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Episode · EP 01

When not to build it.

The senior engineer's most underrated skill is saying no. Why we turn down 30% of inbound projects, and what we look for in the 70% we take.

Published
April 12, 2026
Runtime
32 min
EngineeringLeadershipPodcast

Episode notes

Episode 1 of the Prosigns podcast. The senior engineer's most underrated skill is saying no. Why we turn down 30% of inbound projects, and what we look for in the 70% we take.

Chapters

  1. 00:00

    Cold open

  2. 02:18

    The 30% we turn down

  3. 08:42

    What 'senior' actually filters for

  4. 16:05

    Three projects we should have said no to

  5. 24:30

    The first-call sniff test

  6. 30:11

    Closing