Posts

Recently, I wrote about the value of senior developers in an AI world. What are the most important skills a software developer should focus on in this world? Here are my top 3… or perhaps top 7 because the last one has 5 parts. System Architecture and Design Context is king when it comes to designing systems. You may have planned the most elegant and “correct” architecture, leveraging all of the greatest new advancements and patterns used in Big Tech, but you are only wasting your time if you are building an MVP at a 2-person startup. AI still struggles to understand when to apply what architectures. It is important to understand what you need today and also the patterns you want to apply in the future. ...

Will AI replace senior developers? This is a common question people are asking today as AI coding tools become increasingly sophisticated. Instead, the aspects that make a senior developer a great developer remain unchanged in the world of AI. It has been said by many that AI raises the floor and not the ceiling. What this means is that the best developers will become even more differentiated from the pack. While AI can help anyone write basic code, it takes deep experience to architect systems, make strategic technical decisions, and navigate complex trade-offs. ...

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) represents a significant advancement in AI assistant capabilities, enabling seamless integration with external tools and services. However, as MCP adoption grows, so do the security concerns surrounding credential management. The authorization services and OAuth flows may solve the problem for many HTTP-based MCP servers, but little exists for local services. I like the idea of having a suite of local tools and resources I can plug into an AI. ...

When you are asked to take on a task that you do not feel is possible, your instinct might be to say “no” and explain why. A more effective approach is instead to shift from “No Because…” to “Yes and here is the impact of that.” I’ve spoken with some leaders who struggle with pushing back on things or feel like they are constantly pushing back on everything. You can even end up in situations where people feel that someone is not being a team player because of how they push back. It is possible to push back effectively but remain a team player simply by adjusting your communication. ...

I predict that in the next few years, we will see a huge wave of resignations in software companies. We are in a period where the opportunity cost of leaving a role is high. There are few postings in the job market, and there are many people who are looking for work. The consequence of this is that people who are interested in moving on are sticking around a lot longer than they otherwise would. ...

My formative years in tech were in the era of Slashdot and Linux becoming mainstream. Being a Microsoft hater (aka Micro$oft) was very popular at the time. Bill Gates was on the way out, handing the reins to Steve Ballmer and the company motto, at least externally, was Embrace, Extend and Extinguish. The company prioritized lock-in and leveraging their dominance, and open-source was not part of their culture. Satya Nadella’s era ushered in a new age for Microsoft. Microsoft embraced openness. In 2014, they released their office suite for iPad, a long-time product to lock people into the Windows ecosystem. They brought Linux to Windows as WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux). ...

Startups are under a lot of pressure to deliver fast. This often necessitates the accumulation of technical debt. Many articles have been written on why it is essential to pay off technical debt. Fewer speak to circumstances for keeping debt or evaluate what areas of tech debt should be prioritized. In my experience, software developers often overvalue the benefits and impact of fixing tech debt issues. A developer might take a full day developing a script to save 30 minutes of a one-time repetitive and menial task. Another mistake developers often make is justifying tech debt based on an ideal outcome that may not be realistic. In an attempt to simplify the code or architecture, a developer may find that the “fixed” version is only marginally better and does not yield the full benefits. ...

I have noticed a trend that many brilliant people struggle to advocate for their ideas effectively. Often as engineering or product leaders, you need to propose a technical or product solution, recommend a vendor or make some sort of choice that you need buy-in from others. In all of these cases, the ability to “sell” your idea is critical. Here are the top 4 things you can do to take your pros and cons lists to the next level. ...

I was chatting with someone from a startup last year, where it is normal for team members to put in extra long hours (60+ hour weeks). The founder and CEO said, “I wish it wasn’t like this, but it is what we need to do right now.” I was a bit shocked by this. He knew it was not healthy but did not see any alternative. Marvin Let me tell you a story about Marvin (name changed). Marvin was the model employee. No matter what the deadline, Marvin always seemed to be able to make it. He worked long hours regularly to keep up this pace. We were working in a startup environment, so some overtime was expected. ...

I have seen a flurry of bad job-searching advice on LinkedIn recently. Here are some of the top ones I have seen and what to do instead. Stop applying for jobs that are advertised. Everyone else is. The people who are advertising jobs are the ones who are hiring. Very few people are sitting on open positions without posting them. Yes, competition may be high for these roles. Instead, focus on how to make your application more attractive to hiring managers. ...