Since 1991, Obradovic has been working at Sombor Gymnasium, except for a brief period from 1993 to 1997 when he worked as a programmer in a software company. He has a strong focus on competitive algorithmic programming, achieving significant success with his students. Several of his former students now work for renowned companies like Microsoft and Nordeus.

His accolades include leading his school team to victory in the High School Programming League 2012/13 and consistently participating in all 15 Microsoft “Bubble Cup” Finals. Obradovic has been recognized for his outstanding contributions to education, receiving prestigious awards such as the “Svetosavska nagrada” from the Serbian Minister of Education and the “Charter of the City” from Sombor.

Despite his programming achievements, Obradovic also prioritizes outdoor activities. For the past 18 years, he has organized nature expeditions for his students, involving canoeing, mountain climbing, and wilderness camping, covering over 1000 km per season. Additionally, Obradovic participates annually in the international programming competition CodeIT, where he not only guides his students but also competes alongside them, showcasing his dedication to both their development and his own continuous learning.

With a strong commitment to both programming and outdoor education, Obradovic continues to inspire and lead his students, fostering their talents in various domains.

For DevStyleR, the man who learned to code without a computer – Dusko Obradovic shares more about the importance of programming in his life, reveals to us the secret of a successful and beloved leader, and what it feels like to stand next to his students during CodeIT.

What does programming mean to you and how did your love for it develop?

At first, programming was just my job. Fortunately1, my programming career lasted for only 3 years. I had been working in a firm which made programs for accounting, and those challenges faded very quickly. For the following 3 years, I was working in Hungary as an entrepreneur in retail. Since 1998 until today I have been working in Grammar School in Sombor as an IT teacher. Ever since then, for me programming is pure pleasure.

You mentioned that you learned to program without a computer. How is that possible?

I suppose that today it would be very difficult. Almost impossible. Not because today’s children couldn’t do it, but because today’s technology makes the process of learning programming easier. At that time, there was no other way. I wrote my first program on a programmable calculator after 15 months of learning from a notebook and a board. I wrote my first program on a computer after 2,5 years, in 1984 in PASCAL on Honeywell. Soon after that, the first personal computers appeared on my faculty, but we didn’t have access like today – one or two times a week, for a few hours, mostly at night. There was no internet for us, mere mortal students.

The school team you lead in Serbia is the only one in the world that has participated in all 16 finals of the Microsoft “Bubble Cup”. How do you achieve such success?

We could say that at the beginning it was just a lucky set of circumstances, which in time grew into something inevitable. Experiences of older teams and their stories year after year inspire new generations to take part in qualification competitions. In the past 8 years, CodeIT qualifications have had the same priority with us as well.

These two competitions, and especially the marathons assignments, are priceless in the process of my students’ advance. Knowing that they have 20 days to solve the problem makes most of them to learn new algorithms and structures in that period so that they would make their placement better.

The fact that you don’t have to catch the beginning of the competition, that even less efficient solutions are also valued and the lack of time penalties all brought to the fact that longer qualification rounds are more popular in my school than the sprint rounds. Even if we put aside those who are satisfied with even getting a shirt, we can say that the fever of CodeIT and Bubble Cup is always present in our school.

You have received numerous awards in Serbia, including the “Svetosavskа Award” and the “Povelja grada”.

Both awards are not just the product of success in programming. Over a month which I spend in nature with my students has equally contributed, if not even more, to receiving those awards. I divide my year into programming season: from the finals of Bubble Cup at the end of September, over winter and spring, until the end of the finals of CodeIT at the beginning of June; and on the adventurous season: during the summer. This other includes camping, fishing and ecological-rowing expeditions. During those, we compensate nine months of cyberspace with the life in a complete natural environment without any comfort.

What is the secret to building a cohesive community that competes among itself in various competitions?

Today’s way of life, which is considered as a contemporary value, and extreme influence of mass media led to the fact that in Serbia there are no more colleagues ready to do something like that. As far as I know, it is similar in Bulgaria as well.
The other reasons are, that those who have the knowledge to pass on to new generations will rather work somewhere else for 2000+ EUR instead for 750EUR, which is the salary for teachers in Serbia.

I wouldn’t call my way of work a secret.

• – With my students I don’t have a typical teacher – student relationship. We are all pals, and in many programming competitions and on CodeIT in finals we compete against each other. (This does not apply when I have to mark them).
• Experiences of earlier generations from their faculties and jobs in IT companies, through the students themselves, their friends and relatives in one small town are easily spread, so many elementary school pupils are coming to my extra classes even before they enroll Grammar School.
• My extra-curricular classes are open to students from other schools as well.
• There are no divisions on gender, classes, religions… so, except on competitions, you can always count on help of those who are around you.
• Many of those students enjoy the natural beauties of Serbia with me, next to some water during a big part of summer in the adventurous season.
• In the programming season I do about 5 hours of extra-curricular classes a week. On the contrary to other professions in Serbia, doing extra hours in teaching is not paid.

How do you prepare students for Olympiads and competitions, and what is the best advice you give them before each event?

Before competitions in our country there is a list of advice that competitors should acquire. That list was based on hundreds of points that previous students had lost on their competitions, and that led to a difference in points on their expense.
Choice of the adequate type of data structures and their sizes.
Obligatory winning the partial points, if there are some.
Narrowing down of the possible ways of solving the tasks based on given limitations.
And many more…

Nemanja Majski is my only student who has achieved this so far. And for more than a year he has been working alone and going to Belgrade at weekends, where he and a few more students have been prepared for the international competitions. This, of course, makes me proud.

Talent or hard work – which one is the key to success?

It depends on what you consider a success. If success is getting a job in an IT company, it doesn’t matter. If the aim is to work in a better firm with a bigger salary, it is possible to achieve with less talent and much work or vice versa.

If success is reaching a level where you can choose where you want to work, you need both talent and a lot and a lot of work.

Now that you have mentioned this, I have to say that it is a big pity that in our two countries a good system doesn’t exist. It all depends on the individual. There are talented children everywhere. The proof for that are not so big towns like Sombor (SRB) and Shumen (BG). Whether they will be found and start their way in which their talent will be fully used, depends on luck as well. You should be born in a town like this or its surrounding at the time when there live enthusiasts who put long-term strategic aims in front of their own personal material ones.

You have been competing alongside your students at CodeIT for years. What do you feel and think when you stand next to them during a competition?

Since the codes are public after the competition, I cannot hide the ways I approach solving of the marathon tasks. Honestly, that is not my aim at all. But during earlier competitions that was my advantage. Tempo in which I type and test, comparing to my students, is certainly my handicap. Even reading the text of the task takes a considerable amount of my time. I still manage to compensate that by experience, but it is getting more and more difficult. It happens more and more often that one or even more of them beat me on the same competition. The last sprint round on CodeIT was a disaster for me. I didn’t manage to solve not one task in given time. My ages are getting me. Luckily, I have no problem with the fact that my students are beating me.

What advice would you give to future participants in CodeIT?

The first piece of advice is to be persistent and patient. I have recently tickled the CodeIT officials to, besides presentation of the Great Guru, organize one of the little Guru, i.e. me, where I would, at least to younger participants, convey a few very useful pieces of advice when solving marathon tasks. If they get lucky and that really happens, in future their results in marathon tasks will certainly be better.

Besides this, play computer games less. That is a waste of time and you have no use from it, but a current satisfaction. Successfully finished combat with the solving of a programming problem can give you a similar feeling, with the difference that this will definitely help you in your future profession.

On his Instagram feed, Mosseri added that downloaded Reels will have an Instagram watermark with the account name – just like the one you see in Tik Tok.

However, each account will have the option to choose whether to unlock their Reels downloads from users or turn that option off.

You can turn the download option off through Settings > Privacy > Reels and Remix and tap on the “Allow people to download your Reels” toggle.

Importantly, when downloading a Reel featuring a licensed audio clip, the resultant video will lack audio. Sound is only retained in downloaded clips for Reels that incorporate original audio tracks.

The option to download Reels was initially introduced for U.S.-based users in June, and now it is being extended to users worldwide.

In 2021, Instagram ceased recommending clips with a TikTok watermark or any other watermark. By August 2022, YouTube had implemented a logo-based watermark on downloaded Shorts, the company’s short video product, as a deterrent against cross-platform sharing.

Being a technology leader is not just a task you have to do. Being a leader is a calling and a mission that carries with it great responsibility. Technology leaders care about their employees because they know that they are the foundation of a successfully completed project or created product.

Today we’re sharing the top tips that will turn you into a better version of yourself and your team’s favorite #tech leader, presented by 101 Ways.

Focus on leadership, not just technology
Technology leaders often think they must have the best technology knowledge in the world. But not only is it impossible to stay on top of the details of every technology or software development trend, given the broader responsibilities you have as CTO, CIO, etc., it’s simply not your job. As a leader, you’re not there to write code, you’re there to look at the bigger picture and make sure your teams are focused on the right problems and have the resources they need to get the job done.

What you need to do
You don’t need to have all the answers or understand all the details. You need trusted advisors who understand those details. Your job is to put that advice into context and make decisions about what is important and what is not. Then focus on communicating those priorities across the organization and ensuring your teams have the support and resources they need.

Do not forget about the attitude to culture
A sense of community has a huge impact on employee productivity, performance and engagement.

Ultimately, culture is about connections and what those connections facilitate. Culture requires attention to nuance and intentional action of reaching out and intentional listening. The need for intentional culture is becoming more apparent in the context of productivity and remote working, as well as managing teams that are not always (or never) in the same room.

What you need to do
Get into the expectations you have set for the team and embody them. Let your employees know that anyone who wants to drop by for a chat can do so, and that they’ll find a good companion and advisor in you.

Nurturing respect through differences
One of the many reasons for the ongoing obsession with the details of the latest technology trends is the fear that the only way to earn the respect of employees is to be “the best.” While there may be a grain of truth to this, you’ll never know as much about the details of a topic as
someone who spends their day, every day in this world.

What you need to do
You need to earn respect by being an effective leader and providing your teams with the support and resources they need.

You also need to develop a sense of comfort from not knowing all the answers. If you exude confidence when asking questions, you can actually use these moments as opportunities to let someone on your team shine by offering a solution. The doubt you feel is most often just in your head.

The subdivision, which was set up under former VW chief executive Herbert Diess, went over budget and failed to meet its targets, contributing to Diess’ departure, with Oliver Blume taking his post in September last year.

Cariad’s supervisory board is expected to adopt the decision on the cuts at a meeting next week. It is possible that only the head of the personnel department, Rainer Zugehor, will keep his job.

A company spokesperson said it was analyzing Cariad and its projects.

No personnel decisions have been made yet. And problems at Cariad have delayed work on the latest Porsche e-Macan and Audi Q6 e-tron car models.

“Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app,”

Musk wrote Friday.

Tesla shares, which rose early Friday, fell in afternoon trading. Twitter’s new CEO will begin his duties in about six weeks. Musk added that his role at Twitter will transition into the role of executive chairman and chief technology officer of the company.

Musk took over as CEO of Twitter on October 28 last year, buying the social media platform for $44 billion. The purchase was partially funded by Musk, who sold some of his shares in Tesla. That, along with his focus on Twitter, has alarmed some longtime Tesla stock bulls, as they believe the negative attention is weighing on Tesla stock.

The EV giant is up around 67% from a January low, but has retreated considerably since the end of March. Tesla stock remains below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.

Tesla ranks fourth in IBD’s Auto-Manufacturers industry group. TSLA has a 59 Composite Rating out of 99. The stock also has a 20 Relative Strength Rating. The EPS Rating is 93 out of 99.

He suggests that the HTML section of the <head> element should be “clean” to ensure that search engines can fully understand the website in question.

Mueller shared this advice in a Reddit thread, where a user asked a question about whether pasting HTML code could cause SEO problems.

In fact, the answer is that it can. The placement of HTML code is in danger of adversely impacting good SEO efforts if it doesn’t appear at the top of the page.

John Mueller uses the term HTML Headers. But the <head> element isn’t ordinarily referred to that way.

• HTML Headers are generally understood (as informal jargon) to reference the <heading> element (H1, H2, H3, etc.).

Header Elements are a specific HTML element known as <header>, which contains the menu, logo, etc .

Head HTML element is a section at the top of the HTML document with metadata about the document itself (title, meta description, etc.).

So when Mueller references “headers” he is specifically discussing the <head> element.

Mueller’s goal is to emphasize the importance of keeping the <head> section of the HTML document tidy and not cluttered with scripts that can be placed elsewhere.

“The html headers (<head>) should be pretty much on top. I’d move any JS to below the HTML headers, and check with the rendering tool in search console that the JS doesn’t mess up the <head> section.”

he further advises.

In his view, the placement of the main content is not that important, although it’s crucial that the <head> section is clean and well-organized for Googlebot to understand it properly.

“For content, it doesn’t matter that much, but since the header material is for machine-readable information that has been verified to be in a specific part of the page, it really needs to be clean at the top.”,

Mueller continues.

When creating a website, it is best to use the async and defer attributes in a strategic way that allows for the best rendering and interactivity at the fastest page speed for users. The reason for this is that JavaScript can slow down the rendering of the webpage while it loads, resulting in a poor user experience.

HTML can be rendered first, and this allows the user to see the content while JavaScript loads in the background with the appropriate use of the defer and async attributes.

For technology leaders, this is critical. Knowing how to overcome problems while remaining calm and optimistic, even though the odds often won’t be on your side. Embracing failure as a challenge and experience is key to your successful career. And no matter how difficult the road to success, keep going. In one direction and one direction only – forward.

However, it is important to note that the line between “business leader” and “technology leader” has always been clear. Technology needs to be aligned with business results and vice versa. The most successful technology leaders of the future will be those who are able to bridge this and help their organizations and technology teams come together for the sake of overall successful outcomes.

Today we have chosen to present you some short but important tips on how to improve yourself and become a better tech leader, according to 101 Ways.

5 Tips How to Become a Better Tech Leader

Focus on leadership, not just technology

Technology leaders often fall into the trap of believing that they need to be the best technologist in the room. This shouldn’t actually be surprising given the number of tech leaders with a technologist background. But not only is it not possible to remain in the details of every technology or software development trend, given the wider responsibilities you have as a CTO, CIO, etc., it’s just not your job. As a leader, you aren’t there to write code, you’re there to look at the bigger picture and make sure that your teams are focused on the right problems and have the resources they need to get the job done.

“Leadership”, as elusive as it might sound, is a specialization. It’s critical that you take it seriously as a discipline and work to hone those skills independently of staying on top of the latest technology. Only then will you be able to get the most out of your teams and allow your organization to harness technology to its fullest potential.

What you need to do

Fundamentally, this comes down to letting go of the belief that you need to be absolutely tech-savvy at all times. You don’t need to have all of the answers or understand all of the details. You need trusted advisors who do understand those details. Your job is to put that advice into context and make decisions about what’s important and what’s not. Then, focus on communicating those priorities across your organization and securing the support and resources that your teams need.

 Be purposeful about culture

A sense of community can have a tremendous impact on productivity, efficiency and employee engagement. At the end of the day, culture is about connections and what those connections facilitate. While technology can be binary in nature, culture requires attention to nuance and the purposeful act of outreach and intentional listening. The need for purposeful culture becomes increasingly evident in the context of productivity and remote working, and managing teams that aren’t always (or ever) present in the same room.

What you need to do

One of the best ways to build culture as a leader is to model it consciously. Step into the expectations that you’ve set out for the team and embody them. While leaving your door open and making it clear that anyone who wants to stop by for a chat can, sometimes it takes stepping out yourself and cultivating those positive bridges.

Send the message first to check in. Ask about that issue your team member was worried about last week. Leading acts like these will always matter more than knowing the latest developer language. Little things add up and create the personal connections that you need, and that you want to see across your teams.

Develop respect through differences

Stepping back from the technology coalface, as we discussed in our first tip, can leave tech leaders feeling exposed. One of the many reasons for a continued obsession with the details of the latest technology trends is a fear that the only way to earn the respect of technologists is to be the proverbial “best technologist in the room”. There might be some superficial truth to this, but you still need to find a better answer for how to earn the respect of your teams. You’ll never know as much about the details of any given subject as someone who spends their day, every day in that world.

What you need to do

You might not be able to do the job of your lead developer. But they can’t do your job either — and they probably don’t even want to. You need to win respect by being an effective leader and securing your teams the support and resources they need.

It’s also critical that you develop a sense of comfort in not knowing all of the answers. If you project confidence when asking questions you can actually use those moments as opportunities to allow someone on your team to shine by offering a solution. The doubt you feel is, more often than not, simply in your head.

Again, this comes back to creating a community-orientated culture, and the fact that your job isn’t about knowing everything — it’s about using the information your teams provide to make the right decisions. Fundamentally, you just need to show your curiosity and demonstrate your ability to create outcomes that matter to others. This is how you win respect as a leader.

Always keep business goals in mind 

Organizations with CIOs who are more involved in shaping business strategy have been shown to outperform the average.3 As we’ve already discussed, bridging the gap between business strategy and technology strategy is a core function that technology leaders need to fill.

It’s your job to make sure that business decisions are being made with an eye on technological solutions, and those technology investments are made in line with business goals. Of course, you can’t do this without the support of wider business leadership and your wider technology team. However, that doesn’t mean success isn’t, ultimately, your responsibility. Demonstrating outcomes using technology will have a large impact on making that alignment possible.

What you need to do

Fundamentally, making this work comes down to understanding what your business goals are, and then making alignment with those goals a priority within your teams. On both sides, this comes down to communication.

First, you need to directly seek input from leaders across the business. You need to know what problems they are trying to solve, and what solutions they’ve already tried. Realistically, this needs to be happening on a team/function level, and at the board level. That means having a seat on the board, and making time in your day to discuss issues with individuals at different levels of leadership.

Then, you need to be in regular communication with your teams about what you’ve learned. Remember, you aren’t going to know all the answers. You might not have heard about the new API being able to solve the challenges faced by your finance team — but your API specialist probably has. By keeping a constant dialogue running you can find answers and then focus the right people on developing those solutions. This dialogue is also going to help you create the kind of culture.

Excel at debunking tech-jargon

As we keep coming back to, tech leaders need to be the bridge between technology and the business. That means getting good at explaining technology to non-technologist. More than anything, that means deleting jargon from your vocabulary, and perfecting the ability to communicate complicated technical ideas in ways that make sense on a practical level.

What you need to do

The big thing to understand is that business leaders are most often interested in outcomes. Particularly in board-level conversions, you need to lead with what your new-fangled tech concept is actually going to do — how it impacts both organizational process and the bottom line.

If you do have to explain how something works, use simple, everyday language, avoid acronyms and lean on visual representations where possible. You should also remember that approximations are good enough. For example, simply stating that APIs are software intermediaries that allow two applications to talk to each other is good enough.

Obviously, it’s more complicated than that — there are different kinds, different ways they get integrated, different security considerations — but none of that detail really matters when it comes to board-level approval.

The companies aim to transition all of their services into fully electric programmes by 2030. Mark Potter, Head of Building Services at Ocado Group said:

“Ocado is committed to being the UK’s most sustainable grocer. This starts at our head office where we encourage employees to swap their car for a sustainable alternative. The introduction of the electric bus service with Zeelo allows our employees to benefit from a net zero commuting option

The service, launched on 29th November, transports employees to and from Ocado Group and Ocado Retail’s head office locations in Hatfield, UK, from nearby towns including St Albans and Welwyn Garden City.

By providing an all-electric bus programme, Zeelo and Ocado hope to save 16 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. Meanwhile they are offering another valuable transportation link to the office for staff who are living in areas that may be underserved by public transport

“We are looking forward to Chhavi and Nitesh joining our leadership team, bringing deep technical skills and leadership acumen. With the added firepower, we are setting the stage for taking the engineering and product development footprint of dunnhumby India to the next level,”

Chhavi Sinha has 17 years of engineering and technology experience and has been with dunnhumby since 2011. She has worked with multiple retailers across US, Europe and Asia markets. In her previous role, she led dunnhumby’s APAC Data Engineering team and has also been at the forefront of multiple initiatives across technology and science teams, which redefined the way dunnhumby operates. In her new role, Chhavi will report to Prithvesh Katoch, Global Head of Client Data Services. Chhavi said:

“I am excited about the opportunity to enhance the maturity of our data engineering function, preparing for the future with best-in-class solutions.”

In the past two years, dunnhumby India has been hiring engineering and product development skills. The India arm has 370 technology professionals in this space now, accounting for more than half of its India employee base of 710.

The announcement also signifies dunnhumby’s ambition to cultivate more diversity in leadership. With the induction of the new leaders, five of dunnhumby’s 13-member India leadership team will be female leaders.

dunnhumby India is expanding at a compounded annual growth rate of 19%. The office was started in 2008 as a hub of data engineering, data science and product development, and is today a key driver of dunnhumby’s growth.

“I am pleased to welcome Raj Asarpota to our leadership team. His extensive experience in leading the financial operations of spine-focused medical device business – as well as driving successful M&A transactions – will make him an immediate asset to the future of the Augmedics business. He, as well as his tenure, are the perfect addition to our already incredible team.”

Mr. Asarpota joins Augmedics after his most recent role at ApiJect as executive vice president, chief financial officer and head of technology. ApiJect Systems America, Inc., is a medical technology company that seeks to revolutionize how medicines and vaccines are filled, finished and delivered. Prior to ApiJect, Asarpota served as executive vice president and chief financial officer with NuVasive, a global public company and leader in minimally invasive, procedurally integrated spine solutions, where he was involved with supporting the company’s growth strategy through innovation and operational excellence. Mr.  Asarpota said:

“I am incredibly excited to partner with Nissan and the management team to drive Augmedics’ revolutionary technology to significantly improve outcomes for patients and surgeons along with positioning the company for continued growth and value creation.”

Prior to NuVasive, he spent two years in the private equity space at Imaging Advantage and Cole Parmer as executive vice president and chief financial officer. Imaging Advantage was acquired by Envision in 2015. In 2014, he served as the executive vice president and chief financial officer for Questcor Pharmaceuticals which was acquired by Mallinckrodt in a $5.6B transaction. Asarpota also spent a decade at Life Technologies, a global life sciences company where he was responsible for helping scale the organization, driving growth through organic and M&A channels. During his tenure, the company revenue grew from approximately $1B to more than $4B in 2014, leading to the company’s sale to Thermo Fisher for $13.6 billion that year. Prior to Life Technologies, Asarpota spent 11 years at GE in several finance leadership roles.