Technical debt

Growing & Thriving in a Multi-model World • Alberto Brandolini • GOTO 2025

Growing & Thriving in a Multi-model World • Alberto Brandolini • GOTO 2025

Alberto Brandolini delivers a compelling talk on how to combat software model decay and avoid the "Big Ball of Mud" by strategically applying Domain-Driven Design principles, especially Bounded Contexts. He emphasizes the critical role of visual thinking, structured architectural discussions, and organizational habits in maintaining clean, evolvable systems, particularly when scaling across teams and international markets. The talk highlights the need for continuous design effort, disciplined decision-making, and proactive identification of model boundaries to build resilient software in complex socio-technical landscapes.

Developer Experience in the Age of AI Coding Agents – Max Kanat Alexander, Capitol One

Developer Experience in the Age of AI Coding Agents – Max Kanat Alexander, Capitol One

Max Kanat-Alexander explores the rapid changes in software engineering driven by AI and identifies 'no-regrets investments' that will benefit development teams regardless of the future. He argues that by focusing on foundational developer experience principles—such as standardizing tools, improving validation, structuring code for testability, and refining the code review process—organizations can create a virtuous cycle of productivity for both human developers and their AI agent counterparts.

The GPU Uptime Battle

The GPU Uptime Battle

Andy Pernsteiner, Field CTO of VAST Data, discusses the immense challenges of transitioning AI projects from prototype to production. He highlights the critical role of data infrastructure, the high cost of GPU downtime, and the necessity of building resilient, scalable platforms that can withstand real-world failures like power outages in massive data centers. The conversation emphasizes a shift in mindset towards empathy, better requirement gathering, and closer collaboration between data scientists and platform engineers to bridge the gap between development and operations.

Tech Leadership Challenges: Communication & AI at Financial Times • Alice Bartlett & Charles Humble

Tech Leadership Challenges: Communication & AI at Financial Times • Alice Bartlett & Charles Humble

Alice Bartlett, Tech Director at the Financial Times, offers a deep dive into her leadership role, managing a 70-person team responsible for FT.com and the mobile apps. She discusses the transition from principal engineer to director, the art of managing stakeholder relationships, strategies for tackling technical debt, and her nuanced perspective on the impact of AI on software development and team dynamics.