Engineering Without PMs

Brett Adcock shares his philosophy on running large engineering organizations with speed and efficiency, specifically highlighting his approach at Figur where they operate with 120 engineers and zero program managers. He believes traditional Silicon Valley approaches slow companies down, and has built his entire organization around maximizing speed.

Key Points:

• Speed as Core Philosophy:

  • Built the entire company structure around moving extremely fast
  • Designed org chart, compensation, and planning specifically for speed
  • Zero program managers despite having 120 engineers

• Anti-Silicon Valley Approach:

  • Focuses on getting things up quickly and iterating faster
  • Plans for speed over decades, not just short term
  • Goes against traditional tech company structures that slow down with growth

• Measuring Speed and Progress:

  • Evaluates based on number of iterations completed
  • Looks at progress made between iteration cycles
  • Examples: number of robot versions, car versions, or product iterations
  • Speed correlates with reduced risk of business failure long-term

• Cultural Requirements:

  • Environment can be overwhelming for those used to slower pace
  • PhD students and others from slower-paced backgrounds often struggle
  • Team members must handle stress of rapid iteration

• Core Beliefs About Speed vs Quality:

  • Rejects notion that longer development time equals better/safer products
  • Believes faster iteration leads to better outcomes
  • "In 2 years, I'll have my 3rd gen robot while others are still on version 1"
  • Faster cycles allow for:
    • Finding problems sooner
    • Fixing issues recursively
    • Making improvements based on real data

• Communication Requirements:

  • Must communicate clearly across disciplines
  • Avoids acronyms and insider terminology
  • Values ability to explain complex topics simply
  • Emphasizes clear communication between different engineering specialties