

Beyond Coding
Patrick Akil
Beyond Coding is a weekly podcast with conversations that go "beyond coding" in a fireside chat format.
Common topics are tech, entrepreneurship, and career journeys.
Authentic, informative and inspiring. That's the aim for each episode.
New episodes every Wednesday 🎙
Common topics are tech, entrepreneurship, and career journeys.
Authentic, informative and inspiring. That's the aim for each episode.
New episodes every Wednesday 🎙
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 27, 2025 • 53min
How to Master Software Engineering (From Junior to Architect)
Joris Kuipers, CTO at Trifork with 25 years of experience, shares insightful perspectives on mastering software engineering. He discusses the importance of continuous learning amidst rapid technological changes and how junior developers should identify key skills to excel. Joris emphasizes that frequent deployments are often safer than slow releases and highlights the necessity of feedback loops for career growth. He also addresses the balance between independence and collaboration, advocating for environments that foster motivation and growth.

Aug 20, 2025 • 45min
The Simple Daily Habit That Unlocks Your Productivity
Time is your most finite resource; once you spend it, you can never get it back. In this conversation, co-founder and Senior Product Manager Joseph Hill reveals the mindset and systems he uses to be intentional with his time, manage his focus, and stay productive without burning out.In this episode, we cover:How to be intentional with your time and challenge unnecessary meetings.The right tools for knowledge and task management (Obsidian, Jira, etc.).A simple daily logging method to boost awareness and reflection.Why experimenting with your processes is crucial for career growth.How to overcome FOMO and take control of your workload.This episode is for any professional who feels overwhelmed by their to-do list and wants actionable strategies to reclaim their focus and energy.Connect with Joseph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillmeisterFull episode on YouTube ▶️https://youtu.be/9r2_49wW2xUBeyond Coding Podcast with 🎙Patrick AkilPowered by Xebia!!Timestamps:00:00:00 - The #1 Realization About Your Time00:00:44 - My New Approach to Knowledge Management00:02:10 - The Surprising Reason I Use Jira for Personal Tasks00:04:03 - Why You Should Experiment (Even If It Fails)00:06:40 - How to Challenge Processes Without Being Flaky00:08:56 - How to Say "No" to Meetings Early in Your Career00:11:57 - The Only Person Who Can Manage Your Time00:13:13 - How AI Is Changing Meeting Productivity Forever00:16:24 - Is Your Team Using Async Communication Correctly?00:19:25 - How We Track and Limit Context Switching00:21:29 - The Simple Trick to Managing an Overwhelming Workload00:24:08 - The Hard Truth About Dropping Tasks You Enjoy00:26:49 - Giving Yourself Grace: You Don't Have to Be a Superhuman00:28:29 - Why We Don't Value Our Own Time (And How to Fix It)00:30:23 - The Daily Logging Habit That Creates Insane Awareness00:33:48 - My Sunday Ritual for Weekly Reflection and Micro-Goals00:36:21 - The One Daily Question That Brings Me Joy and Energy00:38:20 - How I Keep My Work and Personal Knowledge Separate00:41:24 - The Power of Analyzing Yourself to Improve Your Life

Aug 13, 2025 • 1h 4min
Principal Software Engineer: Democracy at Work is Overrated
Dario Gieselaar, Principal Software Engineer at Elastic, shares his insights on thriving in the high-stakes world of big tech. He discusses the harsh realities of career advancement and promotion cycles, emphasizing the need for self-advocacy and direct feedback. Dario highlights why accountability matters and how navigating team dynamics can be smoother with a top-down approach. He also explores the balance between personal values and organizational compliance, proving that in the tech arena, winning isn't just about skills—it's about mindset.

Aug 6, 2025 • 30min
How to Get a Remote or International Tech Job (Complete Guide)
The most common question I get is "How do I land a remote or international tech job?" In this episode, I'm breaking down the exact roadmap I would follow, from building core skills to the one thing you MUST do to get noticed by recruiters. This isn't just about resumes; it's about building a career that opens global doors.In this video, we cover:Why your first job should be local (and in-office).How to build a "social presence" that gets you hired.The right way to message recruiters so they actually reply.How to prepare for modern tech interviews that go beyond LeetCode.My personal story of failing a dream job interview and what it taught me.This guide is for any software engineer or tech professional, from early-career to experienced, who wants to break into the remote or international job market. You'll learn the actionable steps to stand out, get your foot in the door, and ultimately land the job.Full episode on YouTube ▶️https://youtu.be/GtPyXqFbCusBeyond Coding Podcast with 🎙Patrick AkilPowered by Xebia!!Timestamps:00:00:00 - The #1 Question You Must Answer First00:01:08 - Why Your First Tech Job Should Be Local00:03:14 - The Surprising Benefit of Working In-Office00:05:17 - The Easiest Path to an International Role00:07:09 - Mastering English: The Underrated Skill00:11:23 - How to Stand Out in the Age of AI Resumes00:14:31 - Proving Your Worth with a Strong GitHub Portfolio00:17:37 - Build Your Network Through Community and Content00:20:13 - The Right Way to Message Recruiters on LinkedIn00:23:20 - How Tech Interviews Are Changing (Beyond LeetCode)00:26:41 - What I Learned from Failing My Dream Job Interview00:28:08 - Your Complete Roadmap to Landing the Job#TechCareers #RemoteJobs #SoftwareEngineer

Jul 31, 2025 • 46min
Tech Founder: From 0 to 15 Million Users. Here's What We Learned
Maximiliano Neustadt, CTO and co-founder of Polarsteps, shares the incredible journey of building a travel app from 5 people to over 15 million users. From surviving as a travel company during the worst possible timing to scaling without hustle culture, Maxi reveals the key decisions, hiring practices, and leadership lessons that drove their success. Learn how they built strong company values, made tough product choices, and why they spend a full day with every hiring candidate as part of the interview.Connect with Maximiliano Neustadt:https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximiliano-neustadt-90137b2Full episode on YouTube ▶️https://youtu.be/3ZLmpggjcUYBeyond Coding Podcast with 🎙Patrick AkilPowered by Xebia!!OUTLINE00:00:00 - Introducing Maximiliano Neustadt, CTO of Polarsteps00:00:46 - The founding story of Polarsteps00:03:21 - The early days and first key hires00:05:48 - The unique Polarsteps hiring process00:15:15 - Transitioning from CTO to CEO during COVID-1900:19:37 - Rejecting startup hustle culture00:22:51 - Balancing employee freedom and company direction00:29:05 - Polarsteps' five core company values00:33:04 - Balancing user data and intuition in decision making00:38:24 - The approach to adopting new tech like AI00:44:13 - How Polarsteps fosters innovation

Jul 24, 2025 • 51min
Software Engineering Went From Hacker Culture to...
Pauline Vos, a Senior Software Engineer at MongoDB, shares insights on how software culture has transformed from its rebellious hacker roots to a commercial orientation. She highlights the political nature of open source and recalls the idealism of the early web. Pauline discusses challenges faced by modern engineers in the structured DevOps era and the importance of empathy in tech problem-solving. Join the conversation on decentralized web practices, and discover where true hacker culture thrives, from hacker camps to creative competitions.

Jul 16, 2025 • 49min
Search Is In Everything You Build (And You Probably Don't Know It)
Search is just about Google? Think again. In this conversation with Pratim Bhosale (Senior Developer Experience Engineer at Treblle), we discuss how search technology secretly powers nearly every app you use daily.What we discuss:- Why Netflix recommendations are actually reverse search- How dating app swipes and e-commerce filters are sophisticated search in disguise- The evolution from keyword matching to semantic understanding- Why JavaScript developers are writing the most insecure code (surprising data)- How AI is changing what brings developers joy- The authenticity crisis in tech content (and why Pratim blocks AI-generated responses)Key takeaways:- Every filter, recommendation, and personalization feature you build involves search- Modern search goes way beyond text - it's about context, location, and intent- The developer experience is fundamentally changing with AI tools🔔 Subscribe for more Beyond Coding episodes💬 What hidden search problems have you discovered in your projects?Connect with Pratim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhosalepratimhttps://x.com/BhosalePratimFull episode on YouTube ▶️https://youtu.be/X4CxFXTpcBQBeyond Coding Podcast with 🎙Patrick AkilPowered by Xebia!!OUTLINE00:00:00 - The Evolving Magic of Search00:03:28 - From Physical Files to Contextual AI00:05:00 - Why All Developers Should Care About Search00:08:28 - Unlocking New Possibilities with Hybrid Search00:12:40 - The Developer Advocate's Dilemma: Depth vs. Breadth00:15:05 - The Joy of Fast Feedback in Backend Development00:18:01 - How AI is Reshaping Creativity and Joy00:21:17 - AI's Impact on Code Generation and Security00:24:57 - Programming Languages and Code Quality00:29:05 - Picking Up New Languages in the Age of AI00:33:12 - The Rise of AI-Generated Content on Social Media00:38:52 - When to Use AI in Your Content Creation00:42:15 - Why Empathy is The Most Valuable Skill for the Future00:45:52 - The Future Value of Human Experiences

Jul 9, 2025 • 41min
Inside VEED’s AI Product Strategy: Speed, Scale, and User Feedback with Samuel Beek
Samuel Beek, Chief Product Officer at VEED, joins me to share how their team ships AI-powered features in days, not months.We explore VEED’s product strategy, how they stay close to users, and what it really takes to build fast without breaking things. If you're building with AI or working in product, this episode is packed with useful takeaways.Topics include:Shipping AI features at startup speedEmbedding user feedback into product decisionsBuilding for scale and testing fastBalancing innovation and executionConnect with Samuel Beek:https://samuelbeek.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelbeekFull episode on YouTube ▶️https://youtu.be/UgFbZhWCrGcBeyond Coding Podcast with 🎙Patrick AkilPowered by Xebia!!

Jul 4, 2025 • 41min
From AI Hype to Real-World Results! Getting AI into Production with Sohrab Hosseini
How do you cut through the AI hype and successfully deploy AI products at scale?In this episode, Sohrab Hosseini (co-founder of Orq) shares practical insights into overcoming common challenges of AI production: model hallucinations, cost management, maintaining observability, and scalability. Discover the realities of putting AI into practice and learn what truly matters for achieving real-world results.Essential listening for anyone looking to deploy AI effectively and sustainably. 🎧Connect with Sohrab Hosseini:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sohrabhosseiniFull episode on YouTube ▶️https://youtu.be/WKySqx2OPhQBeyond Coding Podcast with 🎙Patrick AkilPowered by Xebia!!

Jun 25, 2025 • 20min
Why We're Excited About React Compiler (React Compiler Explained) with Lydia Hallie
This was a special episode, recorded at React Summit in Amsterdam! Curious to hear your feedback! The next edition of the biggest React conference will be in New York, on November 18 & 21, and Early Bird tickets are out if you're interested: https://reactsummit.us/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=beyondcodingThe utm tags are only to gauge interest :)I really enjoyed the conference and might see you there if you're going! Excited about the lineup as well: Addy Osmani (Google), Shaundai Person (Netflix), Ken Wheeler (REDACTED), and more.Connect with Lydia:https://www.lydiahallie.iohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/lydia-halliehttps://x.com/lydiahallieFull episode on YouTube ▶️https://youtu.be/yKCWzWSwAK0Beyond Coding Podcast with 🎙Patrick AkilPowered by Xebia!!