Building a High Performing Start up Engineering Team at Warp Speed

This talk explores the challenges and strategies involved in scaling five engineering teams in just nine months, emphasizing the importance of establishing strong foundations and utilizing continuous delivery for rapid iteration while avoiding technical debt. The speaker discusses hiring practices in the age of AI, focusing on designing assessments that reveal genuine skills and cannot be easily gamed. Additionally, the session examines lightweight processes such as code reviews, RFCs, and effective onboarding to ensure consistency amid fast growth. The speaker advocates for a broader definition of culture fit, emphasizing the assessment of adaptability, ownership, and collaboration while navigating difficult trade-offs under pressure.