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Charity Majors

@charity.wtf
15K followers 280 following 2.1K posts

cofounder/CTO @honeycombio, co-author of Observability Engineering and Database Reliability Engineering. I test in production and so do you. 🐝🏳️‍🌈🦄

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Hayden (he/him) @hds.cafe · 21/09/2026
I've read 3 good blog posts on this topic in the last couple of weeks. - @bcantrill.bsky.social: bcantrill.dtrace.org/2026/09/05/t... - @charity.wtf: charity.wtf/p/confession... - @terriblesoftware.org: terriblesoftware.org/2026/09/10/a...
bcantrill.dtrace.org
The revolt of the reader | The Observation Deck
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John Tyler @jcmtyler.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Saw a great talk about handcrafted code by @charity.wtf at #ldx3ny. This talk needs trigger warnings! If you're someone like me who prefers to write code by hand, this talk will force you to consider some uncomfortable questions about what you're really trying to build and why.
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Captain Capybara @vought.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Charity is one of the most clear-thinking people on this question of human interaction and ‘slop’. I’ve been banging this drum at work and no one is listening, but I’ve got precious little patience for humans who ask a machine to convey their thoughts to me.
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Charity Majors @charity.wtf · 16/09/2026
Ah, I miss live tweeted recaps from the glory days of tech twitter! Here's a thread of my LDX3 talk, "what handcrafted servers taught us about handcrafted code". Thanks, Heidi!!! With a hat tip to @chadfowler.com, whose book "Regenerative Software" is now in O'Reilly prerelease.
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Dominic 🇪🇺 🏳️‍🌈 🇺🇦 @theriotnrrd.eurosky.social · 16/09/2026
My take on workslop: if your job can be done by just copying and pasting slop… why are you here, exactly? Maybe we need an update on the old sysadmin threat of “go away, or I will replace you with a very small shell script”; these days, it would be “a very short prompt”.
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Charity Majors @charity.wtf · 14/09/2026
I wrote a new piece yesterday, called "Confessions of an Unrepentant Slop Snob", about my escalating rage at AI-generated text. It includes a framework for thinking about when AI involvement is fine -- just another tool -- and when it lands as a violation. charity.wtf/p/confession...
charity.wtf
Confessions of an Unrepentant Slop Snob
A framework for thinking about when AI involvement is additive or a violation
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Charity Majors @charity.wtf · 14/09/2026
Wide events, winning again!
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Mila Ardath (they/them) @ctrlspice.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Hey folks! otel-desktop-viewer 0.5.0 is out now and also the project just passed 1k stars on GitHub, so I figured I'd (re-)introduce it: ctrlspice.codes/rebuilding-o...
ctrlspice.codes
I rebuilt otel-desktop-viewer on top of DuckDB
and all I got was locally searchable traces, metrics, and logs.
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Liz Fong-Jones (方禮真) @lizthegrey.com · 02/09/2026
This is why we built @honeycomb.io Canvas. To allow you and your agents and your teammates and their agents to all get on the same page together. No matter whether they're running in your harness or ours. Try it out: canvas-playground.lizf.hny.wtf Real version is fully interactive and multiplayer.
canvas-playground.lizf.hny.wtf
Canvas investigation — read-only
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Jeremy Morrell @jeremymorrell.dev · 22/08/2026
Giving an agent read-only access to the telemetry data of a well-instrumented system and asking a question is a wild experience They are very good at this, easily better than the vast majority of engineers, and unlike engineers their attention is very cheap
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Liz Fong-Jones (方禮真) @lizthegrey.com · 21/08/2026
so uh, today is a bad day to post our list of "how we work with AI" values, right?
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Hardy @hardyrarso.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
haven't been on here for a while but making this post specifically to thank @pragmaticengineer.com and @charity.wtf I've only watched a third of your recent podcast episode but it sent me down Charity's blog and opened a new connection in my head and completely flipped my position on AI Code
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Charity Majors @charity.wtf · 20/08/2026
the first in a 3-part series on @honeycomb.io's AI norms and values is up. this one is called "How We Do Business at Honeycomb." www.honeycomb.io/blog/ai-norm... values are not supposed to be aspirational slogans. values should codify how things actually work. this is how it works at ours.
honeycomb.io
AI Norms & Values, Part 1 of 3: How We Do Business
AI amplifies what's already there, it doesn't fix or ruin you. Charity Majors on a year of Honeycomb's AI mandate and the values behind how we do business.
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Liz Fong-Jones (方禮真) @lizthegrey.com · 19/08/2026
this is tomorrow!
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Charity Majors @charity.wtf · 19/08/2026
yes and the internet HATED IT. "we have too many abbreviations and shortened words as it is ... this is offputting to non-experts and inaccessible to the majority..." etc etc. (i think it's cute, and i'm glad you like it too)
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Chad Fowler @chadfowler.com · 30/07/2026
Excited to have gotten this in the mail today! Congrats @charity.wtf and team on making this book even more historically impactful than the first edition.
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Jonathan Stephens @jonathanstephens.us · 04/08/2026
Feels like a perfect time to suggest @grimalkina.bsky.social's book Psychology of Software Teams: www.drcathicks.com Paired with @charity.wtf , @lizthegrey.com , and George Miranda's Observability Engineering (www.oreilly.com/library/view...) . Both big Next Reads, specifically b/c management.
drcathicks.com
Dr. Cat Hicks
Leading the science of software success
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Boris M @bmarinov.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Look what just arrived, Observability Engineering (2nd) is absolutely huge. @charity.wtf you were not joking. Time to borrow a few columnar ideas for my winter project. #observability
A book on a wooden desktop. The second edition of "Observability Engineering" with a cover featuring a fox (?). The book itself is quite thick at around 600 pages.
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Dan Moore @mooreds.com · 09/08/2026
Great @redmonk.com convo between @monkchips.com and @charity.wtf Takeaways: - User trust is built through friction (for UX) - Immutable infra is to sysadmins as agentic coding is to devs - Slop was here before AI - Performative anger < doing the thing Worth a listen: redmonk.com/videos/chari...
redmonk.com
Charity Majors on AI, Determinism, Instrumentation, & Eating Your Broccoli
James Governor talks with Charity Majors, Co-founder and CTO of Honeycomb, about what AI is doing to engineering practices. Majors argues that non-determinism takes more discipline, not less, and ever...
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Gergely Orosz @gergely.pragmaticengineer.com · 13/08/2026
In 2025, it was rational to be skeptical about whether AI would change the future of software development. In 2026, it's not, anymore: We talked about this with @charity.wtf, one of my favorite voices in tech. We get into a LOT of things: • YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC8T... (cont'd)
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Charity Majors @charity.wtf · 19/08/2026
with all apologies for the title of this episode... @gergely.pragmaticengineer.com means that 2026 is the year it stopped being possible to be skeptical about whether AI is going to change the way we build software, not that we should stop being skeptical about AI. 😉
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Marko Bevc @marko.social · 15/08/2026
This is another great episode and it's always great to listen to @charity.wtf wisdom. Quite relevant to #AI hype and fatigue: "We are in control, and machines are here to serve us - not the vice versa." 💭
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Charity Majors @charity.wtf · 19/08/2026
a better use for claude i have never seen 👏
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Joseph Lawson @joekiller.com · 27/07/2026
Oh hi
An O'Reilly book cover titled "Observability Engineering" 2nd Edition, featuring an illustration of a brown Maned Wolf standing on all fours. The authors' names charity majors, liz fong-jones, and george miranda with austin parker are visible at the bottom right.
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Liz Fong-Jones (方禮真) @lizthegrey.com · 22/07/2026
It's out! As of today you can order the PRINT 2nd edition of Observability Engineering from any major bookseller; no more waiting for preorders. Co-written w/ @charity.wtf, @gmiranda23.bsky.social, @aparker.io & guest authors Buy: www.indiebound.org/book/9781098... or www.amazon.com/Observabilit...
blue background and sparkles around a front cover image of observability engineering, second edition, by charity majors, liz fong-jones, and george miranda with austin parker
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Mike Sperber @sperbsen.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
I know I'm late to the party to @charity.wtf's post "Is it ethical to use AI?", where she argues that "AI is just technology". It's been festering inside me. (Especially as both have provided thoughtful and nuanced writing on many topics over the years.) charity.wtf/p/make-ai-bo...
charity.wtf
Is it ethical to use AI?
On externalities and engagement, the problem with purity politics, and why we need to make AI boring again
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Charity Majors @charity.wtf · 20/07/2026
We're doing an AMA in a week and a half! Sign up now and send us your toughest questions, we'll do our best. 🐝
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Charity Majors @charity.wtf · 20/07/2026
Love it. Why stop there? nines don’t matter until you don’t have them nines don't matter if the answer is slop nines don't matter when you are the training data four nines of confidently incorrect nines don't matter when you’re the product "human in the loop" is what you say when you've...
“human in the loop” is what you say when you’ve already decided humans don’t matter
nines don’t matter until you don’t have them
nines don't matter if the answer is slop
four nines of confidently incorrect
nines don't matter when you are the training data
nines don't matter when you’re the product
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Charity Majors @charity.wtf · 09/07/2026
Years ago, I predicted columnar storage would remake the landscape of observability. I thought a wave of new columnar-backed tools would displace the creaky old three pillars model with tech that is faster, easier, cheaper, better in every way. Well, I was half right. charity.wtf/p/have-you-h...
charity.wtf
Have you heard? Clickhouse is winning the observability wars!
Years ago I predicted that columnar storage would remake observability. What I didn't see coming: vendors would build it, nerf it, and sell a worse version back to you as "Datadog, but cheaper"
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Adam Chalmers @adamchalmers.com · 07/07/2026
Honeycomb put an LLM into their dashboard and it's actually really helpful. I can ask it a question about prod and it looks up all the data, answers my question, gives me links to the deterministic evidence that proves its theory.
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Adam Zimman @azimman.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
@charity.wtf mentioned @chadfowler.com’s Phoenix Architecture in a conversation last week. I’m still catching up, but really impressed by the framing.
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Purple Beast @purple-beast.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
One of the best and most considered pieces on AI that I have seen so far: charity.wtf/p/make-ai-bo... Read it! And follow @charity.wtf
charity.wtf
Is it ethical to use AI?
On externalities and engagement, the problem with purity politics, and why we need to make AI boring again
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Charity Majors @charity.wtf · 02/07/2026
People really hate AI mandates -- unsurprisingly, since most are terrible. But they don't have to be. Used wisely, the mandate is an effective tool for driving and funding organizational change. More in my piece, "In defense of AI mandates." charitydotwtf.substack.com/p/in-defense...
charitydotwtf.substack.com
In defense of AI mandates
When you need to execute a coordinated change on a tight timeline, a mandate is the best and most honest way to fund it.
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Charity Majors @charity.wtf · 01/07/2026
woohoo, one testimonial for the new "Observability Engineering", chapter 29: "Build vs Buy (vs Open Source)"! in which we take on the evergreen question of "which do you hate more, your money or your time?" honeycomb.io/book
honeycomb.io
Honeycomb’s O’Reilly Book Observability Engineering, 2nd Ed.
Let authors Charity Majors, Liz Fong-Jones, George Miranda, and Austin Parker explain how to apply Observability successfully in your organization.
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Andrew Lilley Brinker @alilleybrinker.com · 24/06/2026
I feel this in my bones
Quote from Charity's post:

"Some technologies are more damaging than others — knives are less damaging than guns, Facebook for colleges was less damaging than Facebook for Myanmar — but we always discover risks before we know how to govern them.2 There is always a gap while we try to catch up.

That gap is not proof that AI is evil. It is proof that we have work to do.

The fact that we have not solved the problems yet is not an argument to disconnect. It is an argument to engage, especially if you work in technology and already have an arsenal of relevant skills.

You do not learn to govern a tool by refusing to touch it. You learn by using it and understanding well enough to critique it, shape it, contribute to it, and set boundaries around it. You learn how to make it boring.

“Learn AI so you can complain about AI better.” I said it and I meant it. I still do."
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Jade Rubick @jaderubick.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Loved this. In a world of sloppy discourse around AI, Charity gives a call to arms to engage.
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Charity Majors @charity.wtf · 24/06/2026
as promised, here is my post on AI and ethics. I think unilateral disarmament in the face of powerful new tools is neither wise nor effective. I think those of us in tech have a particular responsibility to engage, participate and build better solutions. charitydotwtf.substack.com/p/make-ai-bo...
charitydotwtf.substack.com
Make AI Boring Again
On the ethics of engagement, the problem with purity politics, and a world worth fighting for
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Jeremy Morrell @jeremymorrell.dev · 21/06/2026
I have two guest chapters in this! 😀
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Matthew Garrett @mjg59.eicar-test-file.zip · 22/06/2026
If you're going to pass your writing through an LLM then please ask it to make the post as short as possible so I don't need to read yet another generic rephrasing of the same thing
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John Saunders @js-53.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Usually breeze through a Table of Contents. If I pause, that's a Good Sign™. I paused several times, stopped and came here. Free!! If you're coding or code adjacent, this will be a Bible going forward.
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Liz Fong-Jones (方禮真) @lizthegrey.com · 21/06/2026
having the telemetry to know how your system is performing allows you to make better design decisions! so far we haven't needed a dedicated performance engineer at Honeycomb, but if you're interested in taking that on as a chunk of your job, see job-boards.greenhouse.io/honeycomb/jo...
job-boards.greenhouse.io
Senior Site Reliability Engineer
Remote - Ireland
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Liz Fong-Jones (方禮真) @lizthegrey.com · 21/06/2026
Performance engineering isn't just about changing code in place, it's also about offering customers options that align better with their needs. In the chapter, I discuss how the SWITCH() operator in Honeycomb Calculated Fields came to be, after I noticed customers doing IF(EQUALS(), IF(EQUALS()...
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Charity Majors @charity.wtf · 21/06/2026
ah yes...I should also post about OUR book. the 2nd edition of "Observability Engineering" is now available for download.. and you can download it for free on the honeycomb site. this was supposed to be an update, and ended up being a total rewrite (& then some). 😅 www.honeycomb.io/blog/the-sec...
honeycomb.io
The Second Edition of Observability Engineering Is Here
IT’S HERE it’s here it’s here it’s here!!!! The second edition of Observability Engineering is available for download, and since Honeycomb is the sponsor, you can now download it from our website (th...
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Charity Majors @charity.wtf · 21/06/2026
I get asked to read and blurb a lot of books. It's always an honor to be asked -- writing a book is a TON of work -- but I almost never do. If I wouldn't chase you down on the street and urge you to read a book, it feels wrong to blurb it. I would chase you down to read this. My blurb is true.
drcathicks.com
Dr. Cat Hicks
Leading the science of software success
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Cat Hicks @grimalkina.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
I have to admit to you I'm obsessed with this one. 😂🤠 “Dr. Cat Hicks is a category of one. If there are any other psychologists that have devoted their career to researching software practitioners, I am unaware of them" - @charity.wtf , cofounder & CTO at honeycomb.io
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Charity Majors @charity.wtf · 21/06/2026
i love this. 😭 * Truth is what it is (ideally something we can potentially measure) * Faith is what we believe is true (measurement is always inexact, or delayed, or…) * Beauty is what we’d like Truth to be or become — John Wilkes
(Borg/Omega talks on distributed systems, 2021)
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Charity Majors @charity.wtf · 20/06/2026
"what if we just fix it"
what if we just fix it, with mechanical clown
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Dan Moore @mooreds.com · 15/05/2026
Damn, every time I listen to @scalingdevtools.bsky.social I learn something. Another great episode with @charity.wtf: scalingdevtools.com/podcast/epis... Takeaways: - AI is like compilers - Writing is thinking - Developers MUST learn the language of business - AI makes best practices mainstream
scalingdevtools.com
Charity Majors on AI, Observability, and the Future of Software - Scaling DevTools
In the episode Charity Majors, founder and CTO of Honeycomb, talks about what changes when the cost of generating code drops toward zero. She explains why obser
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John Soo 🏳️‍🌈 @jsoo.refl.club · 21/05/2026
After our rousing discussion of pastoralism today I was reminded of this really moving essay by @charity.wtf charity.wtf/2025/07/09/t...
charity.wtf
Thoughts on Motivation and My 40-Year Career
I’ve never published an essay quite like this. I’ve written about my life before, reams of stuff actually, because that’s how I process what I think, but never for public consumption. I’ve been pus…
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austin @aparker.io · 17/06/2026
I swore I was never going to write another book but I can't think of better people to break that promise to than @charity.wtf and @lizthegrey.com. observability engineering, 2nd edition, is out today! go.hny.co/4ex1QUx
go.hny.co
Honeycomb’s O’Reilly Book Observability Engineering, 2nd Ed.
Let authors Charity Majors, Liz Fong-Jones, George Miranda, and Austin Parker explain how to apply Observability successfully in your organization.
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