TechLab by Bol

We sat down with Loes, who made the extraordinary leap from Attorney to Frontend Engineer at Bol. She breaks down her journey from drafting contracts in suit, to coding components in sneakers—and why a GDPR talk can actually be fun. What this episode covers • The “why” behind a radical career change • Legal vs. engineering—how contracts are like code • GDPR, but make it fun—the 6 rules every engin...

What happens when you realize you've tied your entire identity—and self-worth—to your job title? This week, we're joined by Vasileios Nikolopoulos, whose Space Summit talk became one of our most-discussed ever. We dive into the uncomfortable question: Who are you, when you’re not at work? What this episode covers We explore the trap of turning hobbies into side hustles, the surprising po...

What this episode covers • The moment you have to stop coding and start coaching • The surprising amount of administration (so many spreadsheets! 📊) • How to build trust when your former peers are now your direct reports • The #1 tip for new managers: walking meetings • What no one tells you: office politics and the art of influence

Ever wondered who guides the technical direction for a company with over 1,300 microservices? In this episode, we sit down with Enterprise Architects Eleanor and Alexandra to demystify their role. We explore how they bring structure to massive scale, enable smarter decisions with Architecture Decision Records (ADRs), and why they believe that at bol.com, every engineer is an architect. What this e...

oin us behind the scenes of Space Summit, Bol.com’s internal tech conference—where product and tech become speakers, crew, and innovators for a day. This year’s edition? Bigger, bolder, and now open to the entire product team for the first time! What this episode covers The story behind Space Summit: From auditorium talks to a 1,100-person conference. By colleagues, for colleagues: How a volunteer...

Probably the most asked question so far. Who are the people behind the hilarious social media accounts from bol? A group of Gen-Z's or interns? Who is Gerda and what are the things they face from day to day. What this episode covers Meet Gerda, the alter ego from bol A day in the life of a community manager Lots of fun stories and anekdotes How to stay relevant in a fast paces environment

What if your first job felt like an extension of university - with less exams, more impact, and better coffee? In this episode, we get to know Berk and Petra. Two YP's who all ins and outs of the program. Get to know them, the talent program and how Bol supports high potentials in their personal journey. What this episode covers The YP Program structure: From onboarding to graduation Work-lif...

Ever wished you could test wild ideas without months of meetings? In this episode, we crack open Bol.com’s design sprint playbook—where cross-functional teams turn chaos into shippable solutions in just one week. Perfect for: Product teams, designers, agile coaches, and anyone tired of "analysis paralysis." What this episode covers The sprint mindset: Why constraining time unlocks creati...

Ever wondered how product teams avoid building features nobody wants? Meet Laura and Joep, Bol.com's product analytics experts, who reveal how data stops wasted effort and fuels smart decisions. Learn why a "fake door test" is their secret weapon and how failed experiments are actually wins in disguise! What this episode covers 🔍 What you’ll learn: ✅ Why "good enough" da...

This week, Ernst and Daniel from Queer Bol share how they're transforming workplaces - not with big policies, but through real, everyday actions. Like that time an educational poster in the bathroom made a colleague say: "I never knew this - thank you for opening my eyes." "It's not just about acceptance," says Daniel. "It's about creating space where people...

What happens when you dedicate a day to breaking things on purpose? Chaos Day! Join us as Bart Stroeken and Quido Meijer from Bol.com dive into the world of Chaos Engineering—a discipline focused on building confidence in your systems by intentionally causing failures. Learn how Bol.com organizes Chaos Days, the surprising findings they’ve uncovered, and how you can apply these lessons to your own...

Join us in this deep dive with Lars and On from Bol.com as they share their incredible journey of adopting GraphQL in one of the largest e-commerce platforms in the Netherlands and Belgium. Discover how they tackled architectural challenges, influenced teams, and built a thriving GraphQL community within their organization. Whether you're a developer, tech lead, or just curious about GraphQL,...

Why is it crucial to track your cloud expenses? In this episode, we chat with two experts about mastering Cloud FinOps—how to monitor costs effectively and scale without breaking the bank. Plus, plenty of laughs and lively discussions along the way! What this episode covers Get ready to explore the essentials of Cloud FinOps! This episode dives into why managing cloud expenses is a must and reveal...

What this episode covers In this episode, we’re joined by our talented friends from the design community, Cansu and Wendy! The dynamic between engineers and designers is endlessly fascinating—and sometimes, a little chaotic. How can these two worlds collaborate more effectively? What are the biggest challenges (and funniest moments) that arise? We dig into the details, share some laughs, and uncov...

What this episode covers Join us for an inspiring and in-depth conversation with Ronald van Rijn , Senior Director of Engineering at bol.com (http://bol.com/), as he reflects on his first 100 days in the role. Ronald shares insights from his journey—starting as a passionate programmer with a Commodore 64 to becoming a leader of over 900 engineers. Discover how his experience as a former CTO, volle...

What this episode covers In this episode, we dive into the world of canary releases—a modern deployment strategy that minimizes risk while delivering new features to users. Joined by Sonja Nesic and Diego Lira, we explore how tools like Argo Rollouts empower teams to test in production safely, offering seamless integration with Kubernetes environments. Learn how automatic rollbacks can safeguard y...

In this episode, we dive into the crucial topic of Accessibility in Tech with special guests Leanne Scheepers, an engineer with a passion for inclusive design, and Niels Peter Foppe, our lead product designer and driving force behind accessibility at bol. Together, we explore how accessibility is approached at bol.com, from strategy and implementation to the practical tips and tricks that can make...

What this episode covers In this episode of TechLab, we're diving deep into the world of data engineering! Join us as we chat with Robin, a data scientist from bol.com, who shares how his team tackled complex data pipeline challenges by using layered approaches and innovative solutions like Apache Airflow. Robin makes it easy to understand by comparing data workflows to baking bread (yes, rea...

Join us as we explore performance testing with experts Nithya and Marcel from bol. They share insights on ensuring system reliability during peak seasons through chaos engineering and isolated testing. Discover best practices, tools, and strategies to tackle performance challenges and enhance user experience. Tune in for valuable tips from industry professionals! Guests Connect with Nithya Thirugn...

On this episode we're joined by Bart Enkelaar and Rob Klein Gunnewiek as the experts on SRE! This talk will cover lots of SRE principles, insights and innovations within the teams at Bol. Next to that, we've had a lovely chat with lots of laughter. So enough reasons to grab a nice drinks and enjoy the episode! Guests Connect with Bart Enkelaar: LinkedIn Connect with Rob Klein Gunnewiek:...

What this episode covers On this episode, Lee September joins us to tell his inspiring story on Neurodiversity and Leadership. He shares his personal journey from engineer to management and how being neurodivergent played a role within this story. From personal growth to being inclusive to anyone. Knowing when to read the room and adjusting accordingly to put everyone in their strengths. Guests Co...

Today we're joined by Rogier Lommers, a Space Tech Lead within Bol who has been working on the roll-out of Distributed Tracing at scale. We'll dive into the initiative and how this currently works in production. Next to this, Rogier shares some insightful tips on how to start. What this episode covers In this episode, we explore distributed tracing in microservices architecture, covering...

Ever wondered what it's like being a Google Developer Expert? What does this title mean, and how do you achieve being in this position? What do you day from day-to-day and what are the responsibilities coming with the title? Today we have a really inspiring guest joining us! Ahmed Tikiwa is a Google Developer Expert for Android and a seasoned full-stack developer with over 10 years of experie...

Time to kick off the new season of TechLab! Before we dive into cool topics with all our guests, we'd love to introduce ourselves to all of you. This episode will dive into the introduction of the two new hosts. What is the reason of continuing the podcast, and what is on our minds? As always, we're super curious on hearing your thoughts! Let us know if you like the new format, or have s...

It has been a while, we are back with a very special episode. One we never had before. One we knew one day would come. People were already asking on X “Will there be new episodes of Techlab”. And the answer is: Yes! As initiators of the Techlab Podcast we produced 118 episodes. Started in 2019 so 5 years ago. And the good news is, Techlab Podcast will continue!!!! In this episode we will explain m...