Episode Details

Key Takeaways

• Using IDEs took some of the mental load out of hand coding because of features like code completion
• Switching to IDEs from plain text editors was a bit of a mental change for many of us (maybe not as big as AI-assisted coding)
• AI-assisted coding gives us a similar feel to text editor based coding à la VIM
• AI-assisted coding is ADHD friendly — you can explain your architecture and the AI can do the mundane task of writing the code for you
• Vibe coding has turned senior developers into architects
• Vibe coding turns side projects that have been on your mind forever into reality in hours, days, or weeks
• Writing code in a language you don't know becomes dangerous if you're implementing it at scale
• As seasoned practitioners, when we vibe code, we know what "good code" is supposed to look like.
• The difference between a good senior developer and a great one is mentorship.
• We need to be willing to fail more in order to learn, but we also need a safe space to fail.
• Should non-developers write code just because they can, through AI coding agents? Not production-ready code, but it shouldn't stop them from using it to show off a proof-of-concept.
• Making space for "awesome slop projects" is a great way to showcase creativity and fun side projects, even if they never make it into production.
• AI side projects have led to an increase in purchase of domain names as developers finally have the "bandwidth" bring dust off old projects and bring them to life.
• Lot of developers now are becoming carpenters. They're building these tools that sometimes it's just vibe coded slop. Sometimes it's just being creative.
• Non-developer founders can bring ideas to life, but without a developer at their side, they risk introducing applications into the world that are non-scalable and walking security risks.
• Gen Z/Gen Alpha are NOT well positioned as devs in the AI native era if they don't understand some fundamental principles and if they don't learn through failure
• The most important skills a software engineer needs today: Trust, but verify, be curious, be a good communication, be willing to teach and learn from other humans

Chapters

00:08 Intro

00:42 Guest intros

03:15 What was your first programming language?

07:59 IDEs took the mental load out of coding

11:21 AI-assisted coding is ADHD friendly

11:40 What do you despise most about hand coding?

13:34 What's your coder persona?

17:50 How do you feel about trusting AI implicitly to write code in a language you don't know?

23:04 Cassidy rant

28:19 Failure is a teaching aid

33:14 "Awesome Slop"

35:13 AI + domain name purchase side effect

36:49 Vibe coding + startup founders

41:54 Are Gen Z/Gen Alpha better positioned as devs in the AI native era?

45:36 Beware the non-developers with no coding experience'

53:35 Why is the AI writing React for me?

58:25 What's the most important skill a software engineer needs today?

About our guests

Cassidy Williams

Cassidy is the Senior Director of Developer Advocacy at GitHub! Outside of that fancy title, Cassidy is a startup advisor and investor, open source-er, and meme-maker on the internet. She enjoys building mechanical keyboards, playing music, hanging out with family and friends, and teaching in her free time.

Find our guest on:

• LinkedIn
• Bluesky
• GitHub

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