Coming Soon: Engineering Leadership Without the Fluff
Things break because we come to work. Here is how we fix them.
The short version: I am Vladimir Weinstein. After 20 years in Big Tech (most recently as a Senior Engineering Manager at Google) and a lifetime of debugging complex systems, I have retired.
But I haven’t stopped caring about the craft.
The long version: I spent the last two decades watching the engineering culture shift. We went from “move fast and break things” to “schedule a meeting to discuss the pre-read for the planning committee.”
I am starting The Grumpy Manager to in hope to cut through that noise.
This publication will be a survival guide for engineering leaders who want to build great things without losing their minds to toxic positivity or corporate politics.
What to expect:
The Translation Layer: How to bridge the gap between “direct” engineering cultures (like the one I grew up with in Yugoslavia) and US corporate expectations.
Tactical Advice: Real scripts for self-reviews, promotion packets, and saying “No” without getting fired.
Scarcity Mindset: Why growing up with hyperinflation made me a better engineer and a manager (and how it can help you).
I am currently finalizing the first set of essays.
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