Category Archives: Software

Posts about programming, computers, and my work at tech companies.

I Tried to Make Government Websites Not Suck and Accidentally Won TIME’s Invention of the Year

Posted on December 22, 2025 by Sheldon "Don" Sandbekkhaug

Last year, I spent six months working full-time on an open-source project with Google.org. In 2025, that project was named one of TIME’s Inventions of the Year. Needless to say, I was surprised! I didn’t think anyone of importance would … Continue reading →

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This software engineer retired at age 30. You won’t believe how he did it.

Posted on April 29, 2025 by Sheldon "Don" Sandbekkhaug

One of my friends recently retired at age 30. I was amazed. How did he do it? Why did he do it? And most importantly, what is he going to do with all his newfound time? To be honest, his … Continue reading →

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I thought I was about to lose my job in Google Search, and then this happened

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Sheldon "Don" Sandbekkhaug

“So, this is how I lose my team. Or my job.” I thought to myself on a cold, January night. My team’s responsibilities had just been shipped overseas in a reorg. For the last three years, I had been leading … Continue reading →

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8 Things I Learned During 8 Years at Google

Posted on April 23, 2024 by Sheldon "Don" Sandbekkhaug

This year marks my 8th year working at Google. Throughout that time, I’ve been on three different teams and met a ton of smart people. I simultaneously feel like I’ve learned a ton, yet, I have so much more to … Continue reading →

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4 Steps to Advance Your Career in Software Engineering in the 2020s

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Sheldon "Don" Sandbekkhaug

In the old days, your career path might have looked something like this: Today, careers are more like “Choose Your Own Adventure”. You have so many options, and you have the power to trace your path to a unique destination. … Continue reading →

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