Bothell, WA · Group Engineering Manager @ Microsoft
Follow on LinkedInBuilding software, teams, and the quiet systems they run on.
I'm Bruk — an engineering leader with 20+ years in the industry. I write about shipping product, growing teams, and the craft of modern software. This is where I share work and a small, thoughtful newsletter.
Recent
Writing & talks
I was doing senior-level work extremely well. That's exactly why I wasn't getting promoted.
More systems owned, more shipped, higher quality — I thought that was the path to the next level. It isn't. Scope, assignment, and visibility all change above senior, and the friction they generate is the part nobody warns you about.
I optimized what I read. I forgot to optimize what I remember.
A filter, a timer, and an overnight AI agent made my information diet efficient — yet I retained no more than when I was doomscrolling. Why curation isn't learning, and the one question after reading that changes it.
Owning a mistake only counts if a system changes
Three weeks before a deadline, my first team needed six more months. What I learned about trusting without verifying, thanking the person who brings bad news, and the estimation template that finally produced dates we hit.
Shipped
Apps I built
A quieter newsletter for builders.
Three or Four times a month - short articles on AI, Engineering Leadership, Product Craft and the things I'm reading that worth sharing
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