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An Elegant Puzzle cover

An Elegant Puzzle

Systems of Engineering Management

A systems toolkit for the messy problems of engineering management.

by Will Larson

Will Larson treats engineering management as a series of solvable systems problems, from sizing teams and managing growth to handling technical debt and succession planning. Drawing on his experience at high-growth technology companies, he offers concrete frameworks rather than platitudes. The book is structured as a reference of approaches a manager can apply directly.

Founders who build engineering organizations face the same scaling pains Larson dissects: how to staff teams, run hiring, and keep velocity high as headcount grows. His systems lens helps a founder reason about org structure deliberately instead of reactively.

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