# Build Infrastructure, Not Features: Farhan Thawar (Shopify)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/tools-for-tech-leaders-7024721/build-infrastructure-not-features-farhan-thawar-shopify
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/tools-for-tech-leaders-7024721/build-infrastructure-not-features-farhan-thawar-shopify.md
Podcast: [Tools for Tech Leaders](https://stenobird.com/podcast/tools-for-tech-leaders-7024721)
Published: 2025-07-24T11:06:00+00:00
Episode link: https://946a962b-4b7a-4ee9-a6ed-53f386ec1df5.libsyn.com/build-infrastructure-not-features-farhan-thawar-shopify
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/946a962b-4b7a-4ee9-a6ed-53f386ec1df5/TTL_-_Farhan_Podcast_audio_1.mp3?dest-id=4698167
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/tools-for-tech-leaders-7024721/episodes/build-infrastructure-not-features-farhan-thawar-shopify
Duration seconds: 4060

## Resource

Shopify VP of Engineering Farhan Thawar reveals how to build and scale high-performance engineering teams in the age of AI. Drawing from his experience managing over 1,000 engineers remotely, Farhan shares Shopify's unique approach to weekly demos over burndown charts, their controversial decision to hire 1,000 interns in 2025, and why they're moving back to a monorepo architecture. Learn how Shopify's leadership stays deeply involved in project details through their intensive monthly review process, why they built custom internal tools instead of adopting industry standards, and how they're preparing their entire organization for an AI-first future. Essential insights for engineering leaders navigating rapid growth, remote work challenges, and the fundamental shifts happening in software development.

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/tools-for-tech-leaders-7024721/episodes/build-infrastructure-not-features-farhan-thawar-shopify/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/tools-for-tech-leaders-7024721/build-infrastructure-not-features-farhan-thawar-shopify.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.