The Engineer/Manager Pendulum

VP Eng search update

You mentioned VP Eng interviews last week. How are they going?

Six candidates. Every single one wants to immediately build out 'process and org structure.' I need someone who can still get into the code when it matters. Hard to find.

On what great VP Engs actually do

"Build process first" is a red flag at your stage. The best VP Engs at series A/B protect coding time for themselves while growing the team — not the other way around.

What's the core tension?

You want someone who codes but can manage. Is that one person — or are you describing two roles?

My co-founder says I'm describing a unicorn. Maybe. But I think the best technical leaders can do both — I've seen it. The ones I respect most never fully stopped coding.

On the builder-manager identity

Your co-founder is describing a market myth. Technical leaders who stay close to the code make better architectural decisions — they don't lose context. The staying-technical muscle is deliberate — and that means it's interviewable.

The real question

You've described what you don't want. What does the right VP Eng look like in the first six months — what are they actually doing?

Shipping. Still in the code. Hiring two senior engineers. Not spending all day in 1:1s. Knows when to jump in technically.

The pendulum they need to ride

You just described what Charity Majors calls the "engineer/manager pendulum" — and you should use this framework in your next interview. The best technical leaders oscillate between both roles deliberately. Candidates who have language for this are the ones who've actually done it.