Rafa Páez
@rafapaez.bsky.social
Senior Engineering Leader | Scaling Teams & Platforms | Generative AI Enthusiast | Remote & Async Work Advocate. Author of The Engineering Leader Newsletter https://newsletter.rafapaez.com 📥
You don’t need a roadmap full of features. You need a culture that lets teams think. This issue is for anyone who’s tired of chasing tickets 👇🏼 newsletter.optimistengineer.com/p/are-you-st... #softwareengineering #leadership
Are you still treating your team like a family?
You are not The Brady Bunch
newsletter.optimistengineer.com
Most engineers ignore the one thing that makes impact scale: Social capital It’s not favoritism. It’s trust, credibility, and relationships. Today's newsletter: 🔹 3 core pillars 🔹 Why high agency isn’t enough 🔹 2 simple visuals What’s 1 thing you do to build social capital?
2,000 subscribers on The Engineer Leader! 🎉 I thought only my mom would read. Now it's 2k engineers and leaders reading it every week. Huge thanks for every read, like, share. Not onboard? Subscribe in 2 seconds (link in my bio)
Becoming a better engineer isn’t just about code. It’s about making decisions, leading under pressure, and growing beyond your title. Here’s where you start 👇🏼 newsletter.optimistengineer.com/p/find-what-... #softwareengineering #leadership
Find What You Need: A Curated Guide to My Best Content
Whether you're growing into leadership, aiming for Tech Lead, or eyeing a Staff Engineer role—this guide will help you get there faster
newsletter.optimistengineer.com
Have you ever seen someone get promoted while someone else, more technically skilled and harder working, stays stuck? The first learned to decode the system. Every company runs on two playbooks: 1. The official one: what they tell you. 2. The real one: what actually works.
“If a tree falls in the forest and nobody tweets it, did it really fall?” If your work isn’t seen, it doesn’t count. Visibility ≠ vanity. It’s strategy. More on this in tomorrow’s issue of my newsletter. Don’t miss it (link in bio). #EngineeringLeadership #CareerGrowth
Change my mind: Software engineering interviews are harder than the job itself.
There are 2 kinds of Engineering Managers: The Driver: leads from the front, solves the hardest problems. The Enabler: sets direction, coaches, delegates, empowers. Both can work. Both can fail. Which one gets the best out of you?
Never promise a promotion, unless you're the CEO. You can coach, advocate, support. But you don’t control the final say. Promise growth, not guarantees. Exceptions can be made, but not for you. Break trust once, and your word is worthless. Ever seen this go wrong?
No LeetCode. No endless take-homes. No 8-round interview marathons. These are just 3 of my 7 non-negotiables for a fair interview process. Full list in my latest newsletter. What are your own non-negotiables when you're on the candidate side?
I’m debating whether to publish tomorrow’s article. Some recruiters, hiring managers, and HR folks might not like it. But the truth is: this is something that needs to be said I believe it's time we raise the bar. Should I hit publish? 👉 Don’t miss it: newsletter.rafapaez.com
The Engineering Leader | Rafa Páez | Substack
The leading weekly newsletter trusted by hundreds of Software Engineers, Managers, and Leaders to accelerate their careers and drive impact. Click to read The Engineering Leader, by Rafa Páez, a Subst...
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Is it just me, or is the tech market starting to bounce back? In the past few days, several people in my network have landed new roles. Opportunities are popping up again. Momentum is shifting. Buckle up, looks like we’re heading back up. 🚀
"Better waves make better surfers. Are you on the right beach?" Friday reflections.
Networking has two modes: TCP – Real connection. Handshake. Deep conversations. Mutual value. UDP – “Happy Friday!”, check my site, and some random memes. No context. No follow-up. Just broadcasting. Both have their place. But if you want real growth? Be more TCP.
What's your favourite book about software engineering, leadership or personal development?
Rafa Páez@rafapaez.bsky.social · last yr.But books only reach their full power when we do something with the ideas inside them. I share how each pick influenced me, and how you can turn insights into action. 👉 Give it a read here: newsletter.rafapaez.com/p/the-books-...
📚 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝘆 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲: 46 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘧‑𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 & 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘵. Every title on this list nudged my thinking, sharpened my leadership, or helped me see the world a shade clearer. 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲? 👇
AI-first is smart. Mandate-first? Not so much. You can’t KPI your way into innovation. Trust your team. Give them tools, not checklists. Adoption follows value, not pressure. Let AI be a spark, not a script.
May has started strong for 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 newsletter. 🚀 This Sunday, I’m dropping a bold, controversial take that 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿. Not on the list yet? 📥 Subscribe now and don’t miss it (check my bio)
I just learned about 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗮𝗽. AI can make you more creative—or less. 👉 Underperformers treat AI like a tool. 🏆 Top performers treat AI like a teammate. That one mindset shift? It changes everything.
The biggest unlock in my engineering career? Becoming product-minded. Not just building things right, building the right things. Think business impact. Ask why. Care about outcomes. It made me a better engineer, teammate, and leader. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳
The tech job market is tough, especially for early-career engineers. Want to thrive? Focus on: 🔹 Mastering fundamentals 🔹 Using AI wisely 🔹 Clear communication 🔹 Impact over code 🔹 Strong relationships 🔹 Playing the long game Adaptability + value = success. 🚀
2025 expectations: AI ruling humanity. 2025 reality: We can’t even keep the lights on in Portugal and Spain.
Junior engineers aren't cooked. Low agency ones are. open.substack.com/pub/rafapaez...
The Silent Layoff of Low-Agency Engineers
AI won’t take your job. Being passive will.
open.substack.com
AI won’t take your job. Being passive will. Silent layoffs quietly phase out low-agency engineers—the ones who wait for instructions instead of shaping outcomes.
One of the greatest challenges of leadership is knowing which battles should fight. Pick the wrong one, and you could lose your job. Stay silent too often, and you might end up trapped in a job you hate. Leadership isn’t just about courage — it’s about judgment. Choose wisely.
