Fixing The Typos in Engineering Culture

After two decades in software engineering, I realized that many of the "truths" I once defended were merely typos in our collective engineering culture—small misconceptions that, over time, eroded trust, autonomy, and purpose within our teams.

This talk is a reflective and provocative exploration of those misconceptions. Drawing from my experience building Craftgate from the ground up, I’ll explore how good intentions can mislead us: success formulas that kill curiosity, scaling decisions that damage communication, and leadership patterns that destroy trust. We'll question why most companies "don't want to win" but instead race to survive—and how a few choose to build like Formula 1 teams instead of factories.

By the end, you will leave with renewed skepticism toward best practices, a deeper understanding of what a "winning culture" truly means, and a few ideas to start fixing the "typos" in your own team's DNA.

Transcript