--- title: "Mathew Dostal (@mdostal) | Hashnode" description: "Technical leadership, architecture decisions, and scaling engineering teams — from the trenches. Read the latest articles by Mathew Dostal on Hashnode." url: "https://hashnode.com/@mdostal" --- @mdostal # Mathew Dostal @mdostal · Austin, USA · Joined March 2026 Technical leadership, architecture decisions, and scaling engineering teams — from the trenches [Website](https://mdostal.com/) ### [The Architecture Behind a 6,000% Throughput Improvement at Hertz](https://mdostal.hashnode.dev/architecture-behind-6000-percent-throughput-hertz?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed) How CQRS, CDC-powered caching, and Kinesis streaming took Hertz's rate engine from 300 RPS at 3s latency to 3,000+ reads/sec at p95 under 30ms. 12 min read · [mdostal.hashnode.dev](https://mdostal.hashnode.dev/architecture-behind-6000-percent-throughput-hertz?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed) [Mar 31](https://hashnode.com/posts/architecture-behind-6000-percent-throughput-hertz/69cbe6c3152ec816e94cdd11) ### [Why You Probably Don't Need a Full-Time CTO](https://mdostal.hashnode.dev/why-your-startup-doesnt-need-a-full-time-cto?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed) Why most companies don't need a full-time CTO. What fractional leadership looks like across startups, small businesses, and enterprise. 12 min read · [mdostal.hashnode.dev](https://mdostal.hashnode.dev/why-your-startup-doesnt-need-a-full-time-cto?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed) [Mar 31](https://hashnode.com/posts/why-your-startup-doesnt-need-a-full-time-cto/69cbe6babeb496b24aaca80c) ### [I Built a 35-Agent AI Coding Swarm That Runs Overnight](https://mdostal.hashnode.dev/35-agent-ai-coding-swarm?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed) Inside the architecture of a 35-agent AI coding swarm: two machines, 5-layer memory, 6,500+ runs, and every failure along the way. 18 min read · [mdostal.hashnode.dev](https://mdostal.hashnode.dev/35-agent-ai-coding-swarm?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed) [Mar 20](https://hashnode.com/posts/35-agent-ai-coding-swarm/69bdb9c45936aefd49eb0350) ### [Right-Sizing Your DevOps Stack](https://mdostal.hashnode.dev/right-sizing-your-devops-stack?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed) Most DevOps problems aren't DevOps problems. They're people problems — someone got excited about Kubernetes before they had a second service, or someone hand-configured a production server and left on vacation. I've watched teams spend weeks building... 12 min read · [mdostal.hashnode.dev](https://mdostal.hashnode.dev/right-sizing-your-devops-stack?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed) [Mar 6](https://hashnode.com/posts/right-sizing-your-devops-stack/69ab4854fc2a5ee0a85b7936) ### [What Does a CTO Actually Do?](https://mdostal.hashnode.dev/what-does-a-cto-actually-do-1?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed) What does a CTO actually do all day? Not pick databases. Real CTOs translate, protect their teams, make hard calls, and build organizations that outlast them. 15 min read · [mdostal.hashnode.dev](https://mdostal.hashnode.dev/what-does-a-cto-actually-do-1?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed) [Mar 6](https://hashnode.com/posts/what-does-a-cto-actually-do-1/69ab4851fc2a5ee0a85b7934)