We have avoided talking about generative AI and LLMs. No more. In this episode we decided to discuss the topic and expose the reasoning why we have been careful and have avoided it so far.

We share our perspectives as experienced software engineers (not AI experts) navigating the hype, anxiety, and reality of LLMs.

We discuss our approach and experiments with LLMs, from initial hesitation to finding practical use cases that work for us, while exploring the broader implications for software engineering careers.

The conversation covers what LLMs actually do versus what people think they do, the risks of losing critical thinking skills, and why we believe the fears about AI replacing software engineers are largely out of place.

In this episode we chat about burn out. Yes, again... because this topic deserves an always ongoing conversation.This time Nav Rao, a self-described "floating software engineer" with experience in early-stage startups across New Zealand and Australia, joins us to discuss the topic.Nav shares his candid experiences of burning out multiple times throughout his career, warning signs that indicate you are heading towards burnout, and we discuss how burnout manifests: from overwhelming stress to crushing boredom, feeling lack of purpose, and organizational dysfunction, plus the compounding effects of repeated burnout cycles.The conversation covers strategies for recovery and why traditional advice like "touch grass" goes only so far without addressing systemic workplace issues. We also reflect on how the current state of the tech industry, including AI pressure and current market status is affecting engineers and driving them towards burn out.

In this episode, we explore leadership principles as tools to navigate complex situations and daily challenges.

We discuss how these short, memorable phrases can serve as practical decision-making tools, become mental triggers to drive positive or desired behavior, and drive culture (both at work and sometimes at home).

From overcoming procrastination to dealing with setbacks, we share a few of our personal leadership principles and techniques, like reframing procrastination, avoiding dwelling on mistakes (while still learning from them), and recognizing battles that are not worth fighting.

Because we worked at Amazon for a long time, we examine Amazon's leadership principles to show how these frameworks can work as genuine decision-making tools and culture drivers rather than empty corporate statements (well, some of them at least :-) ). We explore specific examples like “Disagree and Commit” and how this could be useful in meetings and decision making, or how the tension between “Bias for Action” and “Dive Deep” is intentional (and even valuable).

We also cover how these principles are used in interviewing processes and offer advice for candidates preparing for behavioral interviews at companies that use similar frameworks.

Remember, if you use Leadership Principles in your life or work, feel free to share them with us in the comments or in LinkedIn, we would love to hear from you and learn new ones.

Episode Notes:

"Design Your Life" Book

Amazon Leadership Principles

STAR Method

"Good" from Jocko Willink (Link to the Akira song/version which I like)

In this episode, we discuss an essential question: how do we learn in software engineering?

The conversation explores the need (and pressure) of continuous learning in our field and the anxiety of feeling constantly left behind by industry changes, together with strategies that have worked for us.

Topics include learning by doing versus passive consumption of information, finding opportunities to grow at work, and why stepping outside your comfort zone is important.

Learning evolves throughout our careers: early on there is eagerness to absorb new technologies, while later the focus shifts to recognizing familiar patterns across frameworks as experience grows. Eventually, soft skills and good judgment become as important as technical knowledge.

The discussion also touches on the impact of generative AI on learning, balancing staying current with avoiding information overload, and why pursuing interests outside of software engineering matters.

In this episode, we dive into the addictive nature of gaming and social media with our guest Ilya Bezdelev, co-founder of Metacast and author of The Pragmatic Podcaster.

We explore our personal struggles with digital addictions, doom scrolling, constant notifications, and mobile games designed with casino-like psychological hooks. These platforms are intentionally engineered to maximize engagement at any cost, so we talk about the impact on our productivity and mental health, and share practical strategies we've used to break free from these cycles. We also talk about the search for more intentional tech use and how finding meaningful accomplishment can replace these addictive dopamine hits.

Links:

• Metacast
• The Pragmatic Podcaster
• Redit r/metacastapp

In this episode, we talk about legacy systems: we explore what makes a system "legacy", why engineers often avoid working with them, and what strategies help to effectively work with these systems.

We share our thoughts on how legacy systems have evolved throughout our careers, what is there to learn from them (and operations in general), and why some of these systems are actually very successful systems worth respecting.

We also offer some practical advice to make incremental improvements on legacy systems, using patterns like the "strangler fig" rather than attempting complete rewrites (which are most of the time not the best approach).

Also, don't miss the story of dealing with challenging legacy code (including a jaw-dropping Perl-Java hybrid, and a VB6 mudball of 20000 lines of unreadable business logic code).

Episode Notes:

• Strangler Fig: https://martinfowler.com/bliki/StranglerFigApplication.html/ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/patterns/strangler-fig
• Respect what came before: https://amazon.jobs/content/en/teams/principal-engineering/tenets

Inspired by recent corporate mandates for return-to-office, in this episode we explore the landscape of remote work and its impact on software engineering careers. We talk about our experiences transitioning in-office to remote work during the pandemic, looking at how collaboration, meetings, and productivity changed in unexpected ways. From our experiences with both models, we analyze challenges and benefits of remote work (as well as in-office), from managing distractions to improved work-life balance. We dive into what we think is the future of remote work, company culture, and what these changes mean for engineering careers going forward.

In this episode, we take a step back and reflect on our podcast journey and personal experiences in 2024.

We discuss the process of launching and growing our podcast, including our evolving approach to recording, editing, and content creation.

We share our personal and professional highlights from the year, including mentoring experiences, exploring new skills (like learning to fly airplanes), and our goals for the podcast and work life in 2025.

It's a candid, behind-the-scenes look at our ongoing adventure in tech, podcasting, and personal growth.

Show notes:

Ilya Bezdelev, The Pragmatic Podcaster: https://www.metacastpodcast.com/p/book or https://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Podcaster-Step-step-Starting/dp/B0CFCY7HG3

In this episode, we explore the software design process as a key element of engineering culture. From concept to delivery, we share insights on creating designs that deliver value quickly while keeping teams aligned and engaged, without getting lost in unnecessary complexity. Drawing from our different perspectives and roles across our careers, we discuss how to make design processes work, focusing on practical value rather than bureaucracy, and highlighting the importance of clear communication and productive feedback loops.

In this episode, we dive deep into the complex world of engineering culture. We explore what defines culture in an engineering organization, how to identify areas that need change, and strategies for influencing and transforming team dynamics. Drawing from our experiences at Amazon and other companies, we discuss the challenges of cultural transformation, the importance of mechanisms, leadership principles, and the delicate balance between pushing for change and avoiding burnout. We share practical insights on how individual engineers can become catalysts for positive organizational shifts.