Heavy Networking HN807: A ‘CLI Lifer’ No More
Dec 8, 2025
In this discussion, Andy Lapteff, a former CLI lifer and now a product marketing manager, shares his transformative journey into network automation and programming. He recounts his initial resistance to coding and his evolution through various roles at major companies like Verizon and Comcast. Andy vividly describes the challenges of adopting automation, including the fears around job loss from AI. He also emphasizes the importance of storytelling in overcoming biases against automation and showcases his commitment to community learning through his podcast.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Early CS Failure Shaped A Career Fear
- Andy failed out of a computer science program and carried that fear into his networking career for decades.
- That early failure shaped his belief that programming 'wasn't for him' until later life pain forced a change.
From Used Cars To The NOC
- Andy moved from used-car sales into tech via telco field work, then progressed through NetAcad to NOC roles at Comcast.
- The frontline NOC experience taught him troubleshooting and exposed him to deep network complexity.
Automation Tool Caused A Fabric Outage
- A colleague used a vendor automation tool without understanding it and wiped fabric configs, causing a seven-hour outage.
- That incident reinforced Andy's caution about automation's blast radius when practices aren't aligned.
