The Engineering Leadership Podcast

Brian Balfour, Founder and CEO of Reforge, dives deep into AI's impact on product strategy and engineering workflows. He warns against the 'local maxima trap' that can mislead teams in their AI adoption. Balfour advocates for autonomous 'skunkworks' teams to drive high-risk innovations and compress product discovery from weeks to mere hours. He discusses the 'Great Distribution Shift' and explores how to reshape products to stay ahead in evolving ecosystems, emphasizing the importance of proprietary data and specialized workflows. Tune in for innovative insights!

Rajeev Rajan, CTO at Atlassian and a veteran from Meta and Microsoft, reveals how he transformed Atlassian's engineering culture to prioritize 'developer joy'. He discusses the incredible feat of reducing ship time from 120 days to zero for their new AI app, Rovo. Rajeev shares insights on empowering teams with autonomy, creating community productivity champions, and aligning on company-wide OKRs. He also hints at future innovations like better browser UX and the potential of AI for personalized applications.

Daniel Lereya, the Chief Product and Technology Officer at monday.com, dives into the future of engineering roles, emphasizing the evolution from developers to strategic builders and system designers. He shares how AI magnifies individual impacts and transforms team dynamics, requiring managers to treat AI agents like human team members. A fascinating case study showcases how AI can autonomously manage tasks and optimize workflows. Lereya also highlights the importance of transparency and ownership in their culture, predicting a shift towards work-execution platforms.

Jaime Lien, Co-founder and Chief Scientist at Archetype AI, and Rashi Agrawal, Head of AI Engineering at GoodLeap, dive into the fascinating world of Physical AI. They discuss how machines can perceive the world through non-biological modalities, leading to unique understanding free from human biases. Jaime emphasizes the importance of augmenting human capabilities rather than replacing them, while unveiling tech breakthroughs like self-supervised learning. They also highlight practical applications in fields like solar installation and pedestrian safety.

Ruslan Belkin, Head of Platform Engineering at Inflection AI and co-founder of Jelled.ai, discusses transformative shifts in engineering leadership. He highlights the pivot from code to specs as the new source of truth and shares a novel, sci-fi-inspired framework for product vision. Ruslan dives into the significance of emotional intelligence in AI and the evolving role of agents in UIs. He emphasizes the importance of data hygiene as a competitive edge and explores decision-making strategies by applying an investor-deck approach.

James Reggio, the CTO of Brex and a former engineer at Microsoft, Airbnb, and Stripe, dives into Brex 3.0—a bold operational evolution. He shares how a layoff sparked a rebirth, reshaping the company’s focus from a Series E to C mindset. Discover the innovative 'Hacker House' initiative, a startup within a startup aimed at AI disruption. Reggio discusses the introduction of seasonal initiatives for alignment and how shared roadmaps have boosted morale. His insights on balancing innovation within core operations are both enlightening and actionable.

Jonathan Raymond, founder and CEO of Ren and author of the award-winning book Good Authority, explores the complexities of modern management. He discusses the invisible cognitive load managers face and how AI can augment decision-making by enhancing field intelligence. Jonathan emphasizes the importance of human skills in leadership, highlighting how AI can support rather than replace these capabilities. He also offers actionable insights on fostering accountability and effective feedback, all while navigating team dynamics and performance levels.

Laura Tacho, CTO at DX and expert in engineering organization performance, dives into how many companies fall short in leveraging AI effectively. She argues that focusing solely on individual productivity doesn't yield organizational success. Laura emphasizes the importance of a systems-level approach to find high ROI and discusses how AI amplifies existing strengths and weaknesses. With insights on data literacy and strategic budgeting for 2026, she guides leaders to view AI as an opportunity for innovation rather than just a cost-saving tool.

Miriam Aguirre, Co-founder and CEO of Ingenimax, shares her insights on the evolving landscape of platform engineering. She discusses how natural language can transform interactions with infrastructure, shifting engineers from tactical tasks to strategic roles as curators. The conversation delves into the need for rapid onboarding, the balance between standardization and flexibility, and the role of human judgment in a world increasingly dominated by AI. Expect a fascinating look at the future of engineering leadership and hands-on innovation.

Chrystal Henke Ball, VP of Engineering at Yahoo, shares her insights from her extensive experience leading teams at Google and beyond. She discusses balancing current constraints with future possibilities, urging leaders to challenge assumptions and adapt architectures. Chrystal highlights the importance of grit in leadership, advocating for transparency and collaboration across product, engineering, and design teams. With practical strategies on cultivating resilience and leveraging AI for innovation, she emphasizes evolving workflows and maintaining focus on user impact.