8 parts · 13 chapters
Product Thinking and Product Engineering
A product engineer is an engineer who owns the outcome, not just the code: they understand the user problem, choose the smallest thing that solves it, measure whether it did, and care how it feels. Companies such as Linear, Stripe and PostHog hire for this explicitly.
Eight parts: what a product engineer is; starting from the user problem rather than the ticket; scoping the smallest valuable slice; instrumenting what you ship; reading data and talking to users yourself; deciding speed against quality per decision; taste and what makes software feel good; and case studies.
the problemAsking why, finding the job behind the request, and reframing tickets.
slicingVertical slices that deliver value, walking skeletons, and cutting scope well.
measuringEvents, dashboards and success criteria defined before shipping.
usersSupport tickets, session replays, interviews, and data as daily inputs.
judgementWhen to go fast and when to be careful, decided per decision.
tasteSpeed, polish, defaults, empty states, and the details users feel.
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What a Product Engineer Is
Six habits · Product engineer, PM and staff engineer
2 ch · ~12 min01Starting from the User Problem, Not the Ticket
Reframing a request · A problem statement
2 ch · ~12 min02Scoping the Smallest Valuable Slice
Slices that teach · Ways to cut scope
2 ch · ~12 min03Instrumenting What You Ship
Measure in the same PR
1 ch · ~8 min04Reading Data and Talking to Users Yourself
A weekly routine
1 ch · ~8 min05Shipping Speed vs Quality, Decided per Decision
Doors · Deliberate debt
2 ch · ~12 min06Taste: What Makes Software Feel Good
The details users feel · Building taste deliberately
2 ch · ~12 min07Case Studies
Four cases, four lessons
1 ch · ~8 minPairs with Product ManagementCourse 50 is the PM view; this is the engineer's. Design Systems (UI and UX thinking) and Frontend System Design support the craft side.