The Pragmatic Engineer
The Pragmatic Engineer

The Pragmatic Engineer

by Gergely Orosz

Weekly Freemium

The #1 technology newsletter on Substack. Deep dives into software engineering, leadership, and the tech industry, written by a former engineering manager at Uber.

About The Pragmatic Engineer

The Pragmatic Engineer provides 'insider' perspectives on how big tech companies operate. Gergely uses his extensive experience and network to break down complex topics like hiring freezes, salary bands, and performance reviews, as well as deeply technical topics like system design at scale.

What Makes This Newsletter Unique

Unparalleled depth in understanding the 'business' and 'career' side of software engineering. It is famously well-researched and often sets the agenda for tech industry discussions.

Who Should Subscribe?

Any software engineer who cares about their career trajectory, or managers who want to build better engineering cultures.

Content Format

Long-form essays (2,000+ words) with data, interviews, and actionable advice.

Recent Newsletter Issues

Mar 5, 2026

The Pulse: Cloudflare rewrites Next.js as AI rewrites commercial open source

An engineer at Cloudflare rewrote most of Vercel’s Next.js in one week with AI agents. It looks like a sign of how AI will disrupt existing moats and business models. Analysis

Jan 29, 2026

I replaced a $120/year micro-SaaS in 20 minutes with LLM-generated code

I used to pay $120/year for a SaaS that hasn’t added new features in four years, and didn’t fix its broken billing system for three years. Using an LLM, I managed to rewrite all the functionality I us

Jan 7, 2026

The grief when AI writes most of the code

When AI writes almost all code, what happens to software engineering? There is grief involved for us developers, that's for sure.

Pricing & Subscription Options

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Our Take: Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Extremely high-quality research and writing
  • Provides unique data on salaries and hiring
  • Highly practical advice for senior engineers and managers

Cons

  • Premium subscription is relatively expensive
  • Can be very focused on the 'Big Tech' ecosystem

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it worth the premium price?

The Pragmatic Engineer offers a free version with optional premium features. Free weekly articles + Premium subscription ($15/month).

How often is The Pragmatic Engineer published?

The Pragmatic Engineer is published weekly.

Who writes The Pragmatic Engineer?

The Pragmatic Engineer is written by Gergely Orosz. Gergely Orosz is the author of several books including The Software Engineer's Guidebook. He was formerly an Engineering Manager at Uber and has worked at Skype, Microsoft, and Skyscanner.

About the Author: Gergely Orosz

G

Gergely Orosz

Gergely Orosz is the author of several books including The Software Engineer's Guidebook. He was formerly an Engineering Manager at Uber and has worked at Skype, Microsoft, and Skyscanner.

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