Letters on 编译日志 | The Build Log

044 | What Not to Build

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:56:42 +0000

the hard part now is choosing

My instinct, faced with any problem, is to build a solution for it — and lately I realized the harder skill is knowing what to leave unbuilt. Building has always been the slow, hard part, so being good at it felt like the whole job. That’s not where the hard part lives anymore. When we can stand up almost anything in an afternoon, the question worth asking stops being can I build it and becomes should I. The eye to see what’s worth building, and the nerve to drop the rest — that’s the skill I think matters most now, and the one I’m still working on.

043 | Six Years In, and the Illusion of Control

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 07:40:28 +0000

6-year anniversary reflection

The moment you finally get the thing you wanted, strangely, the doubt shows up. I graduated in May 2014 and have worked ever since — 12 years. On 5/26 I hit six years at Instagram and a career the 24-year-old me wanted. I thought I’d feel like I’d arrived. Instead I feel uneasy, and I’ve come to think the unease is the more useful thing to write down.

042 | Few Thoughts on Leadership Traits

Wed, 20 May 2026 07:29:46 +0000

Be a noob; admit I'm wrong; uplift others

Lately I’ve been thinking about leadership traits. I’d like to reflect on a few things. I’m sure I’ll return in a year and comment something different; but here is what I had on mind for the past 1-2 years.

A year ago I stepped into a refreshed role to cover more areas in the 40-eng org. A break-through happened in trust building with folks: we had an external conflict with a different team; I ended up protecting my engineers’ scope, navigating through different org’s incentives, and putting off the fire. These in return rewarded me with more people’s trust. A few points to reflect:

041 | The Happiness of Pursuit

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 05:50:18 +0000

having things isn't fun, getting things are

Jimmy Carr said: it’s not the pursuit of happiness — it’s the happiness of pursuit.

I heard this after about ten years in my career, and it clicked immediately — because I had already learned the lesson the hard way.

Back in 2020, I joined my company one level lower than I wanted due to an interview hiccup. So I chased the Senior title as hard as I could. I got there. And when I did, it was just... depressing. The goalpost moved immediately — Staff Engineer became my new reality overnight. I felt like I’d already exhausted everything I had and yet I was on this new marathon right away. I’m still behind because of that setback. I can’t rest or waste any time.

040 | The AI Cognitive Offload Problem

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 08:30:23 +0000

Claude, Cognitive Regression

There’s a gold rush happening right now. Everyone’s scrambling to “learn AI” — the message is loud and clear: get on the train or get left behind.

Anthropic recently published a study that put hard numbers to something many of us have been feeling. They ran an experiment where developers learned a new Python library — half with AI assistance, half without. The AI group finished a bit faster, but scored the equivalent of nearly two letter grades lower on comprehension tests afterward. The speed came at a real cost to understanding, especially around debugging. This isn’t a fringe concern anymore — even the companies building these tools are flagging the tradeoff.

039 | 🏢 我给 AI 打工仔们造了个办公室

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 07:36:14 +0000

Claude Code, Claude Sessions

前两天觉得现在搓CC像打游戏么, 干脆试一下. 我CC只是$20块会员, 受限了几次, 差不多就这个程度啦, 做出来治愈一下. 不知道同事看到会不会觉得像micro kitchen 😬 其实我觉得还有点像Severance.

038 | Claude Code CLI

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 05:23:05 +0000

久违的网吧通宵感

这一个月沉迷于跟 Claude 结对编程. 这种沉浸式的感觉, 让我久违地找回了小时候第一次走进网吧通宵打游戏的那种亢奋感.

那时候是盯着屏幕里的《传奇2》挂机打怪, 现在的我是盯着Claude 飞速滚动的出活儿. 时隔二十几年, 屏幕前的我早变了模样, 但那种进入心流的状态似曾相识.

037 | 什么人会被AI淘汰?

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 06:43:34 +0000

Claude Code, Antigravity

跟风Claude Code

轰轰烈烈的2025年度PSC (Performance Cycle Review, 年终评价)落下帷幕. 往年的我在这个时候特别忙, 像打仗一样写年终总结帖. 今年我患了拖延症, 到截止日期的最后一天才写完所有的feedback; 这一周我几乎所有的精力都花在Claude Code上, 学习一些流行的工作流程, 反省自己工作模式中值得改进的部分.

036 | 2026 New Year Resolution

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 02:33:54 +0000

不尽全力, 更待何时

Baseline

跟2025年1月1日期待的一样, 过去的12个月我过得比往年要充实得多. 在2025 开始的时候, 我做了一个 12 weeks year 的计划. 计划的理念是: “忘掉传统意义上的一年结束是12月31日，把12周当做一年. 因为只有12周去完成目标, 所以需要满打满算, 让能安排的时间都更有价值”. 把12个月的计划融进12周, 原本就是非常难完成的; 但是缩短的12星期, 让这些计划更加容易执行.

035 | Honolulu 首场马拉松

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 03:37:25 +0000

35岁, 没苦硬吃

首场的成绩是5个小时2分钟, 离我原本的目标慢了2分钟. 我是在最后2公里争取过的, 可想而知, 最后一段心里有多少不甘. 当然了, 离我真正期待的4小时30分钟, 整整多出了32分钟. Honolulu 马拉松是全美规模最大的全马之一. 2025年, 总共有4万多个人参加, 22721个人完赛; 我的排位是6183, 大约在前28%.

034 | Allies at Work

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 07:03:01 +0000

a reminder that we need allies

Today I had a rare opportunity to chat with a co-worker about our similar approach to work and the challenges we both face. I was surprised to realize how much I needed allies — more than I had previously understood.

I’m not even hiding my weaknesses or vulnerabilities; I’m just really good at not showing them at work. Navigating the workplace can feel like walking a narrow path. In recent years, I’ve often been the one setting expectations for a small cohort of peers, which leaves me with fewer opportunities to express my own struggles. Of course, I’m privileged to have support systems — a strong circle of managers and mentors. But even with them, I naturally position myself as someone with a high caliber, someone who has things under control. It’s hard to loosen up, if ever.

033 | Google Antigravity: 几个小时构建静态个人网站

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 07:44:55 +0000

我又找回了写代码的快乐.

这个周末, 我用 Google Antigravity 做了一个自己的网站. 耗时大约10小时. 原本没两个小时就上线了; 后来我想着把podcast, substack都搬运一遍, 多用了一倍时间. 我上一次做任何网站, 是在2017年左右.这些年 front-end 技术的迭代很多, 对我来说, 这是一个相对新的体验.

032 | Q4'25的AI体感

Sat, 06 Dec 2025 19:43:39 +0000

要么在适应AI的路上, 要么在被AI淘汰的路上

最近的半年, 我跟AI Coding Assistant 和 AI-based feature每天混在一起, 终于从一个局外人, 变成了一个长期在线用户. 我要么在适应AI的路上, 要么就是在被AI淘汰的路上; 在这两者之间, 我坚定地选择了前者. 但即便如此, 我还不时发现自己在这两种状态里左右横跳: AI技术和工具的迭代之快, 让我有了90年代互联网初期的体感, 又或者那种工业革命就发生在你家门口的焦虑.

031 | 编译日志, AI对我们的影响

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:42:21 +0000

conversations with builders and thinkers

① 编译日志的来由

过去的一年之间, 我的工作的氛围有了极大的变化. 从team role转到org role; 从带组员转到带TL; 从跟IC协作到跟EM协作. 在这个过程里面, 我发现自己难回到曾经那个up主的节奏里: 我的表达欲受到了一些冲击, 似乎因为看到了更多的人和事, 导致过往的’经验总结’显得过于肤浅, 无法入目. 基于这个认知, 我把小红书, YouTube, B站上面的视频全部下架了.

030 | 人生首次 10K比赛🏃‍♂️💨

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 06:33:11 +0000

👋 这次想聊聊我的人生首场 10K 比赛。成绩嘛，就一个“参与奖”水平，但训练和比赛的过程太有意思，值得记录一下！

小宇宙播客: Vol.20 我人生的第一场体育比赛 | 10K PB

去年 12 月，我突然想跑步，但35 岁的膝盖还行吗？ 于是我先在跑步机上试了试，感觉还行。但换到室外，发现硬地+坡度=灾难！小腿前侧疼得要命，姿势不对+肌肉不够力，跑起来像是在硬抗。💀

029 | 12 Week Year

Sat, 04 Jan 2025 21:06:05 +0000

Q1 2025 年度规划

我在一篇文章里面读到12 week year. 转述文章作者的概括: “忘掉传统心理上的一年结束是12月31日，把12周当做一年。因为只有12周去完成目标，所以需要满打满算、让能安排的时间都更有价值”. 这个想法非常有趣.

028 | Individual Contributor vs. People Manager 怎么选?

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 06:12:46 +0000

管理岗位, 技术岗位, 转职

今年9月, 我就遇到了做这个选择的时刻: 是继续做IC (Individual Contributor) 呢, 还是选做People Manager 呢? IC的意思就是单兵的意思, 不负责团队. People Manager顾名思义, 就是传统意义上的经理, 做管理工作.

027 | 2024 Retro

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:23:24 +0000

life, career, pitfalls and thanks

The highlights of 2024 were a few long-term goals coming together, both in my personal life and career. On the flip side, there were also matters that I was underprepared for, which led to harsh life lessons. Overall, the past year was a challenging but productive experience.

Why bother writing about the recent past?

Writing about the 45%–65% of my awake time is a meaningful practice for the year’s finale. Like many others, I dedicate a lot of effort to the yearly performance reviews for myself and others at work. However that only represents merely 40–60 hours per week (~35%–55% of the 112 hours of non-sleep active time). Ignoring the rest 45% — 65% seems silly.

026 | Staff Engineer, Now What?

Mon, 12 Aug 2024 00:59:06 +0000

Senior Engineer vs Staff Engineer

For a long time, I have been chasing after the prestigious title of senior engineer. I was mentally exhausted when I achieved it a few years back. Leading up to this latest title update, my anxieties piled up— what’s next? (vol.15 小宇宙FM)

Senior Engineer, 2022

In 2020, I flopped my interview for the senior engineer role at my dream company. Through a series of debates, I also gave up on the senior engineer role at Uber for which I aced the interview. I proved that I was worthy of a senior title, even just for a few hours at San Francisco Uber HQ. But on the flip side, I picked the lower rank in favor of my dream company.

025 | Decoupling The Burdens

Sun, 07 Jul 2024 22:03:55 +0000

断舍离和独立成长

① Dead Code Lives Forever

那些不再用的代码, 通常被叫做 dead code.

每隔一段时间, 这些不用的代码会被手动清理掉. 不然, dead code会将系统变得臃肿, 难以维护, 有时候还会浪费一些计算资源.

024 | Performance Review

Sun, 11 Feb 2024 21:08:57 +0000

Corporate Culture, Yearly Review, Constructive Feedback

A private jet landed at SF airport, breezing through the runway.

Delayed Flight

Yeah, my regular United Airlines flight was delayed. The storm was right on. Less did I know, that aside from the bad weather, I was heading into a personal life storm in those two weeks. This story will be reserved for another time.

A bit emotional, with mixed feelings - I sat back, opened the laptop, and started typing.

023 | 2024: Resetting and Learning

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 08:33:32 +0000

TL Role, Inspirations, Catching Up With AI Trends

It was in 2020 when I first acknowledged a gap in the content I was creating. With a new job at stake, 'messing around' no longer seemed like the right choice. Delving deeper, I realized my impostor syndrome stemmed from a question: "Who am I to advise on various software engineering topics?" After all, I had only recently found my path, while others had propelled large tech companies forward years before me. This realization left me with a lingering fear of not providing value.

022 | Recap of The Troubled 2023

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 21:27:54 +0000

Navigating the Tech Bubble Through Layoffs, ChatGPT 4.0, Newsletter in 2024

① Navigating the Tech Bubble in 2023 at Silicon Valley

2023 was like a rollercoaster for many of us in the tech industry, especially in Silicon Valley. We experienced the tech bubble making its best impression of a popped balloon.

This year put my ego on a diet. Despite the ups and downs, this year taught me invaluable lessons. One key takeaway I want to share is the power of optimism during tough times.

021 | 裁员潮落, AI风起

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:43:54 +0000

程序员会被取代么?

这期podcast讨论了2022年科技行业的情况，以及未来几年是否还应该投入这个行业。小宇宙链接

在当今这个时代，计算机科学技术是必不可少的基本技能，无论是在个人生活还是职业生涯中，都扮演着重要的角色。虽然现在实习和工作都难找，但这些困难也会让人成长。在找工作时，我们可能会遇到很多困难，但是这些挑战也会让我们更加坚定自己的方向和目标。

另外，讨论了AI是否会对软件工程师的就业安全造成影响。虽然AI在当前的技术水平下还没有取代技术主管的能力，但是它正在不断地进步和发展。随着时间的推移，AI技术将不断地改进和完善，它将在未来发挥更大的作用。然而，在这个时刻，它还没有完全取代人类工程师的工作，因此，我们应该利用更强的生产力，去做其他事情，而不是担心AI会取代我们的工作。

020 | 人为刀俎, 我为鱼肉

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 20:35:01 +0000

Layoff, Senior Blocker, ChatGPT

① 第二波 Layoff

我们的行业似乎进入了下一个纪元. 一面是吵吵闹闹的AI/ChatGPT, 一面是惊心动魄的Layoff. 这两者还并没有直接的关联, 但很多人担心不久的将来, 他们也会被赋予因果关系.

019 | 两难时, 选困难的那条路

Sat, 26 Nov 2022 20:54:44 +0000

The Big Layoff

① The Big Layoff

裁员是最近在大伙心头的事情. 我在视频跟播客里面做了比较详尽的讨论. 总结而言, 湾区的科技大厂在这一两个月内, 都在大裁员. 这里面有很多悲伤的故事, 也有很多值得我们个人反思的角度. 这些方面我都聊到一些, 可以从视频和播客里面找到.

018 | Lead By Examples

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 04:16:15 +0000

Arc browser, twitter bots, top of mind, 近来有些癫狂的工作

① Arc Browser!

上周我拿到Arc Browser的Beta测试版, 十来年, 第一次尝试一个新的网页浏览器. 虽然大部分的功能都是在预计之内, 但让人耳目一新. 如果大家感兴趣, 可以申请beta测试版玩玩.

017 | 圣诞节48小时接力

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 00:00:53 +0000

亚马逊Oncall, 工程师接力, Stadia下架

这两个星期, 是我进公司以来最酸爽的两周. 它重现了我在亚马逊时候的那种强度. 我知道很多人不喜欢过于紧张, 压力过大的工作, 我也不.

016 | 公司内卷么? Respect!

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 00:00:03 +0000

同时介绍两款工具: Web Clipper, PlantUML

① Notion Web Clipper, 标签功能

遇到Notion之后的两三周又发现了这个巧妙的书签功能.

比如, 在tweet上遇到干货, 可以在别人的tweet上@SaveToNotion这个Tweet Bot, 把它存进自己的Notion, 就是书签.

015 | iOS 16.0

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 15:00:33 +0000

今日主题: iOS16.0, 上周视频, 推荐一本书

① iOS 16.0

亲测: 多年前的iPhone 11 ProMax, 升级之后一样丝滑.

我同时对比了去年的iPhone 13Pro, 感觉不到两个手机之间在顺滑程度的显著区别. 作为一个手机浅层用户, 我有一种2008年拿着诺基亚, 觉得世界尽在手中, 新机型也不会给我带来太大变化的感觉.

014 | AI 生成画作

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 15:00:58 +0000

闻名已久, 试过还是被彻底惊艳! 几个文字输入就可以生成

最近看了一些其他科技行业小伙伴的周刊月刊, 备受启发. 这些年, 上班一条龙, 下班一条虫的生活实在有些乏味. 看到大家的news letter可以有上万订阅的时候, 我还是挺感动的, 是不是写满100期, 我也可以做到? 借这个小愿景, 开始这个系列的认真更新. 每周一, 如果没有意外, 大家将会受到一片短小精湛的周刊!

①Midjourney

它是一款基于文字(英文)输入, 自动生产艺术画作的工具(可以免费试用). 操作的过程特别简单:

013 | 从夏威夷搬走后

Sun, 11 Sep 2022 02:24:48 +0000

工作压力巨大, 一期小小的throwback

我们2021年, 在夏威夷生活了半年. 写这段话的时候, 已经离开了那里一年多; 每逢看到海水都能想起, 恍如隔世. 在夏威夷的城区生活, 是种出世入世, 来回穿梭的体验. 即便网络, 工作, 都跟本土世界紧密联系着, 这安逸的城市氛围, 还是对我这个焦虑青年带来莫大的安慰.

012 | 我平时逛哪些国外社群

Sat, 03 Sep 2022 08:25:56 +0000

程序员那点小心思

DEV.to

dev.to 是个比较小众的, 全英文的程序员网站. 几年前, 它好像刚刚小🔥起来, 出现了Twitter最初那种, 所有人follow所有人的状态. 看版面上的内容, 大多还是前栈的内容(JS, REST API, HTML/CSS, Hosting …etc) 多占头条. 挺适合全栈的程序员去发表意见.

011 | 找bug的时候，我都在想些什么

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 04:14:58 +0000

几分钟，谈谈压力

有时候我想，每个人所承受压力是不是守恒的？随着年纪，从对未知的压力逐渐物化成有形的压力。

这几年，压力除了来自于经济，工作，渐渐又多了一层意识形态上的压力。我做过一个实验，用两个不同的YouTube账号，一个看Trevor Noah，一个看Ben Shapiro. 看了一段时间，想法开始变得多元。这样看一段时间，你会很好奇对于同一件事不同人的看法，逐渐就会进入一个自我批判的怪圈里面，只活在一种意识形态里面，虽然很容易达到逻辑闭环，但那是个多么幼稚的选择。

010 | 2010, 来美国的第一天

Sun, 17 Jul 2022 23:00:35 +0000

前些日子看了奥斯卡电影CODA, 感受到聋哑人在生活的艰难和委屈.

前些日子看了奥斯卡电影CODA, 感受到聋哑人在生活的艰难和委屈. 不知怎么的, 把我带回那个初来乍到的年头. 2010/01/11, 我第一天到美国, 错过报道时间一周, 面临被退学的危险, 半夜的航班, 行李全部因为航班问题丢失. 连话都说不明白的第一天, 我是这么过的:

009 | 学会了如何制作播客

Sun, 08 May 2022 22:48:31 +0000

小宇宙: '土汪遛弯儿'

不停折腾. 这可不, 得更新一支播客 - 这一次讲的是西雅图脱口秀的故事.

就现在的用户体验来看, 小宇宙是最好用的. 页面简易, 支持RSS Feed. 播客就收录在这里: https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/626ef6323e8abf901a68d8bd

008 | 英文视频一锅端

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 18:41:55 +0000

这是一堆用力制作的英文视频

①拒了一些Offer

上一次的文章里面, 我们聊了几个公司的区别.

今天用视频, 深入聊聊, Uber的那个offer是怎么攒出来的:

② I Failed To Quit FAANG

Maybe I’m Culturally Wired This Way?

007 | 我, 全队的瓶颈

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 02:26:36 +0000

tbh, don't be that bottleneck

你恐怕会想, 说的是工作能力缺失的故事? 恰恰相反, 今天说的是那个实力全组最强的人, 那个全队的瓶颈.

THE STORY

17年, 在亚马逊工作了一年多, 我接手了一个中型的项目, 重置一下我们内部的一个管理网站. 想法很简单, 就是重做网站, 加上一些新功能, 再保证未来可以添加新功能.

006 | 导师的辛酸泪

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 14:27:57 +0000

Top of Mind: Mentorship

近一年来, 我在琢磨, 什么是出色的导师(Mentor)? 如何到达那一步?

导师与老师的角色有很大的区别: 前者似乎更多在提出问题, 而后者更多在解答问题. 把我们放在 1:1 会面的语境里, 导师也许更多是用问题来帮助对方自己找寻答案, 而老师会直接有效地教会一件事的来龙去脉.

005 | 面试最佳的时机

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 03:42:46 +0000

当然是headcount刚放出来的时候

最近有两个美国朋友, 先后跟我联系, 问我当年面试的经验. 我发现他们有个共同的特点, 就是很难接受一个'慢慢来'的设定 - 我不知道是何原因, 也许是直男, 也许是缺乏面试经验. 既然他们问了我意见, 那我就耐心解释, 为什么面试的时机很重要.

004 | 新人的话语权

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 04:52:32 +0000

稳重的倒库, 远比华丽的漂移靠谱得多

2021三月底, 我用视频记录了来到新公司的沟通瓶颈. 因为语言环境的改变, 知识领域的变迁, 我们势必会在新公司进步缓慢. 那期视频, 以公司会议为切入点, 聊了三个可攻可守的角度: 1/ 把控会议的开头, 2/ 提前了解沟通的对象, 3/ 会议后总结跟进.

003 | 工作里的放手

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 14:00:55 +0000

锻炼新人的三个阶段

在计划项目的时候, 我通常会把任务分析透彻, 描述得通透, 然后再发出去给别人做. 仿佛写入的细节越多, 接到项目的人成功率就越高.

逐渐, 我发现工作中有两种人: 1/ 不需要你的分析, 他也很快琢磨明白. 2/ 你分析得再透彻, 他还是很混乱, 甚至看不懂任务明细.

002 | 工作, 我选Facebook, 谢绝了Uber和Google

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 06:41:04 +0000

选择offer时考虑的四个方向

COVID 元年, 我拿了 4 个 offer: Google, Facebook, Uber, Asana. 其中 Uber可圈可点, Offer最为阔气, 忍痛拒绝.

这篇News Letter, 回顾了我最近一次面试的心态, 经历, 和对每个公司的看法.

001 | 文章vs工程文档

Sat, 03 Jul 2021 10:01:14 +0000

工程文档101攻略

我曾酷爱文章. 续过人家的小说, 编过自己的故事, 琢磨过用字, 也自诩高明地打过笔仗.

后来我写代码了. 代码无情, 有结构但没故事, 有语法但没偏好. 代码的完成意味着一个过程的结束, 而非拉开一场演出的帷幕. 这些都跟写文章写小说差之千里.