In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Ganesh Datta, Co-founder & CTO of Cortex, to dive deep into engineering excellence—what it means, how to measure it, and how to build it into the culture of a technology organization. They explore product thinking, shared standards, accountability, and continuous improvement, as well as the challenges of maintaining excellence across different types of companies.Whether you're an engineering leader or a developer striving for high standards, this episode provides valuable insights into how to define, implement, and sustain engineering excellence in your organization.Key TakeawaysEngineering Excellence is Continuous: There’s no final state of “excellence”—it’s about ongoing improvement and iteration.The Four Pillars of Engineering Excellence:Velocity – How fast can the team deliver?Efficiency – Are resources being used optimally?Security – Is the system safe and resilient?Reliability – Can users trust the system to work as expected?Business Alignment Matters: Excellence should align with business goals, whether that’s innovation, efficiency, or reliability.Engineering Culture is Key: Excellence isn’t just about processes and metrics—it’s about visibility, accountability, and fostering a mindset of improvement.Standardization vs. Flexibility: While setting clear standards is crucial, organizations must adapt their definitions of excellence based on their unique challenges and priorities.Timestamped Highlights[00:00:00] – Introduction: Who is Ganesh Datta, and what is Cortex?[00:02:00] – Defining engineering excellence and why it differs by company.[00:05:00] – Engineering excellence as a cultural foundation, not just an end goal.[00:07:30] – Measuring excellence: The role of metrics and how to avoid focusing on lagging indicators.[00:10:30] – Overcoming resistance to engineering standards and ensuring adoption across teams.[00:12:30] – How business drivers shape engineering standards.[00:15:30] – Why excellence is different for every company: Comparing OpenAI vs. a large financial institution.[00:18:00] – How CTOs can translate business goals into engineering priorities.[00:21:00] – Ensuring consistency: How to sustain high standards year after year.[00:23:00] – Where to connect with Ganesh Datta for follow-up questions.Quote of the Episode“Engineering excellence is not an end state—it’s a culture of continuous improvement. You’re never truly excellent, just more excellent than before.” – Ganesh DattaConnect with Ganesh DattaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gsdatta/Email: ganesh@cortex.ioCortex Website: cortex.io