Unit Economics is a thing
Morgan and Eddie explore the often-taboo topic of money in engineering organizations by tackling listener questions about explaining layoffs and budget cuts to a team. They break down how SaaS businesses operate, the factors influencing engineering budgets, and practical strategies for managing finances as an engineering leader.
- (00:00) - Introduction and Listener's Dilemma
- (01:13) - Understanding Corporate Finance
- (01:48) - Challenges of Discussing Money
- (02:50) - SaaS Finance 101
- (04:36) - Financial Decision Making in Tech
- (08:59) - Engineering Budget Scrutiny
- (17:39) - Overhiring and Layoffs in Tech
- (21:07) - Strategies for Managing Budget Cuts
- (25:42) - Alignment of Values in Leadership
- (27:47) - Defensible Organizational Design
- (31:56) - Investment Allocation Strategies
- (33:28) - Build vs. Buy Decisions
- (35:34) - Importance of Fundamentals in Engineering
- (39:31) - Cost Consciousness and Budget Management
- (43:52) - Communicating Budget Changes to the Team
- (47:52) - Final Thoughts and Feedback
Creators and Guests
Host
Eddie Flaisler
Eddie is a classically-trained computer scientist born in Romania and raised in Israel. His experience ranges from implementing security systems to scaling up simulation infrastructure for Uber’s autonomous vehicles, and his passion lies in building strong teams and fostering a healthy engineering culture.
Host
Morgan VanDerLeest
Trying to make software engineering + leadership a better place to work. Dad. Book nerd. Pleasant human being.
