Will AI Finally Make TDD Practical? | Diffblue’s Animesh Mishra
How teams are transforming legacy codebases with confidence
The promise of Test Driven Development (or TDD) remains unfulfilled. Like many other forms of aspirational development, the practice has fallen victim to countless buzzword cycles. What if the answer is already in our toolbox?
This week, host Andrew Zigler sits down with Animesh Mishra, Senior Solutions Engineer at Diffblue, to unpack the gap between TDD's theoretical appeal and its practical challenges.
Animesh draws from his extensive experience to explain how deterministic AI can address the key challenges of building trust in AI for testing. These aren’t LLMs of today, but foundational machine learning models that can evaluate all possible branches of a piece of code to write test coverage for it. Imagine writing two years worth of tests for a legacy codebase… in two hours… with no errors!! 🤯
If you enjoyed this conversation about the gaps between theory and execution in engineering culture, be sure to check out last week's chat with David Mytton about shift left adoption by engineering teams.
“ Human nature is to solve a problem and then move on to the next dopamine hit, right? There's no dopamine hits to be had in writing tests.” - Animesh Mishra, DiffBlue
The Download
The Download was always here, like a solution staring you right in the face. 😲
1. AI imposters are gaming remote hiring (and here’s how Vidoc caught them!) 🎭
Vidoc Security almost hired not one, but two backend engineers faking their identities using AI-generated avatars and deepfake filters. Both candidates aced technical interviews but slipped up in non-technical rounds. The startup caught on, recording one incident and sharing a key reminder: always verify identity early. There’s also concern this might be a coordinated effort targeting Western tech companies.
(PSssst——Have you experienced an imposter applicant? We’d love to hear your story!)
2. How mid-career devs are coping with being sandwiched and burned out in the grilled cheese we call life 🥪
Sandwich generation developers (those juggling careers, kids, and aging parents) are stuck between a lot of responsibilities and feeling the squeeze. Stack Overflow’s latest survey dives into how this group manages stress, stays productive, and balances caregiving with coding. Flexible work hours, employer-provided mental health resources, and remote options make a difference.
But the real secret weapon? Peer support and open conversations about burnout. Engineering leaders should take note: retaining mid-career talent means addressing life outside of Jira tickets.
Read: How are sandwich generation developers dealing?
3. Google’s uBlock takedown reveals the risks of platform dependence 🛑
Google quietly removed uBlock Origin from the Chrome Store, sparking outrage across the privacy community. The takedown has been lighting up Hacker News over the past week. But here’s the broader takeaway for an engineering leader: what happens when you’re at the mercy of a platform you don’t control? Build flexibility into your stack, and don’t let a single ecosystem dictate your roadmap.
Read: uBlock Origin is no longer available on the Chrome Store
Unlock the secret to high-impact DevEx 🔑
How many times have you explained why tech debt matters recently? 🤦♂️
Chances are, you’re still stuck translating between what your devs need and what leadership wants.
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Join LinearB’s upcoming workshop for engineering leaders who need to bridge the gap between engineering needs and executive priorities. You’ll walk away with real strategies to measure, communicate, and advocate for DevEx investments that actually move the needle and earn buy-in.
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Sessions
April 9th @ 11am PDT
April 10th @ 11am GMT
