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Matheus Lima

@terriblesoftware.org

350 followers 190 following 94 posts

💡 Posting about Software, Management, and Tech 👨‍💻 Engineering Manager @ Tremendous 🚀 Previously, Sr. Software Engineer @ Carta ✍️ terriblesoftware.org

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Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Dec 5

If you're a new manager, or about to become one, these insights are for you.

I realized that many of the mistakes I've made during my transition into management are very common, and that's why I decided to write this down.

terriblesoftware.org/2024/12/04/t...

The 6 Mistakes You’re Going to Make as a New Manager

Transitioning from an individual contributor to a manager is tough but rewarding. The key is to delegate, find new sources of fulfillment, focus on quality over quantity, maintain proper engagement…

terriblesoftware.org

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · 2d

This is good stuff!

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · 8d

Politics isn't manipulation and backstabbing. It's understanding how decisions actually get made and learning to navigate that reality.

Refusing to engage doesn't make politics go away. It just means you lose by default.

terriblesoftware.org/2025/10/01/s...

Stop Avoiding Politics

Most engineers think workplace politics is dirty. They’re wrong. Refusing to play politics doesn’t make you noble; it makes you ineffective.

terriblesoftware.org

Reposted by Matheus Lima

Brittany Ellich @brittanyellich.com · Aug 25

ICYMI: this week's Balanced Engineer Newsletter has three articles to be a more balanced software engineer:

✨ An interactive overview of Big O Notation from @samwho.dev
✨ What shouldn't be written by AI from Sean Goedecke
✨ The management skill no one talks about from @terriblesoftware.org

The Balanced Engineer • Issue #34

Diving into Big O Notation, exploring AI content norms, and understanding the management skill that nobody talks about with content from Sam Rose, Sean Goedecke, and Matheus Lima!

archives.balancedengineer.com

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Aug 25

Thank you! 🙇

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Aug 22

Read a parenting book recently (stay with me here) that completely changed how I think about management.

Turns out the most important skill isn't avoiding mistakes, it's what you do after making them.

terriblesoftware.org/2025/08/22/t...

The Management Skill Nobody Talks About

“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen Let me tell you something that will happen after you become a manager: you’re going to mess u…

terriblesoftware.org

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Aug 4

"Be the pilot, not the turbulence."

Great parenting advice that's equally true for management.

Reposted by Matheus Lima

Charity Majors @charity.wtf · Jul 30

This is a thought provoking, bite sized little piece that boils down to, "don't give feedback on EVERYTHING, because not everything matters! give feedback on things that have impact."

I think it's a *great* exercise for the feedback-giver to think through the impact they want their advice to have.

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Jul 18

How much of your feedback is actually about performance vs. personal preference?

If you can't point to specific impact, maybe the behavior that needs changing is yours.

terriblesoftware.org/2025/07/18/w...

Why Most Feedback Shouldn’t Exist

Before giving feedback, ask yourself: is there measurable impact? Most manager feedback is just personal preference disguised as professional development. Stop policing personality.

terriblesoftware.org

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Jul 18

Would love your take on this one, @charity.wtf

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Jul 18

How much of your feedback is actually about performance vs. personal preference?

If you can't point to specific impact, maybe the behavior that needs changing is yours.

terriblesoftware.org/2025/07/18/w...

Why Most Feedback Shouldn’t Exist

Before giving feedback, ask yourself: is there measurable impact? Most manager feedback is just personal preference disguised as professional development. Stop policing personality.

terriblesoftware.org

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Jul 14

The faster tech changes, the more valuable the things that don't change become.

New post on why fundamentals matter more than ever:

terriblesoftware.org/2025/07/14/w...

What Doesn’t Change

Why the faster tech evolves and AI advances, the more valuable computer science fundamentals become. Understanding principles beats chasing trends.

terriblesoftware.org

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Jun 27

Built a tiny zsh plugin that's been super helpful for me - converts natural language to shell commands.

Just 5KB, no dependencies. Would love feedback!

github.com/matheusml/zsh-ai

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Jun 24

After 10+ years as an engineer, I became the thing I used to complain about: a manager.

Finally wrote about why this relationship is so broken (and how to fix it):

terriblesoftware.org/2025/06/24/w...

Why Engineers Hate Their Managers (And What to Do About It)

Discover why engineers hate managers, the common management anti-patterns that destroy trust, and practical solutions from someone who’s been on both sides.

terriblesoftware.org

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Jun 13

New post is out; I think you'll link this one!

terriblesoftware.org/2025/06/13/g...

Good Engineer/Bad Engineer

Why the best engineers aren’t always the smartest — and what separates engineers who ship from those who just code.

terriblesoftware.org

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Jun 12

When AI says, "You're absolutely right!", something bad usually follows

Reposted by Matheus Lima

Dan Denney @dandenney.com · Jun 9

Fantastic explanation of the challenges of developing in a codebase over time

My fave line: “Every new requirement makes it slightly worse, but never quite bad enough to justify a complete rewrite.”

terriblesoftware.org/2025/05/28/d...

Duplication Is Not the Enemy

We’re taught to eliminate duplication at all costs. But the wrong abstraction is far more expensive than a little copy-paste. Here’s why.

terriblesoftware.org

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Jun 10

Thank you! 🙇

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Jun 9

Last year I wrote about how AI won't replace programmers — just like COBOL, OOP, and Low Code didn't.

Got a lot of heat for it. "This time is different!" they said.

A year later, we're still here. Still shipping. Still needed.

terriblesoftware.org/2024/12/14/w...

We’ve Been Here Before

Technological advancements have empowered engineers to focus on creativity and strategy. AI will similarly elevate human insight, generating growth and innovation.

terriblesoftware.org

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Jun 3

Really good post.

I don't necessarily agree with "but the craft" section, because if engineers stop loving what they do... they'll probably stop doing it.

But again, great post.

fly.io/blog/youre-a...

My AI Skeptic Friends Are All Nuts

My smartest friends have bananas arguments about LLM coding.

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · May 28

Hot take: Stop following DRY so religiously.

I've seen more codebases destroyed by premature abstraction than by duplication. Sometimes copy-paste is the right answer.

New post: terriblesoftware.org/2025/05/28/d...

Duplication Is Not the Enemy

We’re taught to eliminate duplication at all costs. But the wrong abstraction is far more expensive than a little copy-paste. Here’s why.

terriblesoftware.org

Reposted by Matheus Lima

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · May 16

Your engineers don't want you to make them "happy" — they want you to help them ship meaningful work.

terriblesoftware.org/2025/05/16/m...

Manage For Success, Not Comfort

Great managers build effective engineering teams focused on results, not just team comfort. Success drives satisfaction—not the other way around.

terriblesoftware.org

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · May 16

Your engineers don't want you to make them "happy" — they want you to help them ship meaningful work.

terriblesoftware.org/2025/05/16/m...

Manage For Success, Not Comfort

Great managers build effective engineering teams focused on results, not just team comfort. Success drives satisfaction—not the other way around.

terriblesoftware.org

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Apr 23

I just published "The Hidden Cost of AI Coding"

As AI coding tools make us more productive, are we sacrificing the joy that made us fall in love with programming?

terriblesoftware.org/2025/04/23/t...

The Hidden Cost of AI Coding

AI coding tools boost productivity but may sacrifice the flow state and deep satisfaction developers experience when writing code by hand. What are we losing?

terriblesoftware.org

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Apr 21

That's awesome, thank you!

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Apr 21

When I posted this, I didn't expect the amount of engagement it's been getting. People are really resonating with it.

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Mar 31

Strengths and weaknesses are two sides of the same coin.
As managers, our job isn't to "fix" people but to help them recognize when to dial traits up or down.

Just published:

terriblesoftware.org/2025/03/31/y...

Your Strengths Are Your Weaknesses

The qualities you value most in engineers are also creating your biggest problems. Here’s how to handle this paradox.

terriblesoftware.org

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Apr 14

Vibe coding is fun, but don't be fooled: it can only get you so far.

A graph showing software development progress over time. Initial "vibe coding" creates rapid progress to ~80% (prototype), while the "long tail" slowly reaches production-ready state.