War stories from early days of engineering at LinkedIn | David Henke (LinkedIn, Yahoo)

War stories from early days of engineering at LinkedIn | David Henke (LinkedIn, Yahoo)

Author: Ronak Nathani, Guang Yang January 4, 2024 Duration: 57:20

At the personal request of Reid Hoffman to emerge from early retirement, David joined LinkedIn in 2009 during a period of rapid growth to help stabilize the chaos, cultivating a much-needed culture of "Site Up and Secure." Before this, David served as SVP of Engineering and Operations at Yahoo!, overseeing their Search Marketing organization and the Production Operations infrastructure for the entire company. Throughout his career, David has held multiple leadership positions and is recognized as one of the top operations executives. David's intensity, passion, courage and commitment to work have always been deeply admired by his colleagues and his wisdom, well captured in one line axioms, better known as Henkeisms, are still echoed at LinkedIn.

This episode was first published almost 3 years ago and we are sharing it again because it's been one of our favorites :) Hope you like it too!

Segments:

[00:01:37] "This is my freaking site" poster

[00:04:10] David's first 2 retirements and starting at LinkedIn

[00:09:41] IC to Management

[00:17:20] Site-Up Culture

[00:21:58] Re-architecting LinkedIn's release process

[00:27:23] War stories from Yahoo: The 10G Massacre

[00:32:06] "Go to work every day willing to be fired": Project Panama at Yahoo

[00:43:33] The power of Individual Contributors

Show Notes:

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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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