How former Apple and Google senior engineer thinks about code quality & remote work with Mike Bland

Great remote teams start with clear communication and intentional leadership.

In this episode of the Distributed podcast, Mike Bland, Developer Experience Platform Architect at EngFlow, shares lessons from his time at Google, Apple, and EngFlow.Mike dives into how grassroots initiatives like Google’s Testing Grouplet and Apple’s Quality Culture Initiative transformed software quality and team collaboration. Learn how he applies those insights to lead remote-first teams, balance focus and connection, and create a culture of trust.

If you’re navigating remote work or leading a distributed team, this conversation offers actionable advice for building better teams and driving meaningful change.

Episode highlights:
(00:00) – Kicking Things Off with Mike Bland
(02:30) – What Is Testing Grouplet? A Story of Change at Google
(08:55) – Lessons Learned from Apple’s Quality Culture Initiative
(16:43) – Building Grassroots Communities to Drive Cultural Change
(17:54) – Key Challenges for Scaling Communication at EngFlow
(22:36) – Creating Effective Synchronous and Asynchronous Touchpoints
(30:52) – Using Code Reviews to Build Trust in Distributed Teams
(37:11) – Balancing Autonomy and Collaboration for Engineers
(45:19) – Final Takeaway: Communication and Remote Work

Resources:
The Rainbow of Death: https://mike-bland.com/the-rainbow-of...
Essentialism by Greg McKeown: https://gregmckeown.com/books/essenti...
Grouplets: https://mike-bland.com/2011/09/20/gro...

Where to connect further:
Connect with Mike Bland on LinkedIn -   / mike-bland  
Mike's Website - https://mike-bland.com/
More about EngFlow - https://www.engflow.com/
Follow Tuple - https://x.com/tuple
Want to hear more? Check out - http://distributed.fm
Connect with Jack Hannah -   / jack-hannah