Thoughtful Software in 2020 and Looking Ahead

Thoughtful Software Podcast

In this episode, Andrew and Fahad reflect on the state of software and technology in 2020. They discuss what advancements were made that enabled various platforms to become more thoughtful, as well as what companies can improve upon in the coming year. From the medical industry to privacy and data, join Andrew and Fahad as they bring us insight on how software across several spectrums can become more Thoughtful.
Show Notes:
Advancements for Software in 2020 to be more Thoughtful
Data

• Pharmaceutical - Testing, simulation, and machine learning. Instead of five to six years for a vaccine, we got it down to nine months because of technology and data.
• As a population, Covid has presented an opportunity for people to begin the journey towards more thoughtful software as we realize its impact on our lives. Services like Instacart became a pivotal part of people's lives.
• Pfizer is a powerful example of what it means to use the right data, build the right architecture. It cannot be understated that they may not be as innovative as a 30 person team, but they get there by partnering with them.

Privacy

• Apple made major changes to its ad platforms in addition to the way ads are served to individuals.
• We have to start seriously asking the question: who gets to work on these projects, what are the qualifications required to do it, should people be allowed to do it if they are not aware of privacy being a concern?
• 2020 has revealed that there is a ton of bad software out there, not because it is badly written, but because it does bad things to people like collecting data it should not have and monitoring individuals in ways it should not be doing.

Remote Work

• Working from home was once considered a fad but has now become an accepted practice.
• Google and Netflix have stated that they will not become fully remote. However, many of their talented employees may leave to work for fully remote companies such as Skiplist.
• Remote work helps employees be efficient from home without sacrificing productivity, in person office work cannot always say the same.

Data Swamps to Data Lakes

• The Broken Window Problem states that one broken window in a building leads to many broken windows and degradation over time. Because data lakes are monoliths software falls victim to this, but great teams can stop this from happening.
• Social media outlets are selling clicks because they need to make money, however, principles from microservices may help turn data swamps into data lakes.
• As we leave 2020 we have an opportunity to move forward and be innovative rather than simply go back to normal.

Resources:
Thoughtful Software Podcast: Episode 50
mRNA
Pfizer
Amazon Fresh
Safeway
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