Fragmented - AI Developer Podcast
Donn Felker, Kaushik Gopal
Fragmented is an AI developer podcast for engineers who want to go beyond vibe coding and ship real software.
We cover AI-assisted development the way working engineers actually use it: prompting strategies, code review, testing, debugging, workflows, and building production-grade software with AI tools. No hype. No "I shipped a SaaS in a weekend" stories. Just tactics that work.
Hosted by Kaushik Gopal and Iury Souza — software engineers using AI daily to build and ship real products.
From vibe coding to software engineering — one episode at a time. Our goal: help you use AI to become a better engineer, not be replaced by one.
We cover AI-assisted development the way working engineers actually use it: prompting strategies, code review, testing, debugging, workflows, and building production-grade software with AI tools. No hype. No "I shipped a SaaS in a weekend" stories. Just tactics that work.
Hosted by Kaushik Gopal and Iury Souza — software engineers using AI daily to build and ship real products.
From vibe coding to software engineering — one episode at a time. Our goal: help you use AI to become a better engineer, not be replaced by one.
Episodes
Mentioned books
8 snips
Feb 2, 2026 • 26min
303 - How LLMs Work - the 20 minute explainer
A clear walkthrough of tokenization and how text becomes machine-friendly tokens. A tour of embeddings and analogies that show how meaning is encoded as vectors. A plain explanation of pretraining as the way models learn semantic maps. A practical look at inference, sampling methods, context windows, and cost tradeoffs.
4 snips
Jan 26, 2026 • 19min
302 - MCPs Explained - what they are and when to use them
They unpack what Model Context Protocols are and how they let models plug into external tools and data. They compare MCPs with CLIs and explain server and client roles. They cover real uses like GitHub PR review, Playwright browser control, and instant library docs. They also warn about token bloat, confusion from many tools, and share practical tips for efficient tool use.
13 snips
Jan 19, 2026 • 25min
301 - The AI coding ladder
Dive into the fascinating world of AI coding paradigms with insights on super autocomplete tools like GitHub Copilot and the evolution to chat-oriented programming. Discover how agents and innovative prompts enhance coding autonomy, including planning and deeper reasoning techniques. Explore the future of orchestrating multiple agents and the challenges that come with it. Highlights also include practical tips for working with AI, emphasizing the importance of clear communication with your virtual assistants. This discussion is a must for developers looking to stay ahead!
Jan 12, 2026 • 9min
300 - From Vibe coding to Software engineering
Fragmented is changing. New direction, new cohost. Kaushik explains the pivotfrom Android to AI development and introduces Iury Souza.From vibe coding to software engineering — one episode at a time.Full shownotes at fragmentedpodcast.com.Contact usNewsletterWebsiteContact usYoutubeCo-hosts:Kaushik GopalIury Souza
13 snips
Mar 4, 2025 • 48min
257 - Future of AndroidDev in an AI world with Vinay Gaba
Vinay Gaba, an Android GDE known for his insights on Jetpack Compose, shares his vision for Android development in an AI-driven world. He discusses how AI will reshape development roles and the skills needed for the future. Highlights include the launch of his 'Dispatch' newsletter aimed at fostering community among developers and reflections on interviews with ten Android devs about adapting to change. They also tackle how AI can transform standard apps into outstanding ones and the evolving landscape of resources in mobile development.
9 snips
Feb 24, 2025 • 22min
256 - Rapid prototyping with Kotlin
Discover the power of rapid prototyping with Kotlin and how it can enhance your workflow and impress stakeholders. Explore its applications in scripting, web development, and mobile apps. Learn about the role of AI in transforming development practices, and why foundational coding skills remain essential in a fast-paced tech environment. From creating static sites to dynamic applications, this discussion covers a range of innovative approaches that Android developers can leverage.
6 snips
Feb 18, 2025 • 32min
255 - Data Oriented Programming
Dive into the intriguing world of Data Oriented Programming (DOP), where data takes center stage for cleaner, more efficient code. Discover how well-modeled data minimizes defensive logic and enhances stability in applications. Explore the nuances of DOP compared to Object Oriented and Functional Programming, and learn about the significance of precise data modeling. You'll also find valuable insights into Kotlin and Java's support for DOP, along with practical examples and resource recommendations to boost your programming skills.
6 snips
Dec 24, 2024 • 49min
254 - 8× faster 5× memory savings with Dan Rusu’s Immutable Arrays
Dan Rusu, a backend engineer and creator of the Immutable Arrays library for Kotlin, discusses his quest for performance improvements in Kotlin/Android apps. He shares how his library achieves significant speed boosts and lower memory usage, thanks to concepts of immutability and effective benchmarking. The conversation explores the impact of primitive versus reference types, the challenges of adopting immutable arrays, and the advantages of using Kotlin in backend development. Dive into the exciting world of enhanced programming efficiency!
9 snips
Dec 10, 2024 • 41min
253 - logcat - a new look at logging with Piwai from Square
Pierre-Yves Ricau, an Android developer at Square and creator of the logcat library, joins to discuss innovative logging strategies. He outlines the origins and advantages of logcat, comparing it with the popular Timber library. The conversation dives into the performance implications of logging practices and strategies for optimizing log usage in production. Pierre-Yves also emphasizes the importance of community contributions in open-source projects and shares insights on streamlining logging for better developer experience.
10 snips
Nov 26, 2024 • 25min
252 - Everyone needs a starter template
Márton Braun, a developer advocate at JetBrains, dives into the significance of creating personalized starter templates in Android development. He discusses how custom templates can ease decision fatigue and improve workflow efficiency. The conversation highlights Amper, a groundbreaking tool from JetBrains designed to simplify Kotlin project setups. By focusing on streamlined project configurations and versioning, Braun emphasizes how Amper could revolutionize the developer experience by reducing friction from idea to code.
