tl;dr:(1) Don’t write code on the critical path i.e. where you're the blocker to deploy. (2) Defending your calendar. (3) It’s not necessary to be in every conversation. (4) You don’t have to be the most experienced engineer in the team, and more.
tl;dr:When talking about code, you'll generally refer to hundreds of lines of code so clarity is key. Some tips: (1) make the implicit explicit - avoid words like "clearly" and "obviously", (2) Be succinct, (3) Avoid ambiguous pronouns.
tl;dr:Tom argues that programming is game played and "won" by defense - writing high quality code with less bugs - rather than offense - writing code quickly.