Lalit Maganti
@lalitm.com
Senior Staff Software Engineer at Google, working on https://perfetto.dev. Passionate about performance and open-source, interested in AI/LLMs especially their effect on the software engineering, writing about all of this at https://lalitm.com
You don't have to be a "Solver" dropping into fires. You can be an "Architect" building the foundation.
It’s okay to trade external validation for deep technical ownership.
Full essay here: lalitm.com/software-eng...
It’s okay to trade external validation for deep technical ownership.
Full essay here: lalitm.com/software-eng...
December 4, 2025 at 2:27 AM
You don't have to be a "Solver" dropping into fires. You can be an "Architect" building the foundation.
It’s okay to trade external validation for deep technical ownership.
Full essay here: lalitm.com/software-eng...
It’s okay to trade external validation for deep technical ownership.
Full essay here: lalitm.com/software-eng...
The mental model that saves me is the "Shadow Hierarchy."
I don't worry about impressing my VP. I worry about the Staff engineers in Pixel and Chrome telling their VPs: "We literally cannot debug the next phone without this tool."
That is un-fakeable influence.
I don't worry about impressing my VP. I worry about the Staff engineers in Pixel and Chrome telling their VPs: "We literally cannot debug the next phone without this tool."
That is un-fakeable influence.
December 4, 2025 at 2:27 AM
The mental model that saves me is the "Shadow Hierarchy."
I don't worry about impressing my VP. I worry about the Staff engineers in Pixel and Chrome telling their VPs: "We literally cannot debug the next phone without this tool."
That is un-fakeable influence.
I don't worry about impressing my VP. I worry about the Staff engineers in Pixel and Chrome telling their VPs: "We literally cannot debug the next phone without this tool."
That is un-fakeable influence.
In product, speed is currency. In infra, context is currency.
If you rotate teams every 18 months to chase the "spotlight," you never gain the pattern matching required to solve systemic problems. You fix bugs, but you don't build leverage.
If you rotate teams every 18 months to chase the "spotlight," you never gain the pattern matching required to solve systemic problems. You fix bugs, but you don't build leverage.
December 4, 2025 at 2:27 AM
In product, speed is currency. In infra, context is currency.
If you rotate teams every 18 months to chase the "spotlight," you never gain the pattern matching required to solve systemic problems. You fix bugs, but you don't build leverage.
If you rotate teams every 18 months to chase the "spotlight," you never gain the pattern matching required to solve systemic problems. You fix bugs, but you don't build leverage.
The secret sauce: gamification (leaderboard + t-shirts), hard limits (no bug >2 days), and critical mass (~40 people creates real momentum).
#EngineeringManagement #SoftwareEngineering #ProductProductivity
#EngineeringManagement #SoftwareEngineering #ProductProductivity
November 23, 2025 at 9:57 PM
The secret sauce: gamification (leaderboard + t-shirts), hard limits (no bug >2 days), and critical mass (~40 people creates real momentum).
#EngineeringManagement #SoftwareEngineering #ProductProductivity
#EngineeringManagement #SoftwareEngineering #ProductProductivity
The results? 189 bugs fixed. A 2021 feature request finally implemented (took just 1 day!). Team morale through the roof. And users actually notice the polish.
November 23, 2025 at 9:57 PM
The results? 189 bugs fixed. A 2021 feature request finally implemented (took just 1 day!). Team morale through the roof. And users actually notice the polish.