Hardware Podcasts

S5E18 Joe Moak | Working at Apple, Premium Products, & Superior Project Management

Being an Engineer · 3 May 2024 · 55m · Episode 18

What this episode covers

Joe Moak, founder and chief engineer at Maestro PD, discusses his tenure at Apple, Sonos, and St. Jude Medical, emphasizing the importance of designing for manufacturing tolerances and managing cross-functional teams. He details how Apple’s rigorous design process, particularly regarding the first-generation Apple TV, prioritized customer touchpoints and fit-and-finish over mere feature sets. Moak explains his consultancy’s approach to premium hardware, which involves rigorous tolerance analysis and design reviews to prevent assembly failures in high-volume production. He also shares insights on building effective engineering teams, highlighting the critical role of project managers in mitigating risk and the dangers of mistaking activity for progress.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies and large enterprises

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Apple, Sonos, St. Jude Medical, Maestro PD, Pipeline Design & Engineering
Products
Sony sports handycam, Apple TV, iMac, iPad, iPhone, AirPods, AirTags, Mac mini

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