I was at this talk, and I think that by far the most important point was that you should get great advisers and mentors. Instagram started with an okay stack and terrible configuration. They ended up doing great on both counts; now they have almost no downtime, they deploy several times an hour, and their comprehensive tests take only 5 minutes to run. Some of that came from skill and prior knowledge, but the majority from adaptability and the willingness to switch quickly when advisers (e.g. Adam d'Angelo) suggested better alternatives.
