Balancing Coupling in Software Design • Vlad Khononov & Sheen Brisals

GOTO - The Brightest Minds in Tech

This interview was recorded for the GOTO Book Club.
http://gotopia.tech/bookclub

Read the full transcription of the interview here

Sheen Brisals - AWS Serverless Hero, Engineering Leader & Co-Author of "Serverless Development on AWS"
Vlad Khononov - Author of "Balancing Coupling in Software Design" & "Learning Domain Driven Design" & Creator of the Balanced Coupling Model
RESOURCES
Vlad
https://bsky.app/profile/vladikk.bsky.social
https://vladikk.com
https://github.com/vladikk
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladikk

Sheen
https://bsky.app/profile/sheenbrisals.bsky.social
https://twitter.com/sheenbrisals
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheen-brisals
https://sbrisals.medium.com

Links
https://www.informit.com
https://youtu.be/6hTZXR2brWE

DESCRIPTION
Sheen Brisals sits down with software engineer and author Vlad Khononov to explore his latest book, "Balancing Coupling in Software Design". Vlad shares his journey from a failed microservices project to his deep dive into the principles of coupling, drawing insights from a 1970s structured design book.
The duo discusses the timeless nature of coupling in software, how modern systems like microservices and cloud architectures still rely on age-old design principles, and the importance of understanding complexity for better problem decomposition and estimation. Vlad also reveals his unique approach to the book—integrating AI-generated poetry into each chapter to help readers grasp complex concepts. With a focus on modularity as the antidote to complexity, Vlad emphasizes that by managing coupling, engineers can create more maintainable, scalable systems.
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Vlad Khononov • Balancing Coupling in Software Design
Vlad Khononov • Learning Domain-Driven Design
Sheen Brisals & Luke Hedger • Serverless Development on AWS
G

Inspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology Podcast
Interviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Bluesky
Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn
Facebook
CHANNEL MEMBERSHIP BONUS
Join this channel to get early access to videos & other perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs_tLP3AiwYKwdUHpltJPuA/join

Looking for a unique learning experience?
Attend the next GOTO conference near you! Get your ticket: gotopia.tech
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL - new videos posted daily!

บท

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. Why a book on coupling? (00:02:37)

3. Coupling in modern software architecture (00:05:26)

4. Applying coupling principles to estimation (00:13:52)

5. [Ad] Inspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology Podcast (00:15:17)

6. (Cont.) Applying coupling principles to estimation (00:15:52)

7. Complexity, modularity & software design (00:17:02)

8. The failed microservices project (00:20:28)

9. Bringing creativity to technical writing (00:25:54)

10. From complexity to modularity (00:34:22)

11. Outro (00:36:11)