Contributing to Open Source projects
Prior to joining Google I always joked that Google was the black hole that swallowed up open source programmers. I'd see awesome, productive hackers join Google and then hear little to nothing from them afterwards. When I joined I decided I'd solve this mystery and post about it but it's been over…
Jim Hugunin leaves Microsoft and IronPython
Today marks the end of a crazy six year journey for me at Microsoft. I clearly remember my brutal first 8 months at this company as I worked with lawyers, marketing folks and execs to figure out if and how we could release IronPython as an open source project from Microsoft. The final approval for that release came…
Gave up a day job. Now what? - Income report #2
I know that many of my blog readers have subscribed my RSS Feed only for my monthly income reports. And as I want to make you happy here is my report from last month. April have ended over two week…
Considering Applying to Y Combinator?
[Timely note! We're hosting a Y Combinator Meetup in Seattle on Thursday Feb 25... details here!] March 3 is the deadline for YC’s Summer 2010 session. I figured that I ought to throw my thoughts out there on the decisions that lead up to the application, the app itself, and... Continue Reading
Google Hiring Committee Stories
Google's engineering hiring is unique as far as I know. Patterned after faculty hiring by top universities, Google engineering had no hirin...
You can not buy ideas or talent
When it comes to acquisitions, there are only two things worth buying: products and customers. When you buy either, you’re buying a solid stream of revenue. All you have to do is not fuck it up. That’s harder than you think, but the good news is that there is room for error. Fuck it up …
Extreme Pair Programming - Guy Steele and Richard Stallman
"We sat down one morning," recalls Steele. "I was at the keyboard, and he was at my elbow," says Steele. "He was perfectly willing to let me...
So long, and thanks for the Ph.D.
A guide to surviving graduate school, from the perspective of what I wished I had known at the start but had to learn the hard way instead.
Interviewing programmers: coding test results.
I've now stopped accepting new versions, so please don't send me any more. However, there has been such a strong reaction to this that I intend to offer another opportunity for people to write simple code and have it analysed and compared with others.
My Biggest Surprise: How Law Shapes the Business Landscape, and a Patent Puzzle
If there’s one thing I’ve been surprised by while trying to start startups, it’s the extent to which the business landscape is shaped by law. Skin Cancer One of my first serious s…
Why is computer science a sausage fest?
Usually I avoid topics like women in technology because (1) it is a can of worms, and (2) I can really only speak for myself. For the most part, I’d rather be seen as a person in technology than a woman, but this weekend the twitterverse erupted with opinions about Google sponsoring female students to attend JSConf …
The Right Way to Lay People Off
Ben Horowitz is a cofounder and general partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. He is the author of the New York Times bestsellers, The
Questions to Ask When Interviewing at a Startup
A biweekly newsletter on navigating the chaos of building & investing in startups. Topics include venture studios, entrepreneurship, product management, analytics and more, leveraging a combination of best practices & instincts. Click to read Focused Chaos, by Ben Yoskovitz, a Substack publication with tens of…