The Best Engineer I Have Ever Met
During my year and a half at Chainlink, I had the privilege of working with one of the best engineers I’ve ever met. Before that, I had worked at more than five companies and met many engineers, but this one stood out.
What made him exceptional? Three key things:
- A deep understanding of both the codebase and the domain.
- The courage to challenge the status quo.
- Leadership that inspired others to work hard for him.
This made me wonder: How can I become like that?
This article summarizes what I learned from our 1:1s over the months I worked directly with him at Chainlink.
1. Deep Understanding of the Codebase and the Domain
1.1 Read More Code
His best advice for improving technically? Read more code.
Books and technical materials are great, but they’re all derived from the same source: the code itself.
At first, I couldn’t believe it — it sounded too simple. But it’s true: we spend more time reading code than writing it. The faster we understand it, the better we grasp the logic and problem-solving behind it.
Reading code not only improves your ability to understand it, but also helps you learn new problem spaces. It’s the ultimate learning tool.
“Code is the truth.”
Documentation can be wrong. People can have agendas in their design docs. But code never lies. By reading code, you get straight to the truth in technical discussions, uncovering cause-and-effect relationships in the codebase.
1.2 Simplify to First Principles
At Chainlink, we deal with a complex codebase. We manage not only blockchain technology but also the differences across blockchains like Aptos, EVM, Solana, and Cosmos. On top of that, we handle traditional Web2 stacks, including frontend and backend systems. It’s a lot.
But he simplified this for me with a powerful insight:
“Aren’t they all just computers with different architectures and networking properties? At the core, it’s just computers talking to each other.”
It blew my mind. When you strip away the abstractions, it’s all just computing. We shouldn’t treat new technologies like magic. Instead, we should focus on first principles. By understanding the core principles of computing, we can simplify complex technical problems and codebases.
2. The Courage to Challenge the Status Quo
This is crucial. As engineers, we’re problem solvers. But sometimes, we get so caught up in solving problems that we don’t notice the frustrations we’re experiencing ourselves. Many engineers focus only on completing tasks.
But he told me:
“Always look for ways to improve the process. Identify the pain points and frustrations, and try to automate them. This will greatly boost the team’s productivity.”
3. Leadership and Influence
His leadership style was humble and supportive despite his vast experience at top companies like Google. This made him approachable and easy to follow.
What really stood out was his ability to scope out issues and delegate them in a way that fostered growth. He constantly uplifted other engineers, which encouraged them to follow his lead and work harder.
Final Thoughts
This engineer’s deep technical expertise, willingness to challenge the norm, and leadership skills left a lasting impression on me. Through our interactions, I learned valuable lessons about how to grow as both an engineer and a leader.
