# Innovation Tokens with Charity Majors

- Show: [Oxide and Friends](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends)
- Published: 2024-07-11
- Length: 1h 26m
- Episode: 17
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-07-11-innovation-tokens-with-charity-majors
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/db64d619

## Summary

Charity Majors, founder of Honeycomb, explains why her company built a custom storage engine called Retriever instead of using existing databases like Druid, arguing that the specific need for fast, ad-hoc observability required a solution that off-the-shelf tools could not provide. She and Bryan Cantrill of Oxide Computer Company discuss the concept of "innovation tokens," arguing that building custom infrastructure is justified when it serves as a core differentiator and aligns with shared values, whereas using "boring" technology is better for non-differentiating components. The conversation highlights the importance of values matching between a company and its technology partners, using examples like the decision to build Oxide's own power shelf controller and Honeycomb's refactoring of Retriever to reduce costs by leveraging S3 and Lambda.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-07-11-innovation-tokens-with-charity-majors#t=0) Introduction: Charity Majors and the History of Honeycomb's Retriever
- [3:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-07-11-innovation-tokens-with-charity-majors#t=205) Why Honeycomb Built Retriever Instead of Using Druid or Skuba
- [8:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-07-11-innovation-tokens-with-charity-majors#t=532) Observability 2.0 and the Missing Link in DevOps
- [16:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-07-11-innovation-tokens-with-charity-majors#t=975) Selecting Technology: Values Matching and the 'Innovation Tokens' Debate
- [27:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-07-11-innovation-tokens-with-charity-majors#t=1666) Oxide's Custom Hardware: Power Shelf Controller and Dropshot
- [39:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-07-11-innovation-tokens-with-charity-majors#t=2366) Partners vs. Vendors: RFD 68 and Shared Values
- [48:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-07-11-innovation-tokens-with-charity-majors#t=2909) Why Honeycomb Kept Retriever Closed and Refactored for Cost
- [1:00:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-07-11-innovation-tokens-with-charity-majors#t=3630) The Straw Man of Innovation Tokens and Cognitive Limits
- [1:15:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-07-11-innovation-tokens-with-charity-majors#t=4507) Engineering Culture: Tour of Duty, Stints, and Rewrites

## Topics

- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Honeycomb (company)
- Retriever (product)
- Druid (product)
- Skuba (product)
- Oxide Computer Company (company)
- Dropshot (product)
- Progenitor (product)
- Helios (product)
- Kron (product)
- Murata (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Custom vs. Off-the-Shelf IoT Solutions | Brash Inc.'s Richard Beranek | Internet of Things Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2024-02-27-custom-vs-off-the-shelf-iot-solutions-brash-inc-s-richard-beranek-internet-of-th) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [Building vs. Buying IoT | Amotus' Chris Desnoyers | Internet of Things Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2025-02-04-building-vs-buying-iot-amotus-chris-desnoyers-internet-of-things-podcast) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [Ep. 3 - Tools While Scaling Up; How Much Structure is Too Much?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2023-08-24-ep-3-tools-while-scaling-up-how-much-structure-is-too-much) (Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast)
- [509: Swarmed by Engineers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2025-09-05-509-swarmed-by-engineers) (Embedded.fm)
- [Episode 28: A Whole Lot of Custom Going On](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2023-08-07-episode-28-a-whole-lot-of-custom-going-on) (The Circuit)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-07-11-innovation-tokens-with-charity-majors. 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 Oxide and Friends.