We need uniquely human skills and better ways of working more than ever.

In the past 25 years, as I’ve progressed from junior developer to senior developer to tech lead and application architect, the skills I needed were increasingly not about writing better code.

Building trust and influence. Handling complexity and ambiguity. Systems thinking. Intuition and judgment based on experience. Empathy, creativity, and collaboration.

As AI handles more of the code writing, the skills that make us human are even more essential.

We can also no longer afford to stay stuck in old ways of working. As the 2025 DORA report from Google says:

AI’s primary role in software development is that of an amplifier. It magnifies the strengths of high-performing organizations and the dysfunctions of struggling ones.

I’m writing a book about the skills and ways of working needed to thrive as individuals, teams, organizations, and societies.

Come join me on this adventure! Sign up below for weekly reflections on working better and happier and what it means to be human in the age of AI:

I also write here (mirrored on Medium, Substack, and Bluesky) and share on Instagram.

Did you get a card from me at a recent conference, or are you here because you saw a question from me online? Find out more about the question cards here.

Glad you’re here!