AI Threat & Future-Proof Software Engineers ft. Google Sheets Engineering Manager Michael Avrukin

In today's episode of Culture of Code, we have Michael Avrukin, Engineering Manager at Google managing Google Sheets Infrastructure and Sheets Mobile team.

Gain valuable knowledge about technology trends, full-stack development, and the skills necessary for success in the industry, along with the truth behind misconceptions in tech, the future of tech careers amidst AI and automation, and learn how to future-proof your software engineering career.

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Intro

00:42: Michael's his role on the Google Sheets team.

01:46: Managing both an infra team and a product team, and whether this is a unique situation in his career.

03:23: The differences between working on a product team versus an infra team and how it affects career progression.

07:13: How career progression involves overlapping skills and how engineers can work with product managers to craft a business story.

09:14: How the process of developing ideas is iterative and not a one-time pitch.

13:07: Sources of inspiration for engineers who want to expand their scope and present bottom-up ideas.

16:43: The shift towards a more bottoms-up approach in software engineering and the role of proof of concept in getting ideas adopted.

20:12: Using proof of concept as a tool to build evidence for ideas before detailed scoping or planning.

20:57: Michael discusses the importance of staying on top of technologies without getting distracted by chasing the next shiny object.

23:19: Felix and Michael talk about how many ideas in technology get recycled over time, and how to balance experimentation with prototypes versus focusing on customer needs.

24:49: Michael discusses his observations on the evolution of software engineering roles and how there is now less siloing and more emphasis on full-stack development.

30:34: Recommendations for how software engineers can prepare for the evolving skills necessary to thrive in the industry, including borrowing ideas from other industries.

32:22: The misconceptions people may have about managing a complex product like Google Sheets, and the growing distrust of tech and tech workers.

37:30: The fear mongering around AI taking over software engineering jobs and the layoffs in the industry, but also what keeps them hopeful about the future of tech careers.

41:48: Closing

#Google #softwareengineer #artificialintelligence #techcareers