Software engineering at a proprietary trading company: Optiver

213 · The Pragmatic Engineer · Aug. 11, 2026, 6:48 p.m.
Summary
The blog post discusses the evolving focus of software engineering at Optiver, a proprietary trading firm, emphasizing a transition from prioritizing latency to enhancing AI models. It highlights the unique incentives and challenges present in trading firms compared to typical tech companies, suggesting a holistic approach that includes owning the full technology stack and developing custom hardware.