You’re reading The Steady Beat, a weekly round-up of hand-picked articles for people who coordinate teams and work, like engineering managers, design directors, product managers, project leaders, team facilitators, and department heads. Brought to you by the team at Steady.
By the Numbers - 🍎 💵
41 Million — Apple Pay now processes a staggering 41 million transactions per day, demonstrating the massive scale at which this secure payment system operates globally.
2 — The Apple Pay security architecture relies on just two specialized chips within your iPhone: the secure element (storing encrypted payment data) and the secure enclave (handling biometric verification).
0 — The number of actual credit card numbers Apple stores on its servers or your iPhone. Instead, the system uses Device Account Numbers (DANs) - unique, device-specific tokens that can’t be reverse-engineered back to your real card.
1 — A single tap is all it takes to complete an Apple Pay transaction, even without internet connectivity, thanks to the near-field communication (NFC) technology that allows direct communication between your iPhone and payment terminals.
— The System Design Newsletter, 10m, #payments, #security, #network-design
But…
Wes Kao argues that the word “but” isn’t the villain it’s made out to be—it’s just misused. Since “but” negates whatever precedes it, most people unknowingly create deflating messages with the “positive, but negative” structure. Kao suggests flipping the script: lead with the criticism and end with praise using a “negative, but positive” arrangement. This simple inversion works because our brains latch onto negative information, so starting with it softens the blow, while ending on a positive note creates momentum and goodwill. The technique allows you to deliver honest feedback while maintaining a collaborative tone—perfect for managers who want to be direct without demoralizing their teams.
— Wes Kao’s Newsletter, 5m, #communication, #leadership, #workplace-relationships
Engineers dish on AI
Wired surveyed 730 software engineers to settle the debate on how AI is reshaping coding—and found an industry deeply divided. While nearly all developers have strong opinions, most dismiss the idea that AI will fully automate programming jobs as fantasy. The skeptics view chatbots as glorified interns—helpful but clueless with context and edge cases. The prevailing sentiment portrays AI as a force multiplier rather than a replacement, automating repetitive tasks while humans handle creativity and architecture. Interestingly, when Wired fed this survey data to ChatGPT (under human supervision), it fabricated quotes, misread results, and produced nonsensical graphs. 🤷
— Wired, 9m, #software, #ai, #engineering
Feedback baggage
When your boss says “you’re not resilient enough” and your stomach drops, it’s rarely just about the words. Michaela Bránová argues that our visceral reactions to workplace feedback stem from who’s delivering it and our personal history. Beyond the actual content, feedback activates our unique psychological projections—that seemingly helpful colleague might unconsciously remind you of a dismissive parent, while critique from subordinates feels different than the same words from your manager. After being denied promotion for showing “too much emotion” (translation: acting unacceptably female in a male environment), Bránová later advanced by suppressing her authentic expression. Her advice? Notice your emotional response before reacting, take time if needed, approach feedback as dialogue rather than dictation, and remember that power dynamics fundamentally alter how feedback flows.
— Better Humans, 5m, #feedback, #leadership, #personal-growth
Monday funday
In a world where remote team meetings are often silent affairs with cameras off and speedy exits, authentic connection is the missing ingredient. Jared O’Neal offers practical strategies to transform disengaged meetings: ditch meaningless phrases like “Happy Monday” in favor of genuine conversation starters, preserve the human element in standups rather than defaulting to updates that could be async, eliminate meetings that drain more energy than they provide, and create intentional moments for personal sharing (like “Tunesday” for music enthusiasts). These small but powerful adjustments can transform team gatherings from dreaded obligations into valuable opportunities for collaboration and connection.
— LeadDev, 9m, #product-management, #agile, #leadership
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