The hard power of management and the soft power of senior ICs | Josh Wills

The hard power of management and the soft power of senior ICs | Josh Wills

Author: Ronak Nathani, Guang Yang March 19, 2024 Duration: 1:18:33

As a self-described "gainfully unemployed data person", Josh Wills is an angel investor and has worked on and led data teams at Slack, Cloudera, WeaveGrid and Google. We discuss:

  • How to get started with angel investing without a ton of $$

  • Attributes that define great engineering managers

  • What's it like transitioning from management back to IC

  • Challenges in Climate Tech from a software perspective

  • And more

 

Segments:

[0:01:35] Transitioning from management to individual contributor (IC).

[0:10:19] Emotional intelligence and its role in engineering management.

[0:25:21] Contrasting the hard power of management with the soft power of senior individual contributors.

[0:37:18] Addressing challenges in climate technology.

[0:51:34] The importance of practicality and how to assess it in interviews.

[0:56:01] Josh's journey into angel investing.

[1:12:59] Criteria used by Josh to evaluate whether to invest in a startup.

 

Show Notes:

 

Stay in touch:

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Behind every line of code, there's a person with a story, and that's where Software Misadventures finds its pulse. Hosts Ronak Nathani and Guang Yang pull up a chair with engineers, founders, and investors, but the conversation rarely stays in the technical manual. Instead, it wanders into the human territory of career detours, hard-won insights, and those unpredictable stumbles that often teach the most. This podcast is built on the idea that the journey is just as important as the destination, especially in the fast-moving tech world. You'll hear guests recount the projects that went sideways, the decisions they'd rethink, and the moments of clarity that emerged from the chaos. It’s a refreshingly honest look at the industry, emphasizing that expertise isn't just about what you build, but what you learn when things don't go as planned. Tune in for conversations that are less about perfect solutions and more about the real, sometimes messy, process of creating with technology. Each episode offers a blend of professional wisdom and personal narrative, making it a compelling listen for anyone curious about the lives woven into our digital landscape.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 55

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