Netlify CTO Dana Lawson on Leading Remote Teams & AI’s Impact on Builders

Netlify’s CTO, Dana Lawson, discussed the challenges and strategies for leading a globally distributed engineering team, and the increasing role of artificial intelligence in software development, during a recent appearance on the Stack Overflow podcast “Leaders of Code.” Lawson, whose company powers 5% of the internet, detailed approaches to maintaining culture and productivity across a team of approximately 110 employees, half of whom are in research and development.

The conversation, hosted by Jody Bailey, Chief of Product and Technology at Stack Overflow, centered on the realities of remote work and the importance of written documentation in a multilingual, geographically dispersed organization. Lawson emphasized the need for intentional in-person meetings, allocating budget for teams to connect physically, while also stressing the necessity of a “written culture” – a thoroughly documented record of decisions and processes.

“With remote, you still have to balance that opportunity to connect physically and in person with the remote nature,” Lawson said. “There’s just no two ways around it. You get this energy buzz that people get by getting to meet people in real life.”

Lawson highlighted the benefits of utilizing AI tools for tasks like note-taking and action item tracking, enabling greater efficiency and accessibility for team members. However, she also acknowledged the skepticism some engineers have towards integrating AI into their workflows, particularly regarding relinquishing control. She described a need to balance execution focus with open communication, allowing for debate while maintaining a default of transparency.

“We strive to stand by most conversations, I’m telling you, there’s only far and few that should be in private DMs,” Lawson explained. “We try to work out there and open and try to curate that good ideas do come from anywhere.”

Managing a “polyglot environment” – a team proficient in multiple programming languages – also presented challenges. Lawson described a strategy of identifying skill gaps and leveraging existing team expertise, while also prioritizing operational reliability. She acknowledged the trade-offs between adopting cutting-edge technologies and maintaining stable systems, emphasizing the importance of considering the availability of skilled personnel for support and maintenance.

“We try to think about how we share the operational load for those types of problems and so that we’re always reliable,” Lawson said. “And so again, when we talk about hiring globally and team composition, honestly, it’s like leveraging the team themselves, like asking them, ‘What do you need? What’s missing?’”

Lawson addressed the issue of technical debt, acknowledging its inevitability in fast-paced development environments. She advocated for a pragmatic approach, balancing rapid product development with ongoing efforts to address and mitigate accumulated technical issues. She also noted the importance of fostering a culture of continuous learning and experimentation, encouraging engineers to explore new tools and technologies, including AI-powered agents.

“You’re going to have some technical debt,” Lawson stated. “We’re always, again, looking at ways to mitigate it. …You have to be smart and build towards the future.”

The discussion also touched on the evolving definition of “startup,” with Lawson noting that Netlify, despite having 110 employees, still operates with a degree of “controlled chaos.” She emphasized the importance of empowering teams with autonomy and minimizing bureaucratic overhead.

Lawson concluded by stressing the need for leaders to prioritize people and foster a culture of trust and vulnerability, enabling teams to thrive and deliver innovative solutions. She also noted the increasing accessibility of software development tools, lowering the barrier to entry for builders and fostering a more diverse and inclusive tech landscape.