The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source What actually makes you senior (News)
30 snips
Dec 1, 2025 Discover what truly defines a senior software engineer! Learn about Matheus Lima's insights on clarifying questions as a key skill. Tega Brain's browser extension helps filter out AI-generated content to keep searches clean. Andrew Kelley talks about moving Zig to Codeberg and the impacts on funding. Plus, hear thoughts on vibe coding and how it complicates rather than simplifies tasks. Lastly, the potential risks to SSD data retention are highlighted, reminding us all to maintain backups!
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Senior Engineers Reduce Ambiguity
- Senior engineers are defined by a single core skill: reducing ambiguity through great questions.
- Clarifying problems, users, and assumptions enables confident execution and leadership.
Make Fuzzy Work Concrete First
- When handed something fuzzy, spend time making it concrete before coding.
- Translate ambiguity into clear, actionable requirements so your team can execute with confidence.
Pre-LLM Search As A Temporary Filter
- Filtering search results to pre-November 2022 aims to avoid AI-generated content contamination.
- The approach is temporary and may become a cultural artifact rather than a long-term solution.