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Peter Cepeda

Too Close for Comfort: Crossing Boundaries at Work (and Why I’m Done Staying Quiet)

Too Close for Comfort: Crossing Boundaries at Work (and Why I’m Done Staying Quiet)

I’ve spent my career navigating inappropriate comments, unwanted contact, and blurred lines—often in silence. This is my story about workplace boundaries, how I’ve handled violations, and why it’s time we stop pretending men can’t be victims too.

You Never Notice the Janitor 🧹

You Never Notice the Janitor 🧹

I swore I’d never be a janitor like my dad. But in tech, I became one anyway—cleaning up code, teams, and culture behind the scenes. You only notice the janitor when everything’s broken. And that’s the point.

The Hidden Cost of Overcompensation

The Hidden Cost of Overcompensation

Overcompensating—whether with effort, responsibility, or control—often leads to burnout and missed expectations. In trying to avoid failure, we create it elsewhere. Here’s why we need to protect people over products and build systems that don’t rely on heroes.

💥 When Roles Change, So Do Relationships: How I Navigated a Strained Dynamic After Switching from Manager to IC

💥 When Roles Change, So Do Relationships: How I Navigated a Strained Dynamic After Switching from Manager to IC

When I returned to being an IC, a trusted teammate and I clashed for the first time. Here’s what caused the tension, how we worked through it, and what I learned about leadership, trust, and shifting team dynamics.

What My Final Review as a Manager Revealed About Me (and the Company) 🧾

What My Final Review as a Manager Revealed About Me (and the Company) 🧾

After stepping down from management, I reflected on my final review. It wasn’t surprising — but it was revealing. Here’s what it said, what it missed, and what it taught me about leadership, growth, and the systems we operate in.

Undermined from the Inside: A Cautionary Tale of Organizational Dysfunction

Undermined from the Inside: A Cautionary Tale of Organizational Dysfunction

Undermining doesn’t always look like sabotage. Sometimes it’s a private thread. Sometimes it’s a well-meaning idea dropped into a pull request. But when roles get blurred and decisions bypass the people doing the work, dysfunction takes root.

The Space Between: Navigating the Fault Lines Between EMs, PMs, and Leadership

The Space Between: Navigating the Fault Lines Between EMs, PMs, and Leadership

Engineering managers, product managers, and leadership all want the same thing—but without alignment and trust, they often end up working against each other. Here’s what I’ve learned from the space between roles and how we can make it better.