# 16: Democracy Is the Worst Form of Government

- Show: [Embedded.fm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm)
- Published: 2013-08-28
- Length: 53m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-08-28-16-democracy-is-the-worst-form-of-government
- Listen: https://makingembeddedsystems.libsyn.com/mes-ep16-mp3

## Summary

Curtis Cole, a veteran embedded systems engineer and former VP of Engineering at Leapfrog, argues that Agile methodologies like Scrum and Test-Driven Development (TDD) are effective for embedded software when adapted to hardware constraints. He explains how user stories, sprints, and story points allow teams to manage unknown requirements and deliver incremental, usable prototypes without compromising the final product's stability. Cole emphasizes that Agile is merely a process tool; success depends on hiring skilled engineers who prioritize quality, testing, and modular design over mere speed.

## Chapters

- [0:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-08-28-16-democracy-is-the-worst-form-of-government#t=6) Introduction: Curtis Cole and his career at Leapfrog
- [3:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-08-28-16-democracy-is-the-worst-form-of-government#t=183) Agile vs. Waterfall in embedded systems and consumer electronics
- [8:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-08-28-16-democracy-is-the-worst-form-of-government#t=490) The Agile Manifesto and user stories
- [14:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-08-28-16-democracy-is-the-worst-form-of-government#t=849) Story points, sprints, and burn-down charts
- [20:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-08-28-16-democracy-is-the-worst-form-of-government#t=1228) Stand-ups, blockers, and the Scrummaster role
- [26:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-08-28-16-democracy-is-the-worst-form-of-government#t=1586) Test-Driven Development (TDD) and refactoring
- [37:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-08-28-16-democracy-is-the-worst-form-of-government#t=2256) Handling hardware constraints and battery optimization
- [48:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-08-28-16-democracy-is-the-worst-form-of-government#t=2903) Shipping deadlines and management pitfalls

## Topics

- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Leapfrog (company)
- James Grenning (other)
- Steve Jobs (other)
- iPhone (product)
- iPad (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Agile at Growing Hardware Startups with Matt Cole](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2022-04-19-agile-at-growing-hardware-startups-with-matt-cole) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [Development is Better when it's Test-Driven](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2021-02-16-development-is-better-when-its-test-driven) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [How to Get Started](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2021-02-02-how-to-get-started) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [Agile is Old-Fashioned Engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2021-03-30-agile-is-old-fashioned-engineering) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [Christmas Special](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2021-12-22-christmas-special) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-08-28-16-democracy-is-the-worst-form-of-government. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Embedded.fm.