37:15) The Rise of Solopreneurship

(00:41:32) Getting People Onboard to AI

(00:44:40) Leadership Measures for Adopting AI

(00:49:34) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom

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André Neubauer’s Bio

For nearly two decades, André Neubauer has shaped Tech & Product and its interface with the business in varied settings, from startups to major corporations. His journey began in software engineering and evolved into technical leadership, a role he’s passionately undertaken for the past 15 years.

As CTO, he’s spearheaded transformative projects and strategies, backed by an academic foundation in informatics and business economics. Always at the forefront of modern leadership practices, he’s transformed companies into tech powerhouses. Beyond his role as CTO, he actively mentors tech leaders and consults businesses, guiding them through their tech challenges.

Follow Andre:

* LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/andreneubauer

* Newsletter – devpg.substack.com

_____

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Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
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“Evolutionary architecture became a necessity, not because anybody wanted it to be, but because you didn’t have a choice. You have to be able to change your systems to keep up with changing business and consumer expectations, let alone regulatory frameworks.”

In this episode, I have an insightful conversation with Rebecca Parsons, coauthor of Building Evolutionary Architectures and ex-CTO of ThoughtWorks, on the topic of evolutionary architecture. Rebecca shares the definition and principles of evolutionary architecture, as well as some important practices that software engineering teams can adopt to support it. Rebecca also offers her perspective on the impact of AI in software development and evolutionary architecture.

Key takeaways:

- Evolutionary architecture supports guided, incremental change across multiple dimensions.

- Fitness functions are a key tool for implementing evolutionary architecture.

- Some of the important engineering practices for evolutionary architecture include continuous delivery, evolutionary database, contract testing, and choreography over orchestration.

- AI coding assistants can help analyze and understand complex legacy systems, aiding in refactoring and modernization efforts.

- Over-reliance on AI coding assistants may hinder the development of proper abstraction and critical thinking skills, especially in junior developers.

Listen out for:

(00:02:35) Career Turning Points

(00:08:38) Why Adopt Evolutionary Architecture

(00:11:06) Evolutionary vs Rewrite

(00:13:41) Architecture Definition

(00:16:45) Evolutionary Architecture Adoption

(00:20:56) Evolutionary Architecture Definition

(00:22:32) Fitness Function

(00:26:07) Commonly Adopted Fitness Functions

(00:29:33) Principles of Evolutionary Architecture

(00:35:24) Conway’s Law & Postel’s Law

(00:39:40) Practices of Evolutionary Architecture

(00:45:41) The Impact of AI to Evolutionary Architecture

(00:48:44) The AI Worries

(00:52:32) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom

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Rebecca Parsons’ Bio
Dr. Rebecca Parsons is currently independent, having been Thoughtworks CTO and CTO Emerita for over 15 years. She has more years of experience than she’d like to admit in technology and large-scale software development. She recently co-authored the book Building Evolutionary Architectures with Neal Ford and Pat Kua.

Before ThoughtWorks she worked as an assistant professor of computer science at the University of Central Florida, after completing a Director’s Post Doctoral Fellowship at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Her interests include parallel and distributed computation, programming languages, domain specific languages, evolutionary architecture, genetic algorithms, and computational science. Rebecca received a BS in Computer Science and Economics from Bradley University, and both an MS and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Rice University.

Follow Rebecca:

LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/dr-rebecca-parsons

X – x.com/rebeccaparsons

📚 Building Evolutionary Architectures – https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/building-evolutionary-architectures/9781492097532/

_____

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Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

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“Leadership is where you have, not necessarily a large organization, but increasing scope and increasing impact, while bringing lots of people along with you.”

In this milestone episode of the podcast, James Stanier returns for the third time to discuss his latest book, “Become a Great Engineering Leader.” We explore the role of an engineering leader and delve deep into the nuances of engineering leadership.

James explains the difference between an engineering leader and an engineering manager through the lens of the three levels of warfare: strategy, operational, and tactical. We then discuss the importance of organizational chart design and some best practices, including Conway’s law and how to avoid politics.

James also talks about the importance of time management, always having a long-term view of your work (long-termism), and the critical role of writing in leadership. We discuss important approaches such as one-way vs. two-way doors and balancing between writing vs. bias for action.

Finally, James explains the importance of strategic thinking, why a strategy is not necessarily a plan, and how an engineering leader can communicate their strategy effectively. He also provides practical tips for upcoming engineering leaders and discusses how we should all navigate a career in technology.  

Listen out for:

(00:02:19) Writing "Become a Great Engineering Leader"

(00:04:21) The Role of Engineering Leader

(00:05:57) Engineering Leader vs Engineering Manager

(00:09:36) Tenure Relevancy

(00:11:30) The Importance of an Org Chart

(00:13:44) Org Chart Best Practices

(00:15:55) Conway's Law

(00:17:16) Avoiding Politics

(00:21:41) Writing Skills & Time Management

(00:26:35) T-Shaped Leadership

(00:28:39) Long-termism

(00:33:02) Leadership is Writing

(00:36:13) Writing vs Bias for Action

(00:38:20) One-Way vs Two-Way Door

(00:41:09) Reading & Seeking Information

(00:44:46) Strategic Thinking

(00:48:05) A Strategy is Not a Plan

(00:52:23) Communicating Your Strategy

(00:55:39) Becoming an Engineering Leader

(01:01:56) 3 Engineering Leader Wisdom

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James Stanier’s Bio
James Stanier is Director of Engineering at Shopify. James holds a Ph.D. in computer science and runs theengineeringmanager.com. He has over a decade of experience with building people and software. He is also the author of Become an Effective Software Manager and Effective Remote Work.

Follow James:

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Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

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“As an engineer, you don’t have to drop your technical skills, but you need to communicate like an executive. The more you communicate this way, you will have more opportunities and more impact on your job.”

Pramoda Vyasarao is an engineering leader turned coach with two decades of experience at Oracle and Meta, and the author of “Beyond Your Limits”. In this episode, Pramoda shares his insights on the importance of communication for engineers, as well as his inspiring journey of achieving 52 lofty goals in over 20 years and going beyond his limits.

Having joined Toastmasters in 2003 to improve his public speaking, Pramoda believes engineers should focus on developing their communication skills to advance their careers and become better leaders. He discusses his TALL framework for effective communication: talking with structure, asking insightful questions, listening deeply, and leadership development.

Our conversation also delves into key topics from Pramoda’s book, “Beyond Your Limits”. Pramoda discusses the importance of setting goals and finding life’s meaning, sharing his own inspiring journey in his goal-oriented life. He explains the power of thoughts, how our thoughts can influence our feelings and actions significantly, and the three common saboteurs to achieving our goals: time, purpose, and belief.

Tune in to learn practical advice on improving your communication and leadership skills, as well as how to achieve your big goals and realize your true potential.  

Listen out for:

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Pramoda Vyasarao’s Bio
Pramoda Vyasarao, the founder of Changesmith Coaching LLC, has a rich background in computer science and boasts over two decades of experience with tech giants like Oracle and Meta. Beginning his career as an engineer and eventually transitioning into a management role, he recognized the importance of structured leadership development. This realization spurred his journey into leadership coaching. With 17 years of coaching experience, Pramoda has significantly impacted thousands of individuals across 11 countries. He specializes in fostering personal growth for senior leaders through one-on-one coaching and cohort-based courses that focus on communication, leadership, and storytelling. Pramoda is the author of the bestselling book “Beyond Your Limits.”

Follow Pramoda:

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Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

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Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/199.
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“Now more than ever, engineering leaders are being asked to be more transparent with how their work is getting done. Every single thing that an engineering team works on needs to benefit the business.”

Laura Tacho is the CTO of DX and a leading voice in the world of developer experience and productivity. In this episode, we explore the ever important role of aligning developer experience with business goals and discuss the DX Core 4, a new developer productivity framework recently published by DX.

Laura shares how engineering leaders can leverage intuition for data-driven decisions and effectively communicate the impact of engineering initiatives in business language. We discuss the importance of balancing business goals with engineering needs and delve into the process of building a strong business case for improving developer experience.

Discover the new DX Core 4 framework as Laura breaks down its four dimensions, key metrics, and actionable strategies for measuring and enhancing developer productivity. Learn how DX Core 4 complements existing frameworks, such as DORA, SPACE, and DevEx, and why it suggests “diffs per engineer” as a valuable metric to measure. Understand the Developer Experience Index (DXI) and why internal developer platforms and AI play crucial roles in improving developer experience.

Tune in to learn new valuable insights on developer experience and how to measure, communicate, and improve developer productivity effectively.  

Listen out for:

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Laura Tacho’s Bio
Laura Tacho is CTO at DX, a developer experience company. She’s a technology leader with a successful track record leading engineering and product development teams at companies like CloudBees, Aula Education, and Nova Credit. She’s been building developer tools and working on improving developer productivity for over 10 years, all the way from the heyday of IaaS and PaaS on cloud, through Docker and containers, CI/CD, and now as part of DX. She’s also an executive coach for engineering leaders and an expert in building world-class engineering organisations that consistently deliver outstanding results. Laura has coached CTOs and other engineering leaders from startups to the Fortune 500, and also facilitates a popular course on metrics and engineering team performance.

Follow Laura:

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Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

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“Input, Output, Outcome, and Impact. It’s an escalating way of where to spend my time as an engineering leader, and more importantly, where my engineering team is spending their time on.”

Balki Kodarapu is the VP of Engineering at Lōvu Health and a seasoned engineering leader with a wealth of experience from startups to large organizations. In this episode, Balki shares his valuable insights on how to build and lead high-performing engineering teams that go beyond just churning out code.

We go deep into his practical framework for driving outcomes and impact, emphasizing why it’s crucial for engineers to understand the ‘why’ behind their work. Balki also shares effective strategies for setting, communicating, and reinforcing engineering values. We also discuss the importance of connecting with your team, practicing gratitude and curiosity, and measuring engineering metrics effectively.

Tune in to gain valuable insights and practical tips for building outcome-oriented engineering teams and becoming a more effective leader.  

Listen out for:

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Balki Kodarapu’s Bio
Balki Kodarapu, an all-in engineering leader and entrepreneur at heart. Balki has a proven track record of leading SaaS products from inception to hyper-growth, helping companies achieve 2x to 10x revenue growth, including two successful exits. He loves being a hands-on engineer, director, and VP of Engineering (all at once!), contributing daily, shaping product strategy and building high-performing teams.

Currently, Balki leads engineering at Lōvu Health where his team helps create positive, joyful & healthy experiences for pregnant & postpartum moms every single day.

Follow Balki:

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Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

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Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/197.
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“The OOOps methodology from the science of happy accidents are optionality, opportunism, and optimization.”

Stephen Fishman and Matt McLarty are the authors of “Unbundling the Enterprise: APIs, Optionality, and the Science of Happy Accidents”, a book from IT Revolution. In this episode, we discuss the transformative power of APIs, the importance of optionality in technology and business, and the intriguing science of ‘happy accidents’.

We delve into the “OOOps” of the science of happy accidents, which are optionality through API unbundling, opportunism through value dynamics, and optimization through feedback loops. Stephen and Matt share real-world examples of how companies like Amazon, Google, and Cox Automotive have successfully unbundled their enterprises and leveraged optionality for growth and innovation. Also, hear the story and impact of Jeff Bezos’s legendary API mandate at Amazon, which revolutionized Amazon to become the giant it is now.

Towards the end, we discuss the role of AI in the future of work and how we can use AI along with APIs to embrace more optionality and create more business value.

Listen to the full episode to learn more about how you can apply these concepts to your digital transformation journey and benefit from the power of APIs and optionality.  

Listen out for:

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Stephen Fishman’s Bio
Stephen Fishman (Fish) is the NA Field CTO for Boomi. He is a practicing technologist who brings creativity, rigor, and a human-centric lens to problem-solving. Known as an expert in aligning technology and business strategy, Stephen places a premium on pushing business and technology leaders to embrace iteration and the critical need to collaborate across disciplines. In addition to consulting with large organizations, Stephen is an in-demand speaker and advisor. Stephen has led multidisciplinary teams to deliver amazing results at Salesforce, MuleSoft, Cox Automotive, Sapient, Macy’s, and multiple public sector institutions including the US Federal Reserve and the CDC.

Matt McLarty’s Bio
Matt McLarty is the Chief Technology Officer for Boomi. He works with organizations around the world to help them digitally transform using a composable approach. He is an active member of the global API community, has led global technical teams at Salesforce, IBM, and CA Technologies, and started his career in financial technology. Matt is an internationally known expert on APIs, microservices, and integration. He is co-author of the O’Reilly books Microservice Architecture and Securing Microservice APIs, and co-host of the API Experience podcast.

Follow Stephen:

Follow Matt:

Book & Podcast:

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Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

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“Legacy code is a code without tests. If you have code, and it has lots of tests, it’s relatively easy to change. But if you don’t have the tests, you’re really in serious trouble.”

Do you dread working with legacy code?

Michael Feathers, renowned software expert and author of the classic “Working Effectively with Legacy Code,” joins me to discuss the challenges and strategies for working with legacy code, a topic that remains highly relevant even after 20 years!

Michael explains why he defines legacy code as “code without tests,” emphasizing the crucial role of automated tests for code maintainability, rather than simply defining it as an old inherited code. He also provides insights on the psychological challenges of working with legacy code and stresses the importance of approaching it with curiosity and a sense of adventure.

The conversation also explores the evolving world of AI assistant in software development, drawing from Michael’s forthcoming book, “AI-Assisted Programming”. He shares how AI can assist developers in various tasks, such as explaining code, identifying potential issues, generating tests, and exploring new possibilities.

Listen to this episode to explore the intersection of legacy code, AI, and the future of software development!  

Listen out for:

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Michael Feathers’s Bio
Michael Feathers is the Founder and Director of R7K Research & Conveyance, a company specializing in software and organization design. Over the past 20 years he has consulted with hundreds of organizations, supporting them with general software design issues, process change and code revitalization.

A frequent presenter at national and international conferences, Michael is also the author of the book Working Effectively with Legacy Code.

Follow Michael:

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Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

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“Product marketing’s purpose is to drive product adoption by shaping market perception through strategic marketing activities that align with business goals.”

Are you making the mistake of focusing too much on product and not enough on the market? In this episode, Martina Lauchengo, a partner at Costanoa Ventures and the author of the SVPG book “LOVED: How to Rethink Marketing for Tech Products”, discusses the often-overlooked importance of marketing in the success of tech products.

Martina challenges the traditional notion of “product market fit,” suggesting “market product fit” instead, because a product’s value is determined by the market’s capacity to absorb it. She emphasizes the critical role of go-to-market strategy in informing product development and driving adoption.

We explore the four fundamentals of product marketing outlined in Martina’s book: ambassador, strategist, storyteller, and evangelist. Martina shares real-world examples of how these principles have been applied successfully, highlighting the importance of understanding customer needs, crafting compelling narratives, and enabling authentic evangelism.

Tune in to discover valuable insights into how to rethink marketing for your tech products and achieve greater success.  

Listen out for:

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Martina Lauchengco’s Bio
Martina spent 30 years as a marketing and product leader. She started her career working on market-defining software, Microsoft Office and Netscape Navigator. She teaches what she’s learned with SVPG and is a lecturer at UC Berkeley’s graduate school of engineering. As a partner at Costanoa Ventures, she sits on multiple boards and coaches startups. She is the author of LOVED: How to Rethink Marketing Tech Products, a #1 Amazon Best Seller. Martina holds a B.A. in Political Science and M.A. in Organizational Behavior from Stanford University. She’s a native Californian, mother of two, and proud wife to Chris.

Follow Martina:

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Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
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