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The Toptal Blog is the top hub for developers, designers, finance experts, executives, and entrepreneurs, featuring key technology updates, tutorials, freelancer resources, and management insights.

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Toptal core team members share their experience, expertise, and perspectives on the Toptal Edge Blog

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AI Investment Primer: A Practical Guide to Appraising Artificial Intelligence Dealflow (Part II)

In part I of this two-part series, Toptal Finance Expert Carolyn Deng provided an overview of the world of AI aimed at investors, with a focus on understanding what factors make for a great AI company. In this follow-up post, she outlines five practical steps investors should follow when diligencing a potential AI investment.

11 minute readContinue Reading
Carolyn Deng, CFA

Carolyn Deng, CFA

A Wharton MBA and CFA, Carolyn has executed 20+ VC/PE deals, managed a $700M portfolio and is a fundraising, growth and M&A specialist.

The Practical Guide to Building Online Communities

Online communities shape the relationship between a company and its distributed workforce. They also foster connections between workers, enriching both their professional and personal lives. In this article, David Abramovich, the Online Community Leader at Toptal, shares fundamental steps to successfully cultivate this critical ingredient that increasingly impacts the future of work.

6 minute readContinue Reading
David Abramovich

David Abramovich

David Abramovich is the Online Community Leader at Toptal, with over 8 years of experience through WeWork, Remote Year, and more.

Is It Time to Use Node 8?

Node 8 has brought significant performance and feature upgrades. Should you use it on new projects? Is it worth upgrading existing codebases? In this article, Toptal Freelance JavaScript Developer Youssef Sherif gives a tour of Node 8’s biggest changes and what they mean for your project.

13 minute readContinue Reading
Youssef Sharif

Youssef Sharif

Youssef has utilized React, Angular, NodeJS, and Python to build sophisticated web apps, API services, and machine learning applications.

First Impressions: A Guide to Onboarding UX

Nearly one in four users will abandon a mobile app after using it just once. Good onboarding makes a great first impression, gives users a guided introduction, and can significantly improve user retention.

10 minute readContinue Reading
Bree Chapin

Bree Chapin

Bree’s a passionate designer and problem-solver with 10+ years experience in product and UXUI design for web and native mobile applications.

The Project Management Blueprint, Part 1: A Comprehensive Comparison of Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and Lean

Have you ever wanted to have all of the Software Development Methodologies explained in one place? If so, here is an ultimate blueprint about what is Lean, Agile, Scrum and Kanban. This is the first part of the series where we explain all the different methodologies used in Software Development.

25 minute readContinue Reading
Darren Hagman

Darren Hagman

Darren is a veteran Scrum master with experience in Waterfall and Agile across a number of industries.

A Deep Dive Into Entity Framework Performance When Using “Contains”

Entity Framework is a great tool, but in some cases its performance is slow. One such case arises when complex queries use “Contains.”

Join Toptal .​NET Developer Anton Shkuratov in exploring how performance issues can be mitigated and finding the best approach to this type of complex queries.

8 minute readContinue Reading
Anton Shkuratov

Anton Shkuratov

Anton is a software developer and technical consultant with 10+ years of experience in desktop-distributed applications.

Words Matter: The True Value of UX Copy

Well-crafted words improve UX and provide people with decision-making clarity. We explore the true value of UX copy and provide sensible writing tips for greater user engagement.

8 minute readContinue Reading
Micah Bowers

Micah Bowers

Micah helps businesses craft meaningful engagement through branding, illustration, and design.

Getting to the Greeks: The Comprehensive Guide to Option Pricing

Stock options are widely used in public and private markets, both as malleable trading tools and for employee compensation. Yet many do not understand the components behind how they are priced. This guide discusses what drives the behavior of call and put options and how they can be deployed within portfolio management.

15 minute readContinue Reading
Nathan Krishnan S

Nathan Krishnan S

During his two-decade career in Asia and the US, Nathan has consulted in strategy, valuations, corporate finance and financial planning.

Cause and Effect: Exploring Color Psychology

The use of color in design can affect the emotions and moods of the people. Using colors wisely can improve UX and induce desired behaviors in significant ways.

9 minute readContinue Reading
Cameron Chapman

Cameron Chapman

Cameron comes from a design background and is the author of two web design books: Color for Web Design and The Smashing Idea Book.

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