Giant Robots: thoughtbot Blog

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When to build an in-house engineering team and when to hire an agency

When does it make sense to work with a consultancy like thoughtbot? After thousands of engagements, we summarize our best advice for when it makes more sense to hire in-house and when it makes more sense to find an external partner.
Ran Craycraft
May 16, 2025
- MVP
- Hiring
- Platform Engineering
- Development
- Design
- Growth
From idea to impact: The role of rapid prototyping in AgeTech

Rapid prototyping can help AgeTech startups move fast, test wisely, and build with confidence. Learn how to turn big ideas into real-world impact without wasting time or budget.
Kelly Gebo
May 15, 2025
AI-led or Human-led Coding? We have to choose.

It is time we take a closer look about how we code with AI and the ramifications on our industry.
Sami Birnbaum
May 15, 2025
AI for Business: Evolution V revolution

You’re ready to bring AI to your business. But how much should you change at once? Do you play it safe or go big? This blog explores incremental, evolutionary adoptions of AI and a couple revolutionary ones to make the choice clearer.
Ferdia Kenny
May 14, 2025
Product vs Project Management: what's the difference?

Not sure if you need a product or project manager? This guide breaks it down and shares the secret to small, high-impact product teams.
Bethan Ashley
May 13, 2025
NWRUG's (Manchester, UK) May 2025 Meeting — Rails AntiPatterns Revisited

Rediscover Rails AntiPatterns with Chad Pytel at NWRUG this week.
Rob Whittaker
May 12, 2025
- Rails
- Refactor
- Ruby
- Community
- Events
Top 5 Ruby on Rails Consultancies in 2025

Choosing the right Rails consultancy isn’t just a technical decision, it’s a business imperative. The right partner accelerates growth, while the wrong choice leads to costly rewrites and missed opportunities.
Ran Craycraft
May 12, 2025
Moving from a Rails Monolith to Microservices: Things to Consider Before You Regret It

Learn what to consider before breaking up your Rails monolith into microservices.
Rob Whittaker
May 9, 2025
Giant Robots Ep 573: Mocking the Future: Tom Akehurst on WireMock and API Testing

Sami talks with Tom Akehurst, Co-Founder of WireMock, about the delay and disconnect between front and back end development and how WireMock set out to bridge the two together.
Sami Birnbaum
May 8, 2025
- Podcast
Developer Essentials: How to Complete a Task

Have you ever felt like your team is working a lot but still not getting much value? Let’s talk about the development process that will allow your team to use its value generation potential to the fullest.
Laçin Bilgin
May 8, 2025
- Communication
- Process
- Development
- Web
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