I didn’t sign up to be a project manager. I got into programming because I loved the exploration, making mistakes, finding solutions and moving slowly bit by bit. One day I needed system tool then I wrote some C, the other time I needed some glue code, so I got comfortable with Perl or Bash. Needed to created website? Well… PHP was the languge for it - basically whatever was up to the job. I never learned any of these to the level of a professional, was never interested.

I’ve enjoyed solving puzzles, one at the time, it was creative freeform craft. It was messy, it was dounting. It was fun, sooo much fun!

Now I spend my days writing prose about code instead.

Kent Beck calls AI code agents the genie in the bottle: you get what you wish for, not what you want. He’s right, but in ways I did not expected.

One of the things I care deeply about is helping other engineers grow. Over the last year, I’ve had a lot of conversations, some with folks just entering the field, others with seasoned pros, asking the same question: how is AI going to reshape our work? There is fear and uncertainty, but also some optimism.

There’s a rhythm to these tech cycles.

I’ve seen it before, big promises, huge hype, sweeping predictions. Right now, we’re being told that AI will replace entire roles, maybe entire industries. It’s the same energy we saw with self-driving cars. For years, we were told they were just around the corner. But today, in 2025, I still don’t see a 40-ton truck rolling down the Autobahn without a driver. Waymo works, yes, but in tightly controlled areas, in a few cities. Meanwhile, here in Europe, truck drivers are still very much in demand.