What does “Strong Engineering Culture” mean to me?

“Strong engineering culture” is a phrase you hear a lot in tech. It sounds great, but ask ten people what it really means, and you might get ten different answers. Some talk about speed, some about code quality, some about innovation. There’s no single right definition, and that’s okay.

Culture is shaped by people, context, and values. I want to share my perspective, which is grounded in my experience building and leading engineering teams. For me,

A strong engineering culture is where engineers are empowered to do their best work, where they can sharpen their craftsmanship, solve problems with elegant and simple solutions, and above all, build things that matter.

Let me walk you through these three pillars: craftsmanship, problem-solving, and building, and explain how we’ve built our engineering culture around them. These values are at the core of everything we do, and we’ve shaped our culture to support, encourage, and grow them intentionally over time.

What I share here comes from my personal perspective and experience, shaped by the context of our team and what we’ve learned along the way. Every team is different, and what works for one might not work for another, but I hope this gives you some insight into how we’ve approached it.

Craftsmanship

Engineering is a craft. Great software doesn’t happen by accident; it’s the result of care, precision, and pride in the work.

We set clear principles for ourselves, not to box people in, but to guide how we approach problems. These principles are well-understood and widely shared across the team. They help us hold the bar high, keep each other accountable, and make decisions even when things are ambiguous.

We also believe that craftsmanship is everyone’s job. Whether you’re a junior engineer or a senior director, we value hands-on work. We write code. We review it. We refine it. Everyone is part of the process, and we learn together.

Because we care about the craft, we hold each engineer accountable for the quality of the things they build. Bugs aren’t someone else’s problem; they’re ours to catch and fix. No one wants to use a low-quality product, and we believe engineers should take pride in delivering work that they know is solid.

Solving Problems with Elegant, Simple Solutions

Great engineering isn’t about over-engineering. It’s about solving real problems in the most elegant, straightforward way possible. And great solutions can come from anyone.

We don’t care about titles when solving problems. Whether you’re an intern or a director, your perspective matters. If we’re in a room discussing a challenge, your responsibility is to speak up. Good ideas can come from anywhere, and often do.

We also believe in failing fast. There’s no perfect person, perfect solution, or perfect code, and mistakes are part of the process. That’s why we encourage everyone to try and to fail early, because the sooner we learn, the better.

Of course, we have principles for a reason. We say no to careless mistakes and to making the same mistake twice in the same way. As you grow as an engineer, you get better at spotting risks and preventing issues before they happen.

Building Things

We are builders. We don’t just take in a PRD and execute like a factory. We understand the problem, challenge the solution, and suggest better ways to do things. Building is not just about implementation, but it’s about thinking, questioning, and improving.

We give engineers space to build, not just deliver. Engineers are not just someone who implements product ideas; they’re problem solvers and creators. We believe engineers should be deeply involved in product thinking because when they understand the “why” behind what we build, they can help shape better solutions. Building a great product goes hand in hand with building strong engineering practices, and we intentionally create room for both.

We give engineers space to build, not only product features but also the engineering foundations. This includes improving developer tools, enhancing infrastructure, addressing technical debt, and creating internal systems that make us faster and better over time. Our CTO supports this by setting aside two weeks per quarter dedicated to engineering work: fixing tech debt, improving tooling, and driving high-impact initiatives that aren’t tied to a feature deadline. This time is sacred. It’s how we show that we care not just about delivery, but about the long-term sustainability of our engineering foundations.

Because we build things, we know we need to understand how people use them. We aim to ship quickly to get real-world feedback, learn, and iterate. That’s how we grow and make our products better.

One Last Thing: Transparency

Culture doesn’t work without trust. No matter how strong your ideas, processes, or principles are, if there’s no trust, you can’t amplify them or set your team up for long-term success. Trust is the foundation that allows everything else. And trust comes from transparency.

If engineers don’t know where we’re going or why, they won’t be invested. If they do understand, they’ll give everything they’ve got. That’s why we’re intentional about sharing the big picture, our direction, our goals, and our reasoning. We don’t build culture by command. We build it by aligning people with purpose.

Wrap up

A strong engineering culture is not a fixed formula. It’s something you define, practice, and evolve. For me, it’s about craftsmanship, problem solving, and building with purpose. And when you create space for those things to thrive, engineers do their best work.

Every team has its own context and priorities, and culture should reflect that. But if I see an environment where engineers are encouraged to craft with care, solve problems simply and elegantly, build meaningful things, speak up regardless of title, and where transparency and trust are foundational, then I would consider that some form of strong engineering culture.

That’s the culture we’re proud to build.