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Figma’s recent S-1 filing was called out in a flurry of headlines for declaring a spend of "$300,000 a day" on AWS. At face value, that number seems shocking, but perhaps the industry reaction itself is the main thing worth examining. Many organizations subscribe to the “you build it, you run it” operating model, but this ownership rarely extends to costs. When was the last time your pager went off in the night because a service experienced an unusual spike in costs? ☎️🧑‍🚒 ...

A common adage for any developer choosing a database technology is “just use Postgres”. While this advice remains well-intentioned, it deserves a fresh look in 2025. Thanks to a wave of recent innovations and acquisitions, PostgreSQL providers now resemble JavaScript frameworks of the 2010s - there’s seemingly a new one to consider every six months. Just choosing PostgreSQL isn’t enough anymore - there is an entirely new decision tree to follow before you can launch a system. 🌳 ...

This week, we take a brief step into the world of GenAI Agents, having read “Principles of Building AI Agents” by Sam Bhagwat. 📚 The title is a terrible pun on a French TV show… 📺 The Book 📖️ I first learned about this book from a Tweet (“X”?) by Gergely Orosz. Out of curiosity, I downloaded the e-book and Sam kindly reached out to send across a physical copy. The need for a second edition just months after the first highlights how fast this space is moving. ...

In this post: the features I love most about Java in 2025, and the wishlist I’d submit for the next 30 years. Happy Birthday? 🎈 I have written Java code for most of my professional career. On 23rd May 2025, it celebrated its 30th birthday. The language is older than I am, and has undeniably stood the test of time. Yet, in most development circles it gets a rather negative reception. Despite infamously powering “over 3 billion devices” and providing the secret sauce for some of the world’s biggest companies, it is still seen as verbose and complex. This isn’t controversial - there are enhancement proposals dedicated to making Java a nicer language to learn. ...

Atomic habits 5 years ago during the COVID lockdowns I began running. I had never been a fitness guru but with little else to do, it made sense to disconnect from the noise and begin a healthy new habit. Exercise was always something I knew I should do, but I never carved out the time to make it a part of my routine. Even 5 years later, routines can lapse, but I always feel better after each session. Even if that session wasn’t my best pace or distance. It is about showing up and proving that I can do it. ...