Archive - Between Code and Culture

Why your solutions become tomorrow's problems

And how to stop creating them in the first place

Jan 19 • Mateja Verlic Bruncic

Building systems that don’t require heroes

Designing organizations that execute without burnout or fragility

Jan 15 • Mateja Verlic Bruncic

Why smart teams make bad decisions together

Understanding the people patterns behind groupthink, incentives, and false alignment

Jan 12 • Mateja Verlic Bruncic

How not to be an idiot

Mental models for catching yourself being wrong

Jan 8 • Mateja Verlic Bruncic

Mental models for thinking clearly

In the age of AI answers, critical thinking is your edge

Jan 6 • Mateja Verlic Bruncic

December 2025

The 4am club, sweating through courses, and folding laundry

Why perfect learning conditions never come, and what I do instead

Dec 31, 2025 • Mateja Verlic Bruncic

They lied about the lemmings and the frogs too

Turns out 'everyone knows' means 'nobody checked'

Dec 29, 2025 • Mateja Verlic Bruncic

Watch the canary, dodge the traps

Why laughter matters more when everything's on fire (and cynicism is the real trap)

Dec 27, 2025 • Mateja Verlic Bruncic

What I’m not promising next year

Anti-resolutions on leadership, change, humor, and why knowing what not to promise matters just as much as knowing what you’ll stand for.

Dec 22, 2025 • Mateja Verlic Bruncic

Not my circus, not my monkeys

Learn to stop saving everyone (and why that's the kindest thing you can do)

Dec 19, 2025 • Mateja Verlic Bruncic

The monkeys you didn’t know you were collecting

Some thoughts on ownership, learning, and good intentions

Dec 15, 2025 • Mateja Verlic Bruncic

When to say “You shall not pass” no matter who says the world will stop spinning (it won’t)

Why your yes only matters when your no exists, and how to redirect impossible requests without being considered "difficult".

Dec 12, 2025 • Mateja Verlic Bruncic

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