Design & Develop Distributed Software Better w/ Multiplayer • Tom Johnson & Julian Wood • GOTO 2025

This interview was recorded for GOTO Unscripted. #GOTOcon #GOTOunscripted https://gotopia.tech Read the full transcription of this interview here: https://gotopia.tech/articles/351 Thomas Johnson - Co-Founder & CTO at Multiplayer @tomjohnson3 Julian Wood - Serverless Developer Advocate at AWS @julian_wood RESOURCES Tom https://x.com/tomjohnson3 https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomjohnson3 https://github.com/tomjohnson3 Julian https://bsky.app/profile/julianwood.com https://twitter.com/julian_wood http://www.wooditwork.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianrwood Links https://www.multiplayer.app https://youtu.be/P7CfWtR-ECk https://youtu.be/Ak-FYSpW-rA https://youtu.be/jC1icupHlMs https://youtu.be/1PJM8p-RMsY https://youtu.be/Za1-v4Zkq5E https://youtu.be/30jNsCVLpAE https://youtu.be/mqoU2C-USP0 https://youtu.be/dcp6YMAmI3M https://youtu.be/NGXl1D-KwRI https://youtu.be/w9YhmMPLQ4U https://youtu.be/5OjqD-ow8GE https://youtu.be/BPCcxYHLzkI https://youtu.be/etKM5-gGwto https://youtu.be/4wH-BI2YeX4 https://youtu.be/b8WI1QYP0Zk https://youtu.be/KYf-3pXANto DESCRIPTION Julian Wood and Tom Johnson explore the complexities of modern software development, with Tom sharing his journey from machine learning and distributed systems to founding Multiplayer, a company focused on simplifying development by automating documentation, debugging, and system design. They discuss the challenges of building and managing complex software architectures, especially with microservices and cloud platforms, and the need for better tooling to address these issues. Tom emphasizes the importance of simplicity, collaboration, and transparency in development, especially when it comes to API design and managing system dependencies. They also explore best practices for team communication, the evolving role of platform engineering, and the shift toward a future where infrastructure is abstracted away, allowing developers to focus on software creation. Together, they envision a world where better tools and AI lower the barrier to entry for developers, driving innovation and enabling more people to bring their ideas to life. TIMECODES 00:00 Intro 02:36 Distributed systems & simplifying development with Multiplayer 15:42 Smarter debugging & platform engineering 23:25 Early mistakes to avoid when building software & teams 28:18 Effective API design & communication for development teams 37:02 Effective software teams & the future of development 43:39 Outro RECOMMENDED BOOKS Simon Brown • Software Architecture for Developers Vol. 2 • https://leanpub.com/visualising-software-architecture David Farley • Modern Software Engineering • https://amzn.to/3GI468M Kim, Humble, Debois, Willis & Forsgren • The DevOps Handbook • https://amzn.to/47oAf3l Simon Wardley • Wardley Maps • https://amzn.to/45U8Upr Simon Wardley • Wardley Mapping, The Knowledge • https://amzn.to/3XQEeDu David Anderson, Marck McCann & Michael O'Reilly • The Value Flywheel Effect • https://amzn.to/3VcHxC Mike Amundsen • Restful Web API Patterns & Practices Cookbook • https://amzn.to/3C74fpH https://bsky.app/profile/gotocon.com https://twitter.com/GOTOcon https://www.linkedin.com/company/goto- https://www.instagram.com/goto_con https://www.facebook.com/GOTOConferences #Multiplayer #DistributedSoftware #SoftwareArchitecture #DistributedSystems #Simplicity #Complexity #GenAI #ArtificialIntelligence #SystemsDesign #PlatformEngineering #APIDesign #API #APIs #Debugging #TomJohnson #JulianWood CHANNEL MEMBERSHIP BONUS Join this channel to get early access to videos & other perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs_tLP3AiwYKwdUHpltJPuA/join Looking for a unique learning experience? Attend the next GOTO conference near you! Get your ticket at https://gotopia.tech Sign up for updates and specials at https://gotopia.tech/newsletter SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNEL - new videos posted almost daily. https://www.youtube.com/user/GotoConferences/?sub_confirmation=1