How do you build a high-performing engineering team in the AI era? And will AI make fundamental engineering skills obsolete?

In this episode, Mohan Krishnan, Head of Engineering at Grab, shares lessons from leading multiple transformational engineering teams. Drawing from his experience at Grab, Bukalapak, BBM Emtek, and Pivotal Labs, Mohan explains why core engineering fundamentals still matter, even in the age of AI, and will become even more valuable than ever. He discusses building disciplined, high-performing engineering teams and the importance of hands-on leadership. We also explore the unique challenges and vast potential of the tech landscape in Southeast Asia.

Key topics discussed:

• Why foundational skills like TDD and system design are becoming more critical in the age of generative AI
• How to effectively use AI as a pair programmer for upskilling and idea generation, while avoiding the pitfalls of “vibe coding”
• Mohan’s “sports team” analogy for building successful engineering teams with discipline, a mix of seniority, and a culture of deep learning
• The importance of hands-on technical leadership, and why even CTOs should “dive deep” to set the right engineering bar
• The state of engineering talent in Southeast Asia and what’s needed to bridge the gap in deep tech and AI development
• Actionable career advice for junior and mid-career professionals navigating the AI-infused software industry

Timestamps:

• (00:00:00) Trailer & Intro
• (00:02:08) Career Turning Points
• (00:06:03) Things We Should Learn in the AI Era
• (00:09:53) AI as a Pair Programmer
• (00:13:58) The Danger of Outsourcing Our Thinking to AI
• (00:17:29) The Dopamine Hit of Using AI
• (00:20:36) Building a Successful Transformational Engineering Team
• (00:25:33) The Discipline Rigor in An Engineering Team
• (00:29:14) Understanding & Delivering Outcomes for the Business
• (00:32:21) Having a Tough Approach as an Engineering Leader
• (00:39:07) Going Back as an IC at Google
• (00:45:40) The Importance of Being Hands-On with Recent Technologies for Leaders
• (00:52:40) Hands-on vs Micromanagement
• (00:55:11) Engineering Talents in Southeast Asia
• (00:58:06) Building Tech Talents in Southeast Asia
• (01:01:17) Bridging the AI Gap in Southeast Asia
• (01:04:03) Should We Still Pursue a Tech Career in the AI Era?
• (01:07:24) 2 Tech Lead Wisdom

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Mohan Krishnan’s Bio
Mohan Krishnan, based in Singapore, is currently a Head of Engineering at Grab. Mohan Krishnan brings experience from previous roles at Google, Bukalapak, BBM and Pt. Kreatif Media Karya. Mohan Krishnan holds a 1998 - 2002 Bachelor of Engineering in Multimedia, Electronics at Multimedia University. With a robust skill set that includes Ruby on Rails, Multithreading, Web Services, HTML, Services and more.

Follow Mohan:

• LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/mohangk

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Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/228.
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