Burke Holland

Burke Holland, an engineer on the VS Code team, shares insights on the exciting developments in VS Code from 2025. He discusses the impact of Copilot Free's launch, transforming workflows with Copilot Edits and Next Edit Suggestions. Burke explains the innovative Agent Mode for autonomous coding and how custom instructions enhance accuracy. The conversation also covers the importance of open sourcing Copilot Chat and the challenges of security in terminal commands. Together with Pierce Boggan, they reflect on a year of breakthroughs and community feedback that shaped VS Code.

Burke Holland, a developer renowned for creating Beast Mode, delves into the fascinating world of custom chat modes in VS Code. He explains how these modes evolve to optimize developer tasks and increase model agency, specifically in GPT-4.1. Burke walks through the structure of chat mode files, automating repetitive workflows, and using Beast Mode to enforce internet utilization. He shares tips on refining output formats and customizing modes to fit specific workflows, making development more efficient and enjoyable.

Burke Holland, Principal Developer Advocate at Microsoft, shares insights from his journey in developer advocacy, including his pivotal shift from developer to evangelist. He delves into the rapid evolution of software development and the transformative impact of AI, particularly GitHub Copilot's various modes. Holland discusses the importance of context and the challenges of AI's unpredictability in coding. Additionally, he emphasizes the need for developers to keep pace with new tools and the critical role they play in managing AI-driven coding processes.