Cillers Developer Experience

Meet Kirill Ianchuk, Technical Lead at Deel

Deel, established in 2019, quickly became the fastest-growing B2B software company in the world. As an all-in-one payroll and HR platform for global teams, Deel simplifies managing a workforce, covering everything from onboarding and compliance to global payroll, HRIS, and immigration support. Today, Deel boasts 4,000 team members across over 100 countries and serves more than 35,000 clients in 120 countries.

Kirill began his career at Deel as a Backend Engineer, advanced to Senior Software Engineer, and in August 2024, he became the Technical Lead.

In this episode, we delve into what typically slows down software development projects and how to address these challenges. Kirill shares his insights through engaging storytelling. We discuss the importance of finding meaning in work and maintaining motivation. We also explore several key strategies: incremental and iterative development for building software in manageable stages, techniques for limiting work in process to enhance productivity, and applying the theory of constraints to focus on the balance between efficiency and effectiveness.

Additionally, we examine what skills are crucial for software engineers in the era of AI. According to Kirill, mastering prompt engineering is key.

Below are links to resources that Kirill mentioned during the show:

Pomodoro technique for time management
Wardley mapping (related to efficiency vs effectiveness)

Meet David Tippett, Search Engineer at GitHub

David is building the future of search at GitHub. Before joining GitHub, he worked at AWS as the Senior Developer Advocate for OpenSearch, where he taught developers how to build search experiences on the open-source datastore. With a background spanning network automation, software engineering, DevOps, and data engineering, he loves helping new engineers find their passion.

In this episode, we discussed three very interesting topics! First, the Open Source Hackathon Program that David helped put together with other enthusiasts at AWS. Second, the "Ship to Learn" principle—a philosophy and a system that increases development velocity at GitHub. And finally, how to write better code faster with AI, where David recommends everyone check out Open Web UI.

Meet Daniel Ung, Full-Stack Intern at SAP

Daniel is a full-stack intern at SAP and a member of the Hackathon Team at SJSU Computer Science Club.

In this episode, we explore how a hackathon profoundly impacted Daniel's life. The energy and camaraderie at these events inspired him to attend countless hackathons. We discuss the vibrant hackathon culture in the Bay Area, focusing on Berkeley's annual large-scale event, which draws over 1,000 participants. Daniel also shares insights from organizing his first hackathon. If you're looking to do the same at your university, we cover some major challenges and strategies to overcome them.

Lastly, we dive into how to accelerate coding with AI. Daniel highlights common pitfalls, emphasizing the importance of knowing when AI tools can be helpful. While AI can expedite writing boilerplate code, it requires caution for more complex issues. Blindly copying and pasting code may seem fast but can lead to later complications. Understanding the core problem is crucial to maintaining productivity.

Link: https://hackberkeley.org/#sponsors

Meet Shane O'Toole, Senior Technical Program Manager at AWS

Shane helps customers use cloud technology to meet their goals for reducing carbon emissions. Shane works with AWS customers, partners, and internal teams to develop and implement solutions that improve sustainability. He has over ten years of experience in various roles including operations, maintenance, engineering, education, and management.

In this episode, we discuss why hackathons are the best way to learn how to build a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) quickly. We also talk about different times when it's beneficial to organize a hackathon. Shane points out one particular situation that stands out: using hackathons to prove to clients or decision-makers that something is possible. He emphasizes, "Show them it's possible," highlighting that a live demo can be more convincing than even the best PowerPoint presentation. We also explore what usually slows down the speed of development. Shane believes that understanding the customer is crucial, and sometimes it’s tough to figure out what the customer really wants to achieve.

Additionally, we provide links to the AWS Sustainability Solutions library. These resources are great for setting up Sustainability Hackathons: AWS Solutions includes links to open-source repositories like Sustainability Data Fabric (GitHub link) and Sustainability Insights Framework (GitHub link).

Meet Meet Kamesh Sampath, Lead Developer Advocate at Snowflake 

Kamesh is a veteran tech innovator with 20 years in the trenches. As an author and developer advocate, he's on a mission to demystify data and cloud technologies. His passion? Empowering developers to push boundaries and create the impossible. With a track record of crafting enterprise solutions across diverse industries, he brings battle-tested insights to the dev community. 

In this episode, we explored a crucial element of hackathons: judging. Kamesh Sampath has developed a comprehensive framework for evaluating hackathon demos and presentations. His approach includes several key components: understanding the problem being addressed, researching existing solutions to see what has already been tried, and scrutinizing the proposed solution’s architecture to ensure it meets the essential requirements. Additionally, his framework involves examining the technology stack used, the methods for deploying the solution, and the authenticity of the code. Kamesh also focuses heavily on the team’s thought process, the rationale behind their proposed solution, and their ability to handle questions during their presentations. 

Additionally, we discussed what typically slows down development velocity. According to Kamesh, mastering the right tools, automating what you can, minimizing distractions, iterating from an MVP, and maintaining composure are key to increasing development speed. When it comes to writing better code faster with AI, the most crucial skill is knowing how to ask the right questions in the right way.

Useful Links

For more insights on what Snowflake is doing with DevOps for data to increase development velocity, check out these resources:

Video on Snowflake and DevOps
Snowflake’s Approach to Data Velocity

Related blog posts:

Announcing General Availability for Snowflake REST & Python Control Plane APIs
Snowflake CLI Now Generally Available

For those interested in trying Snowflake:

Sign up for a free trial with $400 credit

To get started:

Snowflake Quickstarts

Meet Akshata Sawant, Senior Developer Advocate at Salesforce.

Akshata co-authored "MuleSoft for Salesforce Developers," published by Packt Publication. As a global speaker, she has presented at major tech events including Dreamforce, Devoxx, APIDays, and DevOpsDays. Her current focus areas include conference speaking, leading tech meetup groups in London, Manchester, and Mumbai, evangelizing MuleSoft, promoting women in technology, and developing AI projects.

In this episode, we discussed Salesforce hackathons that promote AI adoption. We explored how hackathons could help governments use AI to optimize critical processes. Akshata also shared her experience using AI tools to enhance text content, blog posts, and videos.

Useful links from the episode:

• Connect with Akshata: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akshatasawant02/
• Register for Mule + AI Workshop: https://meetups.mulesoft.com/events/details/mulesoft-mulesoft-community-special-events-presents-mulesoft-mega-meetup/cohost-manchester
• Learn about Intelligent Document Processing: https://www.mulesoft.com/platform/intelligent-document-processing
• Get her book "MuleSoft for Salesforce Developers": https://tinyurl.com/26rnddzj
• AI Tools mentioned: 
  • Writer.AI: https://writer.com/
  • Adobe Podcast Enhance
• MuleSoft Resources: 
  • Main website: https://www.mulesoft.com/
  • Free 30-day Anypoint Platform trial: https://anypoint.mulesoft.com/login/signup
  • MuleSoft Community: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mulesoftcommunity/posts/?feedView=all

Meet Grzegorz Szczepanik, Senior Software Engineer at IBM

Grzegorz Szczepanik is a Senior Software Engineer at IBM. In his early career, he co-founded a small ISP company with friends before joining a game development company, where he spent seven enriching years. Since 2013, he has been with IBM, where his passion for innovation has led to authoring over 40 granted patents. Grzegorz describes himself more as a generalist than a specialist, with a keen interest in history and society beyond the IT world.

In this episode, we discuss "Innovation Hackathons," a special kind of hackathon developed by IBM in Poland. These events are not focused on coding but rather encourage participants to step back and brainstorm solutions to persistent problems that haven’t been addressed in day-to-day projects.

We also delve into Grzegorz’s top tips for increasing software development velocity: do something productive every day, keep meetings brief (about 15 minutes), and jot down a single sentence at the end of each day summarizing what you have accomplished. Additionally, he shares valuable advice on how to expedite mundane yet essential projects.

Meet Charlie Isaacs, CTO for Customer Connection at Salesforce.

Charlie helped develop the Connected Car platform, connecting cars directly with Salesforce technology. He also led the creation of healthcare solutions during the pandemic, including systems for Remote Patient Care and Vaccine Management. He has been instrumental in promoting the Internet of Things within Salesforce for over eight years, securing more than 20 patents in the process.

In this episode, we explored how a remarkable 2-month hackathon, initiated by Marc Benioff, led to a groundbreaking connected-car product showcased at major events. The hackathon's success highlights the importance of focusing on proving business value rather than just building flashy demos, or in Charlie’s words, “spaghetti on the wall hackathons vs. valuable hackathons.”

We also discussed strategies for increasing software development velocity. Key tips include using existing platforms to avoid reinventing the wheel, leveraging AI code assistants to write better code faster, and securing strong executive sponsorship to rally support and resources.

Interestingly, the discussion revealed how taking good care of the development team during intense periods, such as providing meals and creating a supportive environment, can significantly boost productivity and morale. By combining the energy of hackathons, the capabilities of AI tools, a focus on business impact, and a commitment to developer wellbeing, software teams can dramatically increase velocity.

Links from Charlie: 

The codebuilder:

https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/sfvscode-extensions/guide/vscode-overview.html

And here's the Jetson Nano Robot in action: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/charlieisaacs_agentforce-activity-7253663862049116160-PgvX?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Meet Priyank Mehta, Software Engineer at AWS

Priyank Mehta is a Software Engineer at AWS, where he ensures the payment systems used by many AWS customers are reliable and capable of handling numerous transactions. He is passionate about supporting startups in the US and India, advising non-tech founders on product development. Additionally, he mentors Indian students in the US, guiding them through graduate programs and connecting them with internship and full-time opportunities.

In this episode, we talked about something truly astonishing. Priyank decided to organize a hackathon at his university. With a can-do spirit, he began planning the event, secured funding, and spread the word. Astonishingly, 12,000 people showed up! TWELVE THOUSAND PARTICIPANTS. The following year, they reached 50,000!! And that's not all; we also had time to talk about development velocity, and Priyank shared his philosophy on making decisions faster, the importance of breaking things down into smaller, manageable parts, and the power of AI.

Meet Chintan Shah, Tech and Product Lead at Salesforce

Chintan Shah is a Tech Lead at Salesforce, where he simplifies how data is handled by improving ETL processes—that's the technology used to gather and prepare data for analysis. An experienced software developer, he has helped build major platforms at companies like SanDisk and Microsoft, impacting millions of users. Chintan is also a mentor and the creator of the tech newsletter CS Talks, sharing insights and guidance with up-and-coming software engineers.

In this episode, we discussed some of his hackathon experiences, from his university days to his time at Microsoft, and some major learnings, especially how to structure a hackathon to make the most of the available time. We also delved into how to increase software development velocity in day-to-day projects, emphasizing the importance of clarity (asking questions until you truly understand the scope and having a good brief) and team collaboration. Additionally, you will hear Chintan’s top tips for writing better code faster with AI, such as mastering prompt engineering, the necessity of having in-depth domain knowledge, how to utilize AI co-pilots, and why attending hackathons is beneficial for learning more about AI.

Here are the links Chintan mentioned:

CS Talks Newsletter - https://cstalks.substack.com/?r=3tce3j&utm_campaign=pub&utm_medium=web

Hackathon Article - https://open.substack.com/pub/cstalks/p/hackathons-fueling-innovation-for-tech?r=3tce3j&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Topmate Offerings - https://topmate.io/cstalks

1:1 Mentorship Offering- https://topmate.io/cstalks/506814

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Social Media Presence:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cs_talks_

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahchintan1/

X - https://x.com/schintan22