How to Lead and Scale a Distributed Team That Actually Works with Charity Majors
Charity Majors is a writer, speaker, and the co-founder and CTO of Honeycomb, an observability platform for debugging and optimizing distributed systems.In this episode of Distributed, Jack Hannah talks with Charity about the realities of leading and scaling a distributed company. From why remote work is not best for every situation to the communication tax of distributed management, Charity shares what she has learned about building effective teams, fostering trust, and staying connected in a remote environment. She also reflects on her own leadership journey, from CEO back to CTO, and how greater self-awareness and empathy have shaped her approach to work and life.—Where to find Charity Majors:• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/charity.wtf• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charity-majors/• Website: https://charity.wtf/—Where to find Jack Hannah: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-hannah/• Website: https://tuple.app/—Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(01:15) Why remote work isn’t best for everything(03:20) What Charity learned from her viral Bluesky post on RTOs(08:33) Why distributed teams need more and better management(11:33) How to get the most from a remote work experience as an engineer (14:30) Why 10x engineers matter less than 10x teams(18:06) How trust and psychological safety drive high-performing teams(20:58) Signs of a healthy organization for job seekers(24:17) Charity’s transition from CEO to CTO and the challenges of down-leveling(26:31) When stepping back in your career can be the right move(30:44) How self-awareness transformed Charity’s approach to leadership and life(34:42) Rapid-fire round —Referenced:• Honeycomb: https://www.honeycomb.io/• Charity’s post on Bluesky about RTO policies: https://bsky.app/profile/charity.wtf/post/3lq4cgak3vk24• How 37signals handles communication, meetings, and setting work boundaries: https://tuple.app/distributed/How-37signals-handles-communication-meetings-and-setting-work-boundaries-with-Rosa-Gutierrez• In Praise of “Normal” Engineers: https://charity.wtf/2025/06/19/in-praise-of-normal-engineers/• Christine Yen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christineyen/• Simon Willison’s blog: https://simonwillison.net/• Dr. Cat Hicks' newsletter, Fight for the Human: https://www.fightforthehuman.com/
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How 37signals handles communication, meetings, and setting work boundaries with Rosa Gutiérrez
37signals embraced remote work long before it became mainstream. Its Shape Up framework helped define how remote product teams ship fast, but not every team inside the company follows the same playbook. In this episode of Distributed, host Jack Hannah sits down with Rosa Gutiérrez, Principal Programmer at 37signals and founding board member of the Ruby on Rails Foundation.Rosa takes us inside SEIP (Security, Infrastructure, and Performance), the team responsible for everything from privacy and legacy app maintenance to large-scale infrastructure moves, such as migrating 37signals off the cloud. She shares how a writing-first culture, asynchronous communication, and a flexible, reactive approach let her team thrive outside of the Shape Up model.—Where to find Rosa Gutiérrez:• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rosa.codes• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosagutierrezescudero/• Website: https://rosa.codes/—Where to find Jack Hannah: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-hannah/• Website: https://tuple.app/—Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(01:18) Rosa’s role at 37signals(04:10) How long-form writing is critical to 37signals’ culture(07:34) How Rosa adapted to 37signals’ asynchronous communication and unique work style(10:00) The benefits of asynchronous communication for focus, flexibility, and easy reference(12:08) Why 37signals suits introverts and how they handle in-person meetups(14:25) Why Shape Up doesn’t fit the kind of work Rosa’s team does(17:41) How Rosa’s team prioritizes incoming issues during on-call rotations(21:22) Why Rosa’s flexible work style makes her a perfect fit for SEIP’s reactive team(26:03) The challenge remote workers face in setting boundaries(27:46) A case for getting out of the house to create a better work-life balance—Referenced:• 37signals: https://37signals.com/• Hey: https://www.hey.com/• Basecamp: https://basecamp.com/• Ruby on Rails: https://rubyonrails.org/• Shape Up: https://basecamp.com/shapeup• Shape Up: Stop Running in Circles and Ship Work that Matters: https://basecamp-goods.com/products/shapeup
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Salesforce Architect on scaling shared understanding across 80,000 global workforce with Ian Varley
How do you keep a massive, distributed engineering organization with 80,000 employees aligned and actually understanding one another? In this episode of Distributed, host Jack Hannah sits down with Ian Varley, Principal Architect at Salesforce, to talk about how he helps their thousands of engineers across global teams stay informed and connected.Their conversation explores why clear communication is the backbone of great engineering, practical ways to disseminate knowledge across distributed teams, and how to use AI to make it all faster and easier. You’ll come away with tips you can use right away to break silos, build trust, and make information flow more smoothly in your own organization.—Where to find Ian Varley:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianvarley/• Website: https://ianvarley.com/—Where to find Jack Hannah: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-hannah/• Website: https://tuple.app/—Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(01:11) What “borg up” means and why shared understanding matters(02:20) Practical techniques for using LLMs to communicate more clearly(05:25) Why you can’t just ask an LLM to write for you(06:45) How writing itself sharpens thinking and adds clarity(08:34) The risk of “enshittification” in communication and how to avoid it(09:38) Using LLMs as a true thought partner instead of a shortcut(10:55) Why investing in shared understanding pays off in the long run(16:55) Ian’s unique role at Salesforce as a knowledge sherpa(22:02) How Ian’s role evolved to Principal Architect with a focus on mentoring and educating(25:05) What Ian learned from blending engineering, infrastructure, and coordination on HBase(30:34) How Ian amplifies impact by enabling others to spread knowledge(33:30) How AI can make work easier(35:15) Co-Intelligence and the framing of AI as “alien intelligence”(36:56) Ian’s process for title generating with Claude(39:00) Closing thoughts—Referenced:• Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/• Haohan Wang’s post on X: https://x.com/HaohanWang/status/194741703347975783• How Staff Engineers approach leading remote teams with Cassia Scheffer: https://tuple.app/distributed/how-staff-engineers-approach-leading-remote-teams-with-cassia-scheffer-from-wealthsimple• Creating High-Performing Remote Engineering Teams with Carlos Rosão: https://tuple.app/distributed/creating-high-performing-remote-engineering-teams-with-carlos-rosao-from-newstore• 10 Principles for Architecture at Salesforce: https://engineering.salesforce.com/10-principles-for-architecture-at-salesforce-82105d5399a8/• Brad Arkin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-arkin/• Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI: https://www.amazon.com/Co-Intelligence-Living-Working-Ethan-Mollick/dp/059371671X
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Linear cofounder on feedback, focus, and building remote-first teams with Jori Lallo
In this episode of Distributed, host Jack Hannah speaks with Jori Lallo, co-founder of Linear, to unpack how he and his co-founders shaped one of the most opinionated products in software. They discuss why the team built a product before a business, the principles behind the Linear Method, and how feedback and work trials define Linear’s culture.The conversation also explores the realities of running a team split across Europe and the U.S., the role of in-person meetups, and how AI is reshaping both Linear’s workflows and the future of collaboration.For anyone interested in remote work, intentional culture, and the next chapter of software building, this is a conversation worth hearing.—Where to find Jori Lallo:• X: https://x.com/jorilallo• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorilallo/—Where to find Jack Hannah: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-hannah/• Website: https://tuple.app/—Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(01:08) Why Linear’s founders built a product before a business(03:40) How the co-founders of Linear met(05:01) Shaping Linear’s opinionated philosophy and building tools for modern teams(09:40) Why the Linear Method still resonates today and where it needs a refresh(11:45) The role of feedback in Linear’s product culture(15:40) How Linear approaches hiring(18:05) The secret ingredient they look for when hiring(22:18) How Linear operates as a fully remote company (24:51) How Linear balances synchronous and asynchronous work across Europe and the U.S.(27:12) The importance of in-person meetups and social connection(29:38) How work trials act as a filter for alignment and fit(31:08) How AI is changing collaboration and work at Linear(37:31) Closing thoughts—Referenced:• Linear: https://linear.app/• Karri Saarinen on X: https://x.com/karrisaarinen/ • Tuomas Artman on X: https://x.com/artman • Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/• The Linear Method: Practices for building: https://linear.app/method• Why and how we do work trials at Linear: https://linear.app/now/why-and-how-we-do-work-trials-at-linear• The heirloom tomato org chart (Nan Yu, Head of Product, Linear): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4vvBidQcck • Clerk Cofounder & CEO on how to build a company that delivers incredible DX: https://tuple.app/distributed/clerk-cofounder-and-ceo-on-how-to-build-a-company-that-delivers-incredible-dx
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Why Jeff Langr thinks mob programming beats solo work every time
In this episode of the Distributed podcast, host Jack Hannah talks with Jeff Langr, a software coach, author, and longtime XP advocate. Jeff has helped teams across dozens of companies navigate Agile, pairing, and collaborative programming practices.Jack and Jeff dig into the surprising downsides of traditional agile software development and how mob programming offers a more inclusive and sustainable way to work. Jeff also shares what works (and doesn’t) about return-to-office efforts and why many organizations are failing to support effective remote collaboration.Highlights:The two rules for making mob programming effectiveRotations, engagement, and how to avoid team lead dominanceHow Jeff helped skeptics embrace mobbingIn this episode, we cover:(00:00) – Kicking things off with Jeff Langr(01:20) – Why mob programming beats solo and pair workflows(04:15) – Reducing work in progress to boost team flow(06:12) – The hidden time costs of traditional agile rituals(08:53) – What makes mob programming a bad choice(14:26) – How to keep everyone engaged (in-person vs remote)(18:35) – The two rules every mob team should follow(23:48) – Navigating fear and vulnerability in mobbing(24:26) – Turning a skeptic into a mob programming advocate(25:41) – Why return-to-office pushes often reflect leadership failureWhere to connect further:Connect with Jeff Langr on LinkedIn and his websiteFollow TupleWant to hear more? Check out distributed.fmConnect with Jack Hannah
Remote work is here to stay. Whether you’re firmly in the return to office camp or die hard distributed, the cat’s out of the bag for the industry.
The Distributed podcast, from Tuple, deconstructs how world-class engineers and their teams navigate the challenges (and opportunities) remote work creates.
Host Jack Hannah uncovers stories of teams and individuals overcoming technical challenges, working through interpersonal dynamics, and battling their own distractions.
Through these conversations, we’ll unpack the practical side of how folks work together in this new normal, and dig into the social emotional piece so often overlooked in programming.
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