Will Larson

@will-larson · 11 positions · 1 change of mind · On ppll ↗

Engineering executive who has led infrastructure and engineering organisations at Stripe, Calm, Carta and Imprint, and previously at Uber and Digg. Author of "An Elegant Puzzle", "Staff Engineer", "The Engineering Executive’s Primer" and "Crafting Engineering Strategy". Writes about organisational design at lethain.com.

Will Larson did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

2 of Will Larson's claims fit 2 mental models. Most often: S-curves and diminishing returns, Trade-offs.

Models we see in what they say

Our reading: their claim applies the idea without naming it. The claim is theirs; filing it here is ours.

S-curves and diminishing returns

Most growth slows as it matures; the question is whether the curve is flattening or something new is restocking it.

Used by 23 others

Past a certain hiring rate the marginal value of another engineer falls towards nothing, because training and interviewing consume the engineers you already have.

Will Larson 10 Oct 2016 Engineering executive who has led infrastructure… this is where the oft raised concern that hiring is slowing us down comes from: at high enough rates, the marginal added value of hiring gets very slow, especially if your training process is weak. Productivity in the age of hypergrowth.lethain.com · 10 Oct 2016 All korrents from this piece

Their wordsthis is where the oft raised concern that hiring is slowing us down comes from: at high enough rates, the marginal added value of hiring gets very slow, especially if your training process is weak.

↗Productivity in the age of hypergrowth.lethain.com
10 Oct 2016

Trade-offs

Every choice gives something up, so name the cost; and check, because some trade-offs everyone assumes are not real.

Used by 61 others

Spreading scarce hiring evenly across every team that needs it is indecision dressed as fairness; staff one team to health at a time.

Will Larson 17 Jun 2018 Engineering executive who has led infrastructure… Many folks try to move all teams at the same time, peanut buttering their limited resources, but resist that indecision-framed-as-fairness: no one getting anything is not a fair outcome. Staying on the path to high performing teams.lethain.com · 17 Jun 2018 All korrents from this piece

Their wordsMany folks try to move all teams at the same time, peanut buttering their limited resources, but resist that indecision-framed-as-fairness: no one getting anything is not a fair outcome.

↗Staying on the path to high performing teams.lethain.com
17 Jun 2018