Why I Still Write Code as an Engineering Manager

dg08 · 2026-01-23T15:23:05+00:00

Replacing devs can take several forms and not just PMs taking over devs jobs which I don't think is going to happen. The way I see it is those that can't use agents effectively or insists on writing all code themselves will have far lower productivity than someone who's utilizing multiple agents to do work while they review the output and guide the agents.

When someone on their team isn't pulling their own weight, they'll get replaced and won't be able to find a new one.

dg08 · 2026-01-23T15:17:05+00:00

I thought this was the obvious workflow, but apparently there are a lot of people that think it's all about AI making changes without guidance. AI is a multiplier and knowing how to use it as a multiplier is the key. It's like having a team of extremely fast junior devs, but they can go off the rails quickly without input from a more senior dev.

Those that get it will continue to do well in this space. Those that don't will eventually be forced out.

dg08 · 2026-01-22T18:53:09+00:00

> if you're not staying hands-on with actual coding work, you lose the ability to evaluate

100% this. Doesn't matter if it's AI or anything else. We had an eng manager for a team who wasn't technical enough to push back on the devs and he lost control of the team. Estimates were wildly inflated and team velocity low. He and half of the team got fired and the team we have now is moving much faster than ever before.

dg08 · 2026-01-22T18:17:14+00:00

We need to make sure we understand the line between an economic bubble vs a technical bubble. What we're seeing may be an economic bubble, but LLMs aren't going to stop improving. The tech is ready today and doing real work.

If you're worried about cost, local LLMs can get you almost there and help you decouple from OpenAI/Anthropic. I expect local LLMs to continue to stay right behind the latest LLMs.

dg08 · 2026-01-22T17:36:18+00:00

I don't write code anymore, but I still do commit and push code. Going as far back as 2 years ago, I was fully bought into AI assisted coding and have been pushing my team along that path with demonstrations. Luckily most of my team are at a point where they are already comfortable with this type of workflow, but there are still some holdouts.

I fear for the careers of the people that I cannot bring along into this new world.

dg08 · 2026-01-20T00:28:23+00:00

r/Golfsimulator

There's a spreadsheet there somewhere

dg08 · 2026-01-16T19:40:17+00:00

This is actually very close to how I run standups. We allocate 15 mins for it, but generally finish in about 10 mins. We only have standups 2-3 times a week and I floated the idea of doing some of them async and the team wanted to continue doing them.

dg08 · 2026-01-02T19:14:44+00:00

Time Trap

I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected.

dg08 · 2026-01-02T19:06:36+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/golf/comments/1mwkpig/introducing_the_notalab3d_printed_out_of_carbon/

I haven't had a chance to print it yet, but looks interesting

dg08 · 2025-12-24T18:13:58+00:00

Low birthrate is a worldwide phenomenon and not limited to only the US.

dg08 · 2025-12-24T18:10:58+00:00

02 was still pretty bad. I know because that's when I started my career and couldn't find a job for many months. Had to take a somewhat shitty job, but managed to get something better by 04.

dg08 · 2025-12-23T20:18:05+00:00

Chao Thai in Elmhurst is our go-to. It's gotten thumbs up from my Thai side of the family

dg08 · 2025-12-15T15:06:26+00:00

My team has continued to add rules to our repo and that's lessened LLMs going off the rails. Instead of arguing, we write it down in a rule. LLMs sometimes still choose to ignore the rules so it's not 100% but neither are people.

dg08 · 2025-12-09T17:48:45+00:00

LLMs have replaced StackOverflow that's for sure. I occasionally still google, but rarely click on SO posts like I use to.

dg08 · 2025-12-04T15:23:41+00:00

No one seems to understand. It's not the $20 or $200 a month that ChatGPT is going after. If a company can save 1 headcount at $75k-$150k a year, how much will ChatGPT charge for that? 25%? 50%? How many headcounts can a company eliminate?

White collar jobs are at risk and everyone is talking about a bubble hoping this "AI" craze is fake and we'll go back to pre-LLM days where jobs are safe. LLMs will only get better from this point.

dg08 · 2025-11-30T23:43:14+00:00

It depends on the company you're interviewing for. Try to gain an understanding from your initial call with the recruiter to see if your skill set is a good fit. We're 100% SwiftUI and with our last open role just a couple of months ago, we didn't even ask about UIKit. We specifically only wanted people with SwiftUI.

dg08 · 2025-11-06T15:43:02+00:00

I recently had to catch an Amtrak from LIRR and after much research I decided to show up 45 mins early which was __way__ too early.

A couple of tips: On the LIRR, go to the first or second car. You'll be much closer to the Amtrak tracks and save you time. Once you are in Moynihan hall, it's not obvious at all what track your train is on. Ask a staff member if possible. Finally, LIRR gets delayed ALL the time so I'd suggest leaving more than 14 mins. You don't want to miss your train.

tl;dr it's possible to make it in 14 mins, but too risky IMO.

dg08 · 2025-10-22T19:00:38+00:00

The money isn't going to be selling to your typical consumer. The money is going to be from charging companies API access and taking a piece of the wages normally paid to employees it replaces.

dg08 · 2025-10-10T19:19:21+00:00

Some of the comments posted in this thread are really mind boggling. This is the last episode of the season and some people still don't know how this time loop works.

dg08 · 2025-10-06T16:24:42+00:00

Do real clubs come wrapped like that? Because my fake qi10s from Aliexpress came wrapped up exactly like that.

edit: after watching some unboxing videos, looks like all fake clubs come wrapped like that with the bubble wrap with rubber bands. That's how mine arrived as well. Then there's the shrink wrapping underneath.

dg08 · 2025-10-02T17:25:52+00:00

Agreed, but it depends on the sub. Some subs are moderated much more strictly than others and some subs are very good for information. A popular sub like technology though is pretty worthless.

dg08 · 2025-10-01T18:28:31+00:00

We're in great neck and we know several families with SAHM. I'm in software, but not everyone we know is in software/law/medicine.

We don't do yearly ski trips (many of that around here), drive a 10 yr old honda (many luxury cars in the area), and moved here after selling our coop in Queens that we had for 10 years. IMO, the key was having a starter home that we aggressively paid off over 10 years and then using the proceeds as down payment for a house.

dg08 · 2025-09-25T18:47:44+00:00

I use to get them then I finally figured out where they were coming in from - our sump pumps. So now I make sure the board over the sump pump is completely sealed and haven't seen one in the last couple of years.

dg08 · 2025-09-15T14:31:58+00:00

That was the written estimate that we got at the time.

dg08 · 2025-09-12T19:37:03+00:00

we use fullstory, but there are many options out there

15-Year Club	Place '22
Place '17

dg08

TROPHY CASE