Refactoring Podcast Diversity, AI, and Junior Engineers đ¨ â with Meri Williams
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Aug 15, 2025 Meri Williams, CTO of Pleo and seasoned LeadDev conference host, dives into diversity's crucial role in tech. She discusses why diverse teams outperform homogeneous ones and shares insights on creating truly inclusive environments. Meri also reveals what makes a memorable conference talk and the importance of representation. Moreover, she explores how AI is reshaping the development landscape for junior engineers, emphasizing foundational skills and mentorship in the age of AI tools.
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Diversity Forces Better Decisions
- Meri Williams explains diversity forces teams to rely on data and collaborate to reach agreement.
- She says diverse groups take longer but make better decisions.
From Satellite Teen To Gov.uk Scalor
- Meri recounts building part of South Africa's first satellite as a teenager and studying computer science.
- She later joined GDS and scaled a team from 30 to 300 people to build Gov.uk.
Early Leadership Training Pays Off
- Early leadership training at P&G gave Meri commercial and people-management skills very young.
- She credits that upside-down career path with long-term advantage.