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Disclaimer: I am writing a book on the same topic (nevertheless it will be quite different from the content perspective). I don't want to comment much on the b

by petr25102018 6y ago

Disclaimer: I am writing a book on the same topic (nevertheless it will be quite different from the content perspective). I don't want to comment much on the book because of ^ but there is something that I found a little bit off putting for me. It is the obsession with American big tech (the biggest tech companies and well known startups). The book suggests that all such companies have it figured out, that all engineers working there are the most productive and best in the industry. I personally don't believe it and I am not sure why a productivity book should be so heavily based around it. As an example take this question from the book "What's so special about individuals who create the most used applications in the world?" I really really just want to answer "Nothing". Anyways there goes my little rant... Definitely congrats on publishing a book, it is a struggle!

swyx 6y ago
because it's what sells :shrug: as a fellow book author tho... you bet I went after big names for my testimonials.
zenorocha 6y ago
Hey @petr25102018, that's a great topic, I'm glad you brought that up. When I was starting my career, I always looked at those companies as dream jobs. The amazing offices, the culture, everything was eye-catching. As I started to get older and more experienced, I noticed that those companies are not that special. They have issues, problems, and conflicts like any other company. Don't get me wrong, those companies are still amazing and their impact is undeniable. I see this like sports. There are amazing teams out there, but the ones with more capital are able to go after the best players in the market. This doesn't mean that small teams don't have talented players. The only reason why I invited those individuals is because they are the most talented programmers I know. I'm pretty sure there are amazing people working on smaller companies, but when I looked at my past co-workers and developers from my circle of friends, those were the ones I wanted to hear more from. Anyways, hopefully this will show a little bit more about my decision making process. Good luck on your book! I'm excited to take a look, is there any pre-sale already?
- petr25102018 6y ago
  I think it is good that you have interviewed people that you know and I definitely see the branding appeal of having some big names around. It is just some of the wording in the book could be better, especially since the topic is productivity (not a career success where the argument is definitely stronger). I am not selling the book yet, I have just a sign up page for now (https://efficientdeveloper.com https://efficientdeveloper.com). My take will be more about software development as a whole rather than just the productivity part, with productivity being just an angle of what I will cover in the book.

swyx 6y ago

because it's what sells :shrug: as a fellow book author tho... you bet I went after big names for my testimonials.

zenorocha 6y ago

Hey @petr25102018, that's a great topic, I'm glad you brought that up. When I was starting my career, I always looked at those companies as dream jobs. The amazing offices, the culture, everything was eye-catching. As I started to get older and more experienced, I noticed that those companies are not that special. They have issues, problems, and conflicts like any other company. Don't get me wrong, those companies are still amazing and their impact is undeniable. I see this like sports. There are amazing teams out there, but the ones with more capital are able to go after the best players in the market. This doesn't mean that small teams don't have talented players. The only reason why I invited those individuals is because they are the most talented programmers I know. I'm pretty sure there are amazing people working on smaller companies, but when I looked at my past co-workers and developers from my circle of friends, those were the ones I wanted to hear more from. Anyways, hopefully this will show a little bit more about my decision making process. Good luck on your book! I'm excited to take a look, is there any pre-sale already?

petr25102018 6y ago
I think it is good that you have interviewed people that you know and I definitely see the branding appeal of having some big names around. It is just some of the wording in the book could be better, especially since the topic is productivity (not a career success where the argument is definitely stronger). I am not selling the book yet, I have just a sign up page for now (https://efficientdeveloper.com https://efficientdeveloper.com). My take will be more about software development as a whole rather than just the productivity part, with productivity being just an angle of what I will cover in the book.