The Better Build Mission

Mission CEO Stephane Rossi sits with Lauren Verheiden, Engineering Manager at SailPoint, to get into her effective managing strategies and professional journey. From building a supercomputer during her college years to navigating the challenges of remote team management, Lauren shares her unique experiences and insights. We discuss her transition from software developer to manager, the importance of effective communication, and the lessons she learned while leading diverse teams. Lauren also provides valuable tips on active listening, handling rejection, and the balance between mentoring and coaching.
Key topics:
The transition from engineer to manager (9:30)
Experience with Write / Speak / Code (14:13)
Essential managerial skills to develop (18:49)
How to speak to your audience (22:43)
The Socratic method of managing (35:18)

This special episode was taken from a recent virtual panel held by Mission with special guests Naomi Goldapple (SVP of Data & Intelligence at Alayacare | Digital Strategist | Entrepreneur) and Fred Chanay (AI & Data Science most recently at UKG | Product Executive | Tech Ventures), hosted by Mission Co-Founder Gabriel Sundaram.
To join us for events like these, follow us on LinkedIn and connect with us at mission.dev

Mission Co-founder Gabriel Sundaram sits down with Yevgen Reztsov (currently working on a stealth mode startup, formerly Walmart Global Tech, Intuit, Bison Technologies) for one of our most technical deep dives into AI yet! Listen to this episode whether you're an expert on the subject or just want to become one, as Yevgen is excellent at making even dense subject matter accessible without dumbing it down.
Here are some other key topics from their wide-ranging conversation:
What's missing for teams trying to do machine learning (09:22)
A story on how customers can misuse AI if you don't deploy it carefully (26:12)
A window into the San Diego community and tech scene (28:27)
A warning on highly unpopular remote management decisions and how to avoid them (34:17)
Why "one size fits all" policies can be destructive (34:42)
How to avoid purely transactional meetings (37:36)
"I feel like the outcome you observe is an inevitable result of the system that begets it." (48:26)

Mission CTO & Co-Founder Fred Brunel sits with Raymond Luk (Hockeystick, Flow) for an insightful conversation into founding, investing, AI, and the importance of making time to be around people in our increasingly remote world.
Key Takeaways
The unintended consequences of remote work (11:18)
Spending time with founders (26:02)
The "no pain, no gain" mindset (38:25)
The challenges of finding "A" Players (41:36)

In this episode of The Better Build, hosts Stephane Rossi (Mission CEO and Co-Founder) and Fred Brunel (Mission CTO and Co-Founder) sit down with Kaj Van de Loo, a seasoned engineering leader and CTO at UserTesting, to explore his journey through the software engineering landscape and discuss the present and future of AI.
From his early days at SAP Labs to leading innovative projects at Oracle and UserTesting, Kaj shares insights into the evolution of software engineering, the impact of AI and machine learning, the critical role of AI in transforming engineering practices, and the importance of user feedback in driving successful AI adoption.
Key takeaways:
The system analyst process (02:42)
Not seeing the value for the customer during the dot-com era (06:50)
The challenge of explaining one's value (07:50)
Pinpointing the big takeaways and real value of professional experience (14:50)
How user feedback is the key to successful adoption of AI products (20:59)
Are coding skills becoming irrelevant? (33:08)

In this episode of The Better Build, Mission CTO Fred Brunel sits down with David Subar, Founder and Managing Partner of Interna, discusses the challenges and strategies in enhancing product development processes for technology companies. Subar highlights the common pitfall of engineering teams becoming mere feature factories and cost centers, emphasizing the importance of aligning engineering and product management to drive company growth and create value for investors.
Key topics:
The challenges of going back to an in-office setup with 100% remote teams (3:42)
Tips for maintaining esprit de corps among team members (4:42)
Why you shouldn't "cut to a number" if layoffs are necessary (12:16)
The importance of historical knowledge and taste when using AI effectively (17:28)
Why we can be optimistic about the transformation of software languages (26:58)
Reach out to work with us or join our network of product building and engineering talent at mission.dev