The peloton problem
Senior engineers carry the front of every decision, every code review, every on-call shift. The peloton runs best when roles rotate. When the star eventually leaves, someone else needs to know what wind feels like.
The blog · since 2015
Insights for founders,
CTOs & investors.
Essays, playbooks and field notes from our CTOs, architects and leads. Written for people shipping real product.
Featured articles
What will the state of AI be like by this time next year?
Pricing strategies in the era of AI: why hourly billing no longer works
5 red flags for VCs when planning to invest in Seed or Series A companies
SaaS due diligence report: 12 learnings for founders that want to secure their next funding round
Things we do in our first weeks as Fractional CTO
Latest posts
On migrations and manipulations
Sometimes we make mistakes. And sometimes we make mistakes in production. Data manipulations help you correct these mistakes without directly touching your production environment.
The Compassionate Shift in Tech Language
Evolving language in tech is not just about changing terms; it's about empathy, inclusiveness, and understanding the impact of our words.
CTO as a Service (CaaS) in SaaS — Is it useful for your startup?
CTO as a Service, or CaaS, offers startups the expertise of a Chief Technology Officer without the need for a full-time executive. An experienced Fractional CTO will work part-time for your startup, and this is why you could benefit of having one.
Pulse Episode 13: Jason Fried on Trust, Hiring, and Rehiring
Andreas talks with Jason Fried, founder of 37signals (Basecamp), about rehiring and trust in the workplace. They discuss the "trust battery," representing trust levels and its fluctuations. Jason emphasizes enthusiasm and fit in hiring, and they explore rehiring former employees and role dynamics.
Why you can't have it all — a reality check for hiring
Don't compromise quality when hiring developers. Explore alternate hiring strategies like freelance and part-time arrangements, consider remote work, and focus on core competencies. Remember, 'perfect' candidates might not exist, but the right one does.
Culture fit or culture add?
Which criteria you should consider when hiring technical profiles in the SaaS industry? Should you aim for culture fit or culture add? Or both?
Gradually migrating between mail providers in Laravel
Migrate between two email providers in a Laravel project with ease of mind while maintaining control.
The Fediverse & the new era of social networks
Discover the Fediverse, a decentralized social network challenging Facebook and Twitter. Built on ActivityPub, it offers independent content and diverse interaction. Choose an app and server to join, explore facets, customize, and contribute to its open-source future.
Which Interview Questions Should We Ditch in 2024 — and What to Ask Instead?
Upgrade your interview game for 2023! Discover outdated questions to ditch and better alternatives to ask. Tailor interviews to the role, culture, and candidates' goals. Maximize insights, avoid mind games, and attract top talent. Make informed hiring decisions.
Busting the Rebuild Bias
Caught in a vendor's web, a client believed a total rebuild was their only option. Discover how we unravelled this myth and saved them time, money, and risk while exposing the industry's flawed advice on web application development.
Why you don't need estimates
How should you estimate your work? Are estimations needed when developing software? What is the value of estimations? What is an alternative to estimating work?
How to run a good all-hands meeting
Our only company-wide meeting happens on Mondays, and this is how it looks. We're happy to share some tips on how to run an all-hands meeting properly.
Why code quality matters
In today's digital landscape, software development is a crucial aspect of most businesses. However, many organizations overlook the importance of code quality. Ensuring code quality is critical for various reasons, from financial stability to customer satisfaction.
How a CTO builds a team
There are many factors involved in building a thriving team. This is what a CTO must consider when hiring expert teams to build software.
AI & agentic tooling
AI-first engineering
We use AI and agentic workflows daily. From coding agents to AI strategy, we help teams adopt what actually works.
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CTO Insights
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Due diligence done right
Technical audits, codebase assessments, and risk analysis for portfolio managers making investment decisions.
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How we help
Software engineering
Our staff engineers will get your software (back) on track and lead your engineering team. We prepare our exit from day one: our goal is to bring the software and the team to the right level for us to get out again.
Learn more about software engineeringCTO as a service
Our CTOs in residence (or fractional CTOs) inject technical leadership into your team, ensuring the technical aspect of your business gets exactly the right attention.
Learn more about CTO as a serviceAuditing
We're the market leader for technical due diligence of SaaS companies in Belgium and The Netherlands, servicing clients all over the world. Investors appreciate our smooth process, sharp opinions and top-notch reports.
Learn more about auditingCTO Coaching
Behind-the-scenes support for your CTO or technical lead to enhance their skills, drive effective change, and grow their teams confidently.
Learn more about CTO coachingRecruiting
We can help you find the best talent to join your team. Unlike other recruiters, we are CTOs and software engineers ourselves, and through getting our hands dirty, we know the skills required to make an impact.
Learn more about recruitingProduct management
Sometimes your struggles go beyond the technical. Do you need help evaluating the roadmap or sharpening the vision? What should you build in order to scale? Our product management experts know the way.
Learn more about product management