🔍 Engineering Visibility: Unlocking Team Performance at Scale with Hacker Pulse

In this intellectually stimulating exploration, Matt Watson and Gleb Braverman (Founder & CEO of Hacker Pulse) delve into the universal challenges that emerge when engineering organizations reach critical mass. From identifying "ghost engineers" to optimizing team composition across time zones, discover why seemingly unique organizational challenges are actually common patterns that can be systematically addressed through data-driven insights.

This thought-provoking discussion examines the evolutionary challenges engineering organizations face as they scale beyond the natural limits of human supervision. Through Hacker Pulse's research with hundreds of engineering leaders, Gleb reveals that despite each organization believing their challenges are unique, most face identical visibility and optimization problems once team sizes cross critical thresholds. The conversation explores how algorithmic team assembly, natural language analytics, and integrated performance metrics can transform engineering leadership from gut feelings to data-driven decisions.

🔗 Essential Links (Start Here!):

Full Episodes: https://product-driven.captivate.fm/episodes

Connect with Matt Watson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattwatsonkc/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://fullscaleteam.com/newsletter

Get our FREE Ebook: https://fullscaleteam.com/productfirstteams

Powered by Full Scale: https://fullscale.io/

Connect with Gleb Braverman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glebbraverman/

Check out HackerPulse here: https://hackerpulse.io

Key Discussion Points:

🧠 The critical 70-75 person threshold where visibility problems emerge

💡 Transitioning from technical metrics to people-oriented optimization

🔄 Using AI-powered team assembly to reduce team formation from weeks to minutes

⚡ Detecting workload imbalances and meeting inefficiencies across distributed teams

📊 The "ghost engineer" phenomenon and its impact on high-performing teammates

🌱 Building a culture of customer centricity through strategic hiring practices

🚀 Leveraging natural language queries to transcend static dashboards

Chapters:

0:00 - Introduction to engineering visibility challenges

0:54 - Critical team size thresholds

2:11 - Common engineering leadership pain points

3:49 - Tools limitations in scaling organizations

4:22 - AI-powered team assembly approaches

5:22 - Evaluating engineering metrics frameworks

8:12 - Identifying and addressing people problems

10:20 - Universal engineering management challenges

12:33 - The future of engineering analytics

15:29 - The "ghost engineer" phenomenon

18:05 - Maintaining customer focus at scale

20:10 - Upcoming trends in engineering productivity

Transform your understanding of engineering productivity beyond individual performance metrics to organizational optimization through this intellectual exploration of how data can illuminate the human dynamics of technical teams. Join our journey into the future of engineering leadership, where visibility at scale becomes the foundation for...

Full Scale Ventures Launches & The Power of Venture Studios 🚀

In this transformative episode of Product Driven, host Matt Watson introduces his exciting new venture with Craig Ferril—Full Scale Ventures. They dive deep into the concept of venture studios, exploring various models and explaining why they've launched their own. The conversation reveals how their combined expertise in technology, strategy, and operations positions them to create successful startups with significantly lower risk by leveraging global talent and shared resources.

Craig Ferril joins Matt Watson as Chief Strategy Officer for Full Scale Ventures, bringing operational excellence and people-focused leadership to complement Matt's product expertise.

🔗 Essential Links (Start Here!):

Full Episodes: https://product-driven.captivate.fm/episodes

Connect with Matt Watson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattwatsonkc/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://fullscaleteam.com/newsletter

Get our FREE Ebook: https://fullscaleteam.com/productfirstteams

Powered by Full Scale: https://fullscale.io/

GET THE PRODUCT DRIVEN BOOK: https://productdriven.com/book

EngagePath: https://engagepath.com (Sign up for beta or waitlist)

Key Discussion Points:

What is a venture studio, and how does it differ from VCs, accelerators, and incubators

The advantages of building products with offshore talent at a fraction of US costs

Why traditional VC models often fail founders despite successful exits

Introduction of their first product: EngagePath—a tool for social selling

How Full Scale's existing resources provide an "unfair advantage" in startup creation

Episode Chapters:

00:07 - Introduction to Full Scale Ventures

01:39 - Defining the venture studio model

03:31 - Their specific approach to venture building

07:55 - Leveraging Full Scale's existing resources

10:03 - The talent advantage in global teams

13:49 - Problems with traditional VC and PE models

17:23 - The rise of "seed strapping" as an alternative

22:42 - The perfect partnership chemistry

24:19 - Introducing EngagePath, their first product

28:49 - Closing thoughts on their exciting journey

Are you intrigued by the venture studio model? Take the next step in your entrepreneurial journey! Visit EngagePath.com to join the waitlist for their first product, or connect with Matt Watson on LinkedIn to explore potential collaboration opportunities.

If you're looking to build your software product with experienced teams at affordable rates, check out FullScale.io to see how their global talent model can accelerate your vision into reality. Subscribe to the podcast for upcoming episodes featuring more insights from the venture studio's journey!

🦸‍♂️ Unlocking CTO Mode: When Technical Leaders Become Innovation Heroes

In this intellectually stimulating conversation, Matt Watson and Ron Timoshenko (CIO of Rimbull Health) unpack the multifaceted nature of the CTO role and explore the critical moments when technical leaders must activate their "beast mode" to drive innovation. Through candid discussion about leadership styles, technical debt, and the balance between creativity and process, discover how effective CTOs navigate between wartime innovation and peacetime stability.

This thought-provoking dialogue examines the evolving nature of technical leadership and the delicate balance between creative innovation and operational discipline. Through personal anecdotes and industry examples, Matt and Ron explore how CTOs must strategically activate their "Power Rangers helmet" moments—times when bureaucracy gets cut, decisions accelerate, and technical leaders leverage their unique position to solve critical challenges that move organizations forward.

🔗 Essential Links (Start Here!):

Full Episodes: https://product-driven.captivate.fm/episodes

Connect with Matt Watson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattwatsonkc/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://fullscaleteam.com/newsletter

Get our FREE Ebook: https://fullscaleteam.com/productfirstteams

Powered by Full Scale: https://fullscale.io/

GET THE PRODUCT DRIVEN BOOK: https://productdriven.com/book

Connect with Ron Timoshenko: https://twitter.com/rtimoshenko

Website: https://www.ronaldtimoshenko.com/

Key Discussion Points:

🧠 The five dimensions of engineering leadership are strategic, operational, technical, product, and security

💡 The critical balance between creative innovation and disciplined process

🔄 Navigating between "wartime" innovation and "peacetime" stability cycles

⚡ Recognizing when to activate "CTO mode" to overcome organizational barriers

📊 How technical founders create an outsized impact through product understanding

🌱 The evolution from "lone hacker" to strategic technical mentor

🚀 Balancing technical mentorship with product-oriented leadership

Chapters:

0:00 - Introduction and role definitions

1:24 - Security considerations in technical leadership

3:02 - Initial perceptions of "CTO mode"

5:14 - Contrasting technical leadership with heroism

8:12 - Balancing artistry with operational discipline

10:58 - Peacetime vs. wartime technical leadership

13:30 - The innovator's dilemma in established companies

16:37 - Beast mode activation through frustration

19:32 - Cutting through organizational bureaucracy

22:12 - The 10X developer phenomenon

24:20 - Product-focused technical mentorship

Transform your understanding of technical leadership through this exploration of when and how to activate your own "CTO mode." Whether you're a founder, technical leader, or aspiring CTO, discover the strategic mindset that allows innovation to flourish while maintaining the organizational discipline necessary for sustainable