The Confident Commit

Rob Zuber sits down with Tara Hernandez, VP of Developer Productivity at MongoDB and former Netscape engineer who helped create early continuous integration systems, to explore strategic frameworks for build vs. buy decisions in modern software delivery. Hernandez shares insights from scaling MongoDB's proprietary CI system—processing 10 engineer years of compute daily—and reveals how organizations can evaluate when custom infrastructure drives competitive advantage versus when strategic partnerships accelerate growth. Her perspective on navigating the evolving landscape of CI/CD tooling offers actionable guidance for engineering leaders balancing innovation with operational efficiency. Have someone in mind you'd like to hear on the show? Reach out to us on X at @CircleCI!

Speed isn't just about developer productivity—it's about market dominance. Rob sits down with Brian Guthrie, Director of Engineering at Justworks and former ThoughtWorks consultant, to explore why lead time from conception to production should be your organization's north star metric. Brian challenges conventional CI/CD wisdom, arguing that asynchronous pull request processes create hidden context transfer costs that cripple time-to-market. His "Move Faster Manifesto" reveals how continuous integration was originally designed for speed, the real cost of feature branching versus trunk-based development, and why reducing integration problems translates directly to competitive advantage. Have someone you'd like to hear on the show? Let us know on X at @CircleCI!

In this episode, Rob sits down with Ger McMahon, Head of ALM Tools and Platforms at Fidelity Investments, to explore the unique challenges of delivering software rapidly in a large enterprise. They dive into strategies for fostering innovation and effectively sharing ideas across diverse teams within the organization. Ger highlights the delicate balance between building internal tools and creating customer-facing applications, emphasizing the critical role of keeping the customer at the center of decision-making. He also shares insights into why Fidelity prioritizes being a "technology company that delivers financial services," and how that mindset shapes their approach to software development. Whether you’re part of a large organization or navigating the complexities of enterprise software delivery, this episode offers valuable perspectives and actionable ideas. Have a guest suggestion? Connect with us on X at @CircleCI!

In this episode of The Confident Commit, Rob sits down with Christine Yen, CEO of Honeycomb, to delve into the evolving role of observability in modern software development. They discuss how observability goes beyond traditional metrics and monitoring, and allows developers to be better prepared for the unknown and embrace the complexities of distributed systems. Christine shares insights on how observability not only boosts developer confidence but also enhances productivity by reducing toil and enabling teams to focus on delivering value for customers. The conversation shifts to the value of Service Level Objectives (SLOs) and why discussions around them often focus heavily on measurement tools and technical implementations. Christine offers valuable advice on steering these conversations towards healthier, more customer-centric perspectives. By reframing the conversation, developers and teams can focus on delivering real value, aligning technical goals with customer needs and driving meaningful outcomes. Have a guest you’d like to hear on the podcast? Reach out to us on X at @CircleCI!

In this episode, Rob is joined by Laura Tacho, CTO at DX, to explore the continuous rising focus on developer experience and its impact on both engineers and businesses. They discuss how investing in developer experince is not just about making life easier for developers; it’s also a smart business move that cuts down on waste and boosts efficiency. Laura emphasizes the importance of trusting developers to identify their own challenges, as they’re the ones navigating the daily complexities of their work. The conversation also touches on how recent global changes have influenced engineering leadership and made dev experience a higher priority. Laura shares her thoughts on the value of combining survey data with peer metrics to enhance developer experience. If there’s anyone you’d like to hear on the show, please reach out to us on X at @CircleCI !