The Build vs. Buy Debate, GenAI and Section 174
Plus, how to tackle the unreliability of coding assistants, GenAI and organizational resilience, and GenAI's opportunity for devs.
On this week’s episode, our hosts Dan Lines and
are joined by long-time friend of the show, industry expert, and Director of Engineering at Spot AI, . Together, they tackle a range of topics, including how tax laws impact engineering teams, AI's evolving role in software development, and the great build vs. buy debate. We’re excited to have Kelly joining us as a regular contributor throughout 2024!The conversation starts with Kelly and Dan’s takes on Section 174, which poses a looming threat to US tech companies. From there, they pivot to GenAI to discuss how you can measure its impact, leadership’s role in the process, and the importance of navigating this implementation wisely. They conclude by talking about Kelly’s recent article on the debate of building software in-house vs. buying third-party solutions and why the answer isn’t black or white.
If you want to hear how Kelly and our other hosts are thinking about key events happening in tech and within engineering organizations, this episode is a must-listen.
“We used to say that the best senior engineers know how to Google. They know how to ask the right questions. It's going to be very much the same with writing prompts as well.”
Episode Highlights:
01:35 Section 174's impact on US tech companies
08:01 Why intention matters for remote vs. in-person work
12:46 Kelly and Dan’s take on what’s causing tech layoffs
18:21 What should leaders be doing to encourage Gen AI tool knowledge?
24:28 How are we tracking the impact of Gen AI?
31:50 How should organizations set up standardization?
33:55 The great build vs. buy debate
39:47 How the engineering leaders’ role has changed in recent years
The Download
The Download is engineering leadership content we’re reading, watching, and attending that we think you might find valuable.
1. How to Tackle the Unreliability of Coding Assistants
With tons of training data to sift through and variable prompt quality, it’s not surprising that LLMs have been known to “hallucinate.” But when using a coding assistant, you don’t want these hallucinations to hurt your code quality, or ultimately waste your time.
Thoughtworks’ Birgitta Boeckeler offers a helpful perspective on how she evaluates the unreliability of coding assistants with a series of questions and a personification of AI.
Read: How to tackle unreliability of coding assistant
2. Generative AI and Organizational Resilience
While GenAI offers a major shift across different facets of how we work, you have to be cautious to not disrupt your organization by being too aggressive or conservative with your adoption.
Alex Cruikshank's recent article discusses how you can prepare your organization to be resilient through AI literacy, autonomy, and remaining human throughout the process.
Read: Generative AI and Organizational Resilience
Measuring Impact: The GenAI Code Report (Sponsor)
Want to learn how engineering leaders are implementing GenAI and measuring their success? LinearB surveyed over 150 CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and Engineering Managers to answer these questions and more in their new GenAI Code Report.
Inside you’ll find:
12+ metrics to track the impact of your GenAI Initiative
How to measure the adoption, benefits, and risks of GenAI Code
Key insights from our survey conducted on 150+ CTOs, VPEs and Engineering Managers
3. The Time Is Ripe For Developers to Capitalize on AI
AI won’t replace developers anytime soon, but those who stay ahead of the curve on AI tooling will see a higher margin of success both in their careers and for their organizations.
LinearB’s CTO Yishai Beeri wrote an op-ed about AI’s impact on software developers where he encourages devs to experiment before AI becomes a critical part of their role:
“Participate in hackathons, engage in online communities with your peers, read your favorite dev blogs, and volunteer to work on challenging problems where you can try something new with AI.
By embracing AI, developers can position themselves to be at the vanguard of the software development industry and make meaningful contributions to their organizations.”
Read here: The Time Is Ripe For Developers to Capitalize on AI
4. Where Are All the Laid-off Software Developers Going?
We aren’t the only ones wondering where displaced devs are ending up post layoffs.
Our interview with LeadDev’s editor-in-chief