Mews R&D Check-In

José Silva: We are only successful if the teams are successful

— A Mews R&D Check-In on scaling architectural practices, reducing the cognitive tax for product teams, and why engineering maturity matters more than ever In this episode of the R&D Check-In our host Jan Meissner sits down with José Silva, Chief Architect, to demystify how technical leadership and systemic architecture operate at scale in a modern R&D organization. José shares his organic transition from a visual-focused web designer to Chief Architect, emphasizing that senior technical leadership is less about forced ambition and more about naturally bridging gaps between divisions. The conversation dives deep into AMET (Architecture Modernization and Enablement Team) and how Mews rejects the traditional, siloed architecture team in favor of a dynamic, collaborative "practice." José breaks down how AMET uses specialized architectural "runways"—covering APIs, data, and governance—to proactively pay the "coordination tax" and alleviate the cognitive overload on product teams so they can focus entirely on value delivery. A major focus of the episode is the rapid evolution of AI and its massive impact on organizational foundations. José highlights how AI drastically amplifies an ecosystem, warning that an unstable architecture will only see its weak spots targeted faster by automated agents. The discussion shifts toward the future of governance, moving from human-led documentation to machine-readable guardrails that protect the organization while allowing AI teammates to safely run loose. Finally, José shares his personal passion for "engineering maturity," discussing the importance of mentorship, navigating corporate subjectivity, and creating psychological safety so that engineers of all levels feel safe challenging senior technical decisions. To learn more about Mews R&D team, check out our: * website [https://developers.mews.com/] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mewsrnd] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mewsrnd/]

Petr Bambušek: I don’t think I’ve written a line of code this year

— A Mews R&D Check-In on how AI is reshaping frontend engineering, the Staff Engineer role, and the rise of autonomous development agents. In this episode of the R&D Check-in at Mews, host Jan Meissner speaks with Petr Bambušek, Senior Staff Frontend Engineer, about how frontend engineering and the Staff Engineer role have evolved in a fast-scaling tech company. Petr reflects on her path from early startup “do-everything” work to frontend specialization and later engineering leadership roles, including stepping in and out of management. The conversation explores what a Staff Engineer actually does when the role has no fixed definition, where autonomy, prioritization, and problem selection often matter more than writing code. A key theme is also the cultural acceptance of trying different roles and stepping back without stigma. A major focus is the impact of AI on daily engineering work. Petr describes how modern tools shifted from simple autocomplete to context-aware collaborators, changing her workflow toward verification and orchestration of AI-generated work, including infrastructure tasks like Terraform. The episode also introduces “Moxly,” an internal AI agent embedded in engineering workflows via pull requests and Slack, helping with reviews, analysis, and even task execution. It reflects a broader shift toward persistent, cloud-based AI teammates and a future where engineers spend less time implementing and more time guiding systems. To learn more about Mews R&D team, check out our: * website [https://developers.mews.com/] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mewsrnd] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mewsrnd/]

Markéta Willis: Stop calling it a personal brand

— A Mews R&D Check-In on career transitions, visibility in tech, and why soft skills matter more than ever In this episode, Jan Meissner sits down with Markéta Willis, our Software Engineer and content creator, to explore her shift from languages into IT, and what she learned along the way. They discuss how breaking into tech is not just about learning to code, but managing the mental and emotional challenges that come with a complete career change. What started as sharing her journey online quickly evolved into a more intentional approach to building visibility. The conversation also dives into how expectations for engineers are changing. With AI making coding more accessible, companies now look beyond hard skills—valuing communication, presence, and the ability to represent ideas clearly. They wrap up with practical insights on creating content, thinking long-term about your digital footprint, and why stepping outside your comfort zone, whether online or on stage, is key to growing your career. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music by Music Unlimited from Pixabay To learn more about Mews R&D team, check out our: * website [https://developers.mews.com/] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mewsrnd] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mewsrnd/]

Alex Ratman: I’ll drive a bus once our observability is top-level

— A Mews R&D Check-In on the evolution of frontend observability, migrating complex data platforms, and building a culture of engineering proactivity. In this episode, our host sits down with Alex Ratman, Senior Software Engineer at Mews and a self-proclaimed observability enthusiast. Alex shares the story of how a performance gap on the customer side led his team to build the first true observability solution for frontend engineering at Mews—moving from being "blind" to having eyes on every interaction. The conversation goes deep into the "Why" behind the massive migration from New Relic to Coralogix. Alex explains the three-pronged decision: solving the cost problem, closing data gaps that large-scale platforms often miss, and finding a partner that offers the support needed to teach developers a whole new discipline. They also discuss the human side of tech: The Frontend Observability Kindergarten. Alex breaks down why he started a "kindergarten" to teach the basics, his tips for running a successful engineering guild, and how his team uses AI (and Coralogix' MCP server) to create POCs that give engineers hints on where to start an investigation. To learn more about Mews R&D team, check out our: * website [https://developers.mews.com/] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mewsrnd] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mewsrnd/]

Sofía Santos: Service design is more than just workshops

— A Mews R&D Check-In on service design, organizational systems, and the art of intentional discovery at scale. In this episode, our host Jan Meissner sits down with Sofía Santos, Staff Service Designer in the Growth Tribe at Mews. Sofía shares her unique perspective on what it means to design for the entire customer journey—from the first interaction with a brand to the complex onboarding and support systems that keep a product running. The conversation explores how a service designer's way of thinking bleeds into everyday life, including Sofía's habit of prototyping her own kitchen to optimize human interaction with space. She unpacks the common misconceptions of the role, explaining why the real value of a service designer lies not in the "sticky notes" of a workshop, but in the deep discovery, visual mapping of pain points, and strategic alignment that happens behind the scenes. They dive into the challenges of designing for a massive ecosystem, the importance of "signals" in mapping a vision for 2026, and how to balance structured experimentation with a sense of playfulness. Sofía also shares how she leverages AI as a "critical thought partner" to stress-test ideas and build high-fidelity narratives for future-state journeys. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music by Music Unlimited from Pixabay To learn more about Mews R&D team, check out our: * website [https://developers.mews.com/] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mewsrnd] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mewsrnd/]