It's All Public

In this final segment, we emphasize how code review is not just a technical exercise—it’s a public, cultural signal. Especially for tech leads and senior engineers, the way feedback is delivered in code review has real consequences for team morale, inclusion, and career development.

Key Takeaways:

• We treat code review as a public cultural forum: Comments are visible to others on the team and can impact how engineers—especially juniors or new hires—are perceived. Feedback that embarrasses someone publicly can harm confidence and even affect performance reviews.
• We avoid harsh criticism in public threads: If we’re truly concerned about someone’s patterns (e.g., lack of testing mindset or carelessness), we give that feedback in private, not in a code review. We follow the rule: Praise in public, critique in private.
• We understand the leadership signal we send: As tech leads, our tone sets the bar. If we leave demoralizing or curt comments, we implicitly encourage others to do the same—fostering a negative or toxic culture.
• We handle serious feedback face-to-face: When needed, we schedule a quick 15-minute conversation to deliver constructive criticism with nuance and care—ensuring it’s received in the spirit of growth, not shame.
• We use code reviews to build people up, not tear them down: Every interaction is a chance to create a safer, stronger engineering culture. We remember that what we say—and how we say it—has lasting impact.

Ultimately, we believe that code review is leadership in action—and great leaders use it to uplift their teams, not diminish them.