Dear Subscriber,

Great leaders are essential! 💪

Most of us (luckily!) work remotely. The human touch is missing from our lives. What we see is mostly avatars, transparent backgrounds and Slack chimes. Leaders are facing a big challenge of connecting people together, building teams and relationships with individuals.

Working in a software development environment is all about creativity, and creativity involves friction. 🙌 Disagreement becomes beneficial. Working from home during the times of isolation doesn’t help channeling the friction into creative results. Strong teams and relationships at work are a must.

We ultimately want to build the best software products and for that we need to have happy people, cooperating together in teams. Each of us need to work hard on ourselves to stay motivated and happy – it's today's hygiene. Leaders are no different, and before they reach out to their teams, they will need to start with themselves first.

Welcome to the next edition of Codestories Newsletter where leadership, software development, and the challenges of today’s world blend together. 🚀

• Dig into the 2020 Scrum Guide
• Tips for acing that coding interview
• Why Flutter is the next big thing for devs
• Smart tech helps present overfishing
• The future of Android phones is foldable

Scrum Guide 2020 — I like it! (Serious Scrum)
The new Scrum Guide is here. This latest edition offers a more condensed resource for those using this critical framework.

Prolonged AWS outage takes down a big chunk of the internet (The Verge)
Whenever there’s an AWS outage, it tends to shut down a large number of services. This recent disruption was no exception, with Adobe, 1Password, The Washington Post, and many others getting an unplanned pause.

“I can’t vacuum because us-east-1 is down” (Geoff Belknap on Twitter)
Those AWS outages can even interrupt your vacuuming session, as the LinkedIn CISO noted on Twitter.

Apple will reduce App Store cut for most developers (The Verge)
A new App Store Small Business Program offers a reduced commission to Apple for developers who earn less than $1 million in annual sales.

Salesforce acquires Slack for $27.7 billion (VentureBeat)
The CRM giant is purchasing the dominant workplace messaging app to expand its service offerings to businesses.

Acing the coding interview even if you can't solve the problem (Better Programming)
This rethink of how to approach the programming phone interview places emphasis on a working relationship with the interviewer instead of solely trying to ace the questions.

GPT-3 codes, blogs, argues, and more (The New York Times)
A new AI system is producing remarkably human-like reactions with conversations, writing, coding and many other tasks that have caught experts off guard.

Click and Collect case study (Netguru)
We built a Click and Collect app using React Native to find ways to speed up the development process, given the importance of this use case as businesses navigate the pandemic.

Firebase Smart Reply: a simple trick that will make your app smarter (Netguru)
A primer on how this useful Firebase feature enables apps to generate smart and natural-sounding replies automatically.

Build a clean Flutter module (Tide Engineering Team)
Tips and code examples that demonstrate why Tide is a useful app development tool.

Why Flutter is the next big thing in app development (Better Programming)
The author makes the case for Flutter as the cross-development tool of the future, despite some other developers’ criticism.

The architecture of React Native at Wix (Wix Engineering)
Building a multi-module architecture is a large undertaking. This blog post from the Wix engineering team outlines the integration of React Native into the development process.

Startup Volta Greentech on reducing methane (All About Feed)
Cutting down on cows’ methane emissions is the focus of a Swedish startup. It’s a special diet for cleaner air.

Vertical farming startup Infarm raises $170m (Sifted)
A Berlin-based startup is betting on desire for local, more sustainable food sources.

How smart tech can help with overfishing and sustainability (World Economic Forum)
LED lighting and other technologies are helping fishermen catch less of what they don’t want, saving countless numbers of ocean wildlife.

Want to gauge the wellbeing of your team? All you have to do is ask (LeadDev)
Helpful advice from a COO for assessing your team’s wellbeing. From Slack nudges to making time for conversations, here are some ways to be present for your team’s needs.

Simple steps for scaling engineering teams (Pragmatic Engineer)
Check out advice gleaned from how Uber quickly scaled its engineering teams. These steps are designed to fit both small and mid-size companies grappling with the challenges brought on by growth.

Creating a product culture (MAA1)
A proper product culture isn’t automatic to every company. This toolkit may help you build the right culture to help teams achieve at the highest level.

How to speed up your decision making (Better Advice)
Decision making isn’t always easy. If you’ve ever struggled with making the call when it comes to decisions, this algorithmic approach may help you break through the paralysis.

How I got 7 job offers in 8 weeks (Noteworthy)
A collection of smart job hunting hacks that just may help you land that next position.

Flutter and Firebase setup for power users (Fireship)
Get up and running with Flutter and Firebase so you’re ready to conquer your next project.

Answers to #AskFlutter questions from Flutter Day (Flutter)
An on-demand recording of questions and answers directly from the Flutter team that may give a lift for your next project.

Firebase authentication – the clean way (Robert Brunhage)
Need some inspiration in getting started with Firebase? This video walks through authentication, enabling a sign in method, and other key aspects to using Firebase.

CGi Poem project by the Milkinside team. A must-see! Check it out here on Behance.

Etsy CEO Josh Silverman, as quoted in The Verge regarding the sudden demand for masks made by Etsy creators.

Android foldable phones – are you ready? (Netguru)
The future is foldable, at least when it comes to Android phones. Learn about the opportunities and potential pitfalls to this approach.

Help for making the perfect cup of coffee (Honest Coffee Guide)
Not all coffee grinders are created equal. This site equips you to build a customizable chart so you get just the right grind settings depending on the brew methods.

A pragmatic Scrum for a big move (Jim van der Waal)
This program manager put Scrum to work to ensure an apartment swap went as smoothly as possible.

Zoom school is hurting kids' mental health (Elemental)
A high school student shares the challenges with remote learning and offers suggestions for making it better.

Yours sincerely,
Codestories Team