February 2021 Summaries

Buildkite has made significant strides in supporting ARM-based workloads, ensuring that running the Buildkite agent on devices like Apple's M1 Macs or Amazon's ARM-based Graviton EC2 instances functions as smoothly as on x86_64 environments. Since the release of Buildkite agent 3.26.0, users have been able to install the agent via Homebrew, which automatically selects the appropriate binary for their CPU. Additionally, the Elastic CI Stack for AWS v5.1.0 facilitates the creation of a private, autoscaling cluster of Buildkite agents on Amazon EC2 instances, allowing users to manage their build environments efficiently. This stack offers default configurations that follow AWS best practices while providing flexibility to customize resources and scaling parameters. Users can easily control which pipelines target specific agents by applying tags, enabling precise management of architecture or OS-specific environments. As Buildkite continues to enhance its platform, users are encouraged to explore these new capabilities either with their own accounts or by starting a free trial.

Buildkite emphasizes its core values of transparency, quality, diversity, independence, empathy, collaboration, and sustainable growth in shaping its benefits for employees, known as Buildkiters. These benefits are not just about meeting government standards but are designed to support employees' well-being and professional growth, aiming to foster a productive and happy work environment. Comprehensive health care, wellness budgets, and learning and development opportunities are provided to ensure individual needs are catered to. The company also supports flexible work setups with budgets for home office supplies and unique items such as houseplants, acknowledging the remote-first nature of their work culture. Time off is prioritized with generous annual, personal, and parental leave policies, including continued retirement payments during parental leave to mitigate economic disadvantages. Buildkite offers flexible employment options and a profit-sharing scheme to recognize individual contributions and ensure team members have a stake in the company's success. As the company grows globally, it reassesses its offerings to maintain equitable access to these benefits.