Learn Fast. Think Independently. F*** the Rules.
AI is reshaping software development. This piece challenges us to embrace the shift—away from rigid processes and toward fast, intent-driven workflows. It's a call to rethink how we build, lead, and ship in an era where AI isn’t just a tool, but part of the team.
The software industry is in the middle of its biggest rewrite since the invention of the compiler—and most people are too busy polishing Jira tickets to notice.
I’ve been writing code for over 30 years, solving hard, real-world problems with low-level tools that demanded precision and resilience. I have worked on distributed state machine-based Point of Sale systems in C that ran on 486s and processed billions of dollars in transactions. I know what it means to wrangle memory manually, to build systems that can't afford to fail.
But I didn’t stop there. I embraced the so-called "craft": I built TDD training programs from scratch and trained hundreds of engineers in rigorous software practices. I believed in testing, pairing, and clean code because it gave structure to complexity.
Now, as the Technical Director of AI, I’m leading the shift into something new—where the tools are different, but the stakes are the same. I didn’t come from theory. I came from the trenches. And I’ve never been more excited to build than I am right now.
I lived through the waterfall-to-agile shift. I saw the rise of testing, pairing, clean code, and all the ceremony that came with trying to make software engineering a craft. And for a while, it mattered.
But the world changed. Fast.
Vibe Coding Killed the Software Star
AI isn’t just speeding up code writing. It’s shifting what it even means to build software. Vibe coding is not a gimmick. It’s a full-stack transformation:
- From tickets to intent
- From ceremony to outcome
- From headcount to leverage
And the people who survive this shift? They won’t be the ones still doing pixel-perfect frontend tickets or arguing about unit test purity. They’ll be the ones who know how to think in systems, express intent, orchestrate tools, and ship real value—fast.
Learn Fast
The people who will thrive aren’t the ones with the deepest mastery of a single framework. They’re the ones who can adapt weekly, think across abstraction layers, and build the damn thing with what’s available.
In this new world, curiosity beats credentials. Velocity beats resume polish. And feedback loops are more important than "deep dives" that never ship.
Think Independently
Most engineering orgs are still running process theater from 2013. Sprint planning, grooming, standups, peer reviews—all built for a time when humans had to translate intent into working code line by line.
Not anymore.
You don’t need a ticket to build a feature. You don’t need a committee to deploy. You need clarity of purpose, strong constraints, a feedback loop, and the guts to move.
F*** the Rules
Rules were built to keep bad engineers from hurting themselves.
But if you're good? If you can see the system, shape the direction, and partner with AI tools that scaffold 90% of the way?
Then the rules are friction. They are noise. They are nostalgia.
We're entering a phase where small teams of smart builders with AI leverage will outperform bloated orgs by 10x or more. And if you’re still insisting on line-by-line PR reviews for UI buttons, you're already behind.
The Future Isn't Coming. It's Here.
This isn't theory. I live this every day.
- I design with intent.
- I scaffold with agents.
- I supervise AI code with observability, not checklists.
- I ship. A lot.
Most engineers are still hammering each nail. I’m building machinery that builds the house.
The next wave isn't about code. It's about orchestration. It's not about following rules. It's about building new ones.
A Nod to Steve Yegge
If this all sounds familiar, it might be because Steve Yegge has been yelling some version of it into the void for years. Platforms over features. Leverage over lines of code. Curiosity over conformity. His recent blog post, "The Brute Squad", is one of the clearest articulations yet of where this is all headed. We seem to think along the same path—only difference is, he’s been vocal about it for years. I’ve just recently started putting my perspective out there.
Learn fast. Think independently. F*** the rules.
We’re just getting started.