Robby Russell

ceo @PlanetArgon, 👨🏼‍💻 created @OhMyZsh, 🎙 host @_Maintainable and 'On @Rails' podcasts, #RubyOnRails dev, 🎸 guitarist @MightyMissoula.

[Robby Russell @robbyrussell]

From my armchair vantage point, one of the most underrated software engineers on a team right now might be the person making everyone… and every agent… more effective.

So much of the narrative has been…

Look at what I built!
Look what I automated!
Look at how much faster I am!
Look how many pull requests my agent opened!

(guilty of this myself)

If I were employed at a software company today (and not running an agency)… I’d be volunteering for the highest-leverage work I could find.

Better feedback loops, simplifying deploys, documenting decisions, reducing noise, hunting for shit to rip out, improving onboarding (for agents), cutting useless CI spend, shipping tools for my teammates and our agents, etc.

Actually, scratch “volunteer.” I’d just do the shit. Half of this work doesn’t require a meeting, a ticket, or a blessing from management. It just needs someone willing to make things a little less painful than they were yesterday.

Maybe that’s the bet. While everyone else is measuring their own productivity gains, become the person quietly increasing everyone else’s.

[Robby Russell @robbyrussell]

Just grabbed tickets to see Portland's new WNBA team on Friday night. Invite sent.

[Robby Russell @robbyrussell]

ProTip: You can plan an experience for yourself and your partner without consulting them first. Pick something they've always been curious to do/try... and just send them a calendar invite.

Like... you could do that right now. In fact, I challenge you to do it... right now. Share 👇

[Robby Russell @robbyrussell]

@adrianthedev @JasonSwett You got stickers? I got intel inside

[Robby Russell @robbyrussell]

Might anyone in Austin have a conference room they could lend my team for a few hours on Friday, Sept. 25th? (obvs, we can book a rental.. but figure I'd put the ask out)

[Robby Russell @robbyrussell]

Obviously, this resonates with me. What I find myself thinking most about is whether the people who will be in roles to hire internal vs. external expertise will consider the benefits of bringing in teams like ours.

From an incentives perspective, are our typical clients going to be rewarded for seeking out external help to speed things up OR will they be rewarded by finding ways to mimic that expertise, in house.

[Robby Russell @robbyrussell]

@dhh Looking forward to seeing where mise lands with the survey results.

https://t.co/1rw39WtGcF

[Planet Argon @planetargon]

Rails 8 adoption is moving faster than the usual "everyone's stuck on old versions" narrative suggests. In early responses to the 2026 Rails Community Survey, Rails 8.1 is already the most-used version. The community is keeping up.
What version are you on? https://t.co/5Hgv77WSKA

[Robby Russell @robbyrussell]

@jamonholmgren Something I've been using the last few years... to at least put new senders in a temporary space until I can quickly approve/block them. I keep thinking I might replace it with my own tool, but it's been useful

https://t.co/N1TUYSUyXp

[Robby Russell @robbyrussell]

@eSquareDesign Building custom software ;-)

[Robby Russell @robbyrussell]

@culturedcode Consider my reflection shared. Whether my story gets picked or not, it was genuinely nice spending time reflecting on how long Things has quietly been part of my life and work.

Nearly two decades later... still opening it every day.

[Robby Russell @robbyrussell]

This little nugget of code felt a bit too realistic.

If you work with @rails, the community survey is open again. Curious to see where things actually stand in 2026.

[Robby Russell @robbyrussell]

Happy release day to all those who observe. Worth a dedicated listen with good headphones on and no distractions.

[Robby Russell @robbyrussell]

Pretty sure the easiest solution for managing your ~/Downloads folder is to buy a new laptop every few years and keep your other laptop in a nearby drawer... just in case you need to grab one of those PDFs you've re-downloaded at least 4 times.

[Robby Russell @robbyrussell]

There's a reason that sports have consistent scoreboards. Are we winning? at a glance. Are we trending upwards over the course of the game with a bunch of context... that's commentary.

[Jason Fried @jasonfried]

I think you're going to see it's all going to converge back to screens and data and panels and buttons.

People don't want to ask the same question over and over. They'll ask something, it'll be set up to show something, and that thing will be saved as something they can always look at. Stable pre-defined glances, not blank slates each time. Common questions will become buttons and panels again.

Most people ask the same kinds of questions about what they work on most of the time. Having to start from scratch with the questions every time seems like a step backwards.

Another way to put this: Questions are wonderful for a deeper dive, but not a daily drive.

Not sure you're suggesting questions always, but the comparison screenshots looked that way.

[BOARDS OF CANADA @boardsofcanada]

TOMORROW

[Robby Russell @robbyrussell]

"Know-how pays much less than know-when."

- Gerald Weinberg, The Secrets of Consulting

[Robby Russell @robbyrussell]

@RhysSullivan Hired a professional speaking coach for one on one sessions.

[Captain Obvious™️ @TheFungi669]

I hate to admit this but Trump was right.

He said that if I vote for Kamala Harris gas prices, groceries prices and my utility bills will go through the roof.

I voted for Harris and my gas, groceries and utility bills have gone through the roof.

[Robby Russell @robbyrussell]

An odd strategy for trying to get my attention…

Following and presumably unfollowing me on GitHub every day for weeks, so it keeps resurfacing in my GH feed.