The HAR Value Test
by Will Larson • CTO at Carta at Carta
Former engineering leader at Stripe, Uber, and Calm. Author of the influential books 'An Elegant Puzzle', 'Staff Engineer', and the upcoming 'The Engineering Executive's Primer'. He writes the popular engineering leadership blog lethain.com.
🎙️ Episode Context
Will Larson discusses the shifting landscape of engineering leadership post-ZIRP, emphasizing the need to stop coddling engineers and start giving them business accountability. He breaks down frameworks for engineering strategy, systems thinking, and defining actionable company values, while sharing personal insights on writing and handling failure.
Problem It Solves
Prevents companies from creating generic, useless corporate values that look good on a wall but don't help in decision making.
Framework Overview
Effective values must pass three tests: they must be Honest (actually true), Applicable (useful for trade-offs), and Reversible (a defined group/company would imply the opposite).
🧠 Framework Structure
Honesty: Is this actually how we beha...
Applicability: Can I use this value t...
Reversibility: Is the opposite of thi...
Exclusion: It should be clear who *do...
When to Use
When defining or auditing company culture/values to ensure they drive behavior rather than just serving as marketing.
Common Mistakes
Choosing 'Identity Values' like 'Integrity' or 'Build Good Software'—no successful company would claim the opposite, making them useless for decision making.
Real World Example
Stripe's 'Optimize Globally' (vs. Locally) and Uber's implicit 'Let Builders Build/Toe-stepping' (Optimize Locally). Both are valid, reversible, and dictate different behaviors.
If it doesn't apply to anyone, why bother having it at all? It doesn't mean anything.
— Will Larson