Start here for the Tech World With Milan
Insights at the intersection of Software Engineering, Architecture, AI, and Leadership.
Every day as a developer, architect, or leader, you face a choice:
Path 1: The Shortcut. Copy what others do. Follow outdated advice. Patch together “best practices” without context. Grind through work without growth.
Or,
Path 2: The Craft. Think deeper. Make better trade-offs. Build systems that last. Lead with clarity. Grow your skills beyond code.
If you're reading this, you've already chosen. You're not here for surface-level tutorials.
But here’s the challenge.
Most resources online are either shallow (influencers chasing likes) or impractical (advice that only works if you’re Google). Then there are the coding influencers who've never shipped production code, selling dreams about "10x engineers" and "clean code perfectionism."
Bottom line? Finding practical engineering wisdom is harder than it should be.
That’s what this newsletter solves.
I’m Milan, a startup CTO, coach, Microsoft MVP, and author.
I’ve spent 20+ years building software and teams, working as a researcher, engineer, architect, manager, and consultant, from startups to enterprises. In 2010, I earned a Ph.D. in AI and Computer Science.
Over the years, I've collected hundreds of tactics while working alongside some of the sharpest CTOs and engineering leaders in the industry.
I write here every week to share what I’ve learned and what I’m still learning, so you don’t have to repeat the same mistakes.
💯 The mission:
To help you find those powerful engineering insights that actually work. Here are some ideas you can use in your next sprint. System-designing, career-accelerating, problem-solving tactics you won't find in computer science textbooks. With these in your toolkit, you can take the Craft's Path with confidence.
"Tech World With Milan" is your engineering playbook. Ready to level up? 🚀
👉 “Subscribe to join 47,000+ engineers and leaders who’ve chosen the Craft path.”
🧑💻 If you are a software engineer:
Books Every Software Engineer Must Read in 2023. (and 2024.). Get a curated list of the most impactful reads to stay on top of your craft.
What distinguishes great software engineers by Microsoft (and me). Learn about the traits that separate good coders from great ones.
Context-switching is the main productivity killer for developers. Discover strategies to minimize interruptions and stay in a state of flow.
How to deal with Technical Debt (also read how Google does it, and how to handle it in legacy projects). Identify and mitigate the hidden costs of rushing code.
5 books that changed my engineering career forever. These books significantly impacted my career path.
What I learned from the book Designing Data-Intensive Applications. Most engineers skim DDIA. I read it twice, and here’s why it rewired my mental model.
My learnings from the book A Philosophy of Software Design. Probably the best book on software design out there.
Computer Science Papers Every Developer Should Read. The most impactful computer science that every developer needs to read.
Why C#? (and recommended learning resources). The answer to the question: Why do you code in C#?
How to learn API. With the list of all important resources you will ever need.
How To Do Code Reviews Properly. To improve your software quality process and developer happiness
Why is critical thinking a game-changer for developers. The single thing that differentiates great developers from others.
How a Single Line of Code Brought Down a Billion-Dollar Rocket. Learn more about software bugs that led to catastrophic outcomes.
What Are Deployment Patterns. Learn about popular deployment patterns, from canary releases to dark launches.
Git Branching Strategies. Learn how to choose a proper Git branching strategy.
What is a CI/CD Pipeline. Understand what CI/CD is and how it shapes modern project delivery.
🏗️ If you are a software architect:
Mastering the Art of Software Architecture Documentation. Communicate complex systems in a clear and structured manner.
What is a Modular Monolith (and why you should start with it). An in-depth look at designing flexible, maintainable architectures.
What I learned from the book Software Architecture: The Hard Parts. Key takeaways that might shift how you plan and design software systems.
What is a Clean Architecture. Establish robust boundaries to keep your codebase organized and maintainable.
How does Netflix manage to show you a movie without interruptions? A deep dive into the Netflix systems architecture.
Facilitating Software Architectures. A decentralized framework for making architectural decisions.
How to test your software architectures. Use Fitness functions to ensure that our architectural goals are met.
Your software architecture is as complex as your organization. How Conway’s Law dictates your software architecture.
Software Architecture As Code Tools. An overview of all major architecture/diagrams as code tools.
Airbnb Microservice Architecture, StackOverflow, Shopify, and Levels.fyi Architecture. Use cases of popular website architectures.
Evolution of the Netflix API Architecture. How Netflix changed its API architecture through 4 main stages.
Top 10 Architectural Patterns. Main architectural design patterns everyone needs to know.
How to Scale an App up to 10 Million Users on Azure. A deep dive into an Azure Solution Architecture.
🧭 If you are a leader or manager:
Building High-Performing Teams. Core principles to bring your team to its highest potential.
How to delegate efficiently. Simple frameworks for handing off tasks without losing visibility.
How to establish a feedback culture. Foster open communication and continuous improvement.
How Google builds great engineering teams. Insights from one of the world’s leading tech organizations.
15 Best Leadership Books. That made me a better leader.
How to coach people through the Change Curve. Every change is an opportunity to coach people.
How to be a multiplier as a leader. Become a multiplier to your team, not a diminisher.
Why you should use different leadership styles. Why is no single leadership style good for you.
How To Measure Developer Productivity. An overview of different developer productivity frameworks: DevEx, SPACE, DORA, and GSM.
How to deal with difficult conversations. Learn to better handle difficult conversations by using two powerful models.
All Estimations Are Wrong, But None Are Useful. Learn why are estimations no good, but why do we still use them.
🎯If you are preparing for tech interviews:
How SSO (Single Sign-On) actually works. Get how one login unlocks multiple apps with zero extra passwords.
The main API architecture styles: SOAP, REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, Webhooks. See which style fits when, plus a checklist for security risks.
What a CDN does and why it matters. How caching and edge servers make your site fast and resilient without new hardware.
When to use GraphQL, gRPC, or REST. Match the right protocol to your need: REST simplicity, gRPC speed, or GraphQL flexibility.
How OAuth 2.0 works under the hood. Learn how apps use tokens, not credentials, to access your data safely.
How to learn SQL effectively. Master queries, joins, and optimizers, and get the top tools to practice.
API Gateway vs Load Balancer vs Reverse Proxy. Clarify who does what in your stack, routing, balancing, and securing traffic.
What microservice architecture actually is. Break a monolith into small, deployable services that teams can own.
What an API Gateway is. See how it sits between client and services, orchestrates APIs, and adds a layer of control.
What is the difference between MVC, MVP, MVI, MVVM, MVVM-C, and VIPER architecture patterns. Important differences between the most popular architecture patterns.
🌱 If you want to continue with your personal development:
How to become an expert in anything. Proven methods for skill mastery and steady growth.
How to learn anything efficiently. Learn how to deeply understand things and retain everything you learned.
How to fight Impostor Syndrome. Practical steps to quiet self-doubt and perform confidently.
How to be 10x more productive. Techniques for prioritizing work and cutting busywork.
How to make better decisions with Second-Order Thinking. A simple mental model for better decisions.
Some important learnings from my 20 years of engineering life. That will make you a better developer and leader.
The habits of highly effective people. 7+1 habit that will make you highly efficient, according to Stephen R. Covey.
How to be Accountable? Why is accountability important, and how to be and hold people accountable?
How to develop High Agency. The fundamental trait of people who seem to always find a way forward, even in challenging conditions.
📈 If you want to follow trends in the industry:
Trends #8: Developers use AI more, but they trust it much less. What we learned from the latest trends in AI.
Trends #7: TypeScript is getting 10x faster! Microsoft's surprising language choice has developers talking, and build times are dropping dramatically.
Trends #6: Python is the most popular programming language on GitHub. For the first time, Python has surpassed JavaScript to become the most widely used and fastest-growing programming language on GitHub.
ChatGPT is not AI. Most people think ChatGPT is AI, but they're wrong.
70+ Engineering Blogs To Follow in 2025. All you need to know in one place.
Check all learning tracks on my newsletter.
Ways I can help you grow faster
Here is the full list of my products and services:
📚 The Ultimate .NET Bundle 2025 – 500+ pages on C#, ASP.NET Core, patterns, best practices.
📄 Resume Packages & Reviews – Get CTO-level feedback to land interviews.
📢 LinkedIn Content Creator Masterclass – The system behind my 270k+ audience.
🤝 1:1 Coaching – Solve your hardest engineering or leadership challenge.
✨ Patreon Community – Unlock every book, template, and early drop. Read more than 130 of my posts, and some in advance, before publishing.
🎁 But there’s more!
Download my mini-book: 100+ Books That Changed My Life in my book club.
One-page briefs of the most impactful books across tech, leadership, productivity, and beyond.
👉 Subscribe to join 48,000+ engineers and leaders.
Every week: one clear, actionable article in your inbox.
See you soon,
Milan
👉 P.S. Please share. Send Tech World with Milan to other people who take the Craft path. Friends always make adventures easier.