The recent rise of generative AI has sparked a pivotal shift that will impact how developers approach their craft. In this episode of Stories from the Hackery, we catch up with Brandon Valentine, a founding board member at NSS and a lifelong software developer. Brandon was taught to code when he was young by his grandmother and has been coding ever since.
Brandon departed GitHub this spring after five years, where he spent most of his time leading a team that collaborated with some of the largest development shops in the world. From his front-row seat helping companies adopt GitHub tools, like GitHub Copilot, Brandon saw how companies are approaching generative AI and how it is, or is not, shaping the careers of software developers and the job market.
“I think right around the corner is another phase of innovation and excitement and it's personally, the reason that I'll still be involved in technology.” - Brandon Valentine
Brandon shares his perspective on the current job market, opportunities and risks of generative AI (including opportunities to upskill your workforce), how software development roles will evolve, and training the next generation of developers.
“The market is very impatient with uncertainty. [It] really loves for a company to make an earnings projection and then hit it or beat it, right? And this AI thing is really freaking expensive.” - Brandon Valentine
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Show notes:
00:00 Introduction to Stories from the Hackery
00:35 Meet Brandon Valentine
10:33 Generative AI and the Job Market
34:35 Generative AI: Opportunities and Risks
44:36 Upskilling the Workforce: The Role of AI
47:28 Training the Next Generation of Developers
52:21 The Evolution of Software Development Roles
01:07:08 Personal Reflections and Recommendations
01:13:29 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Links from the show:
Nashville Software School
Brandon Valentine
Goldman Sachs - GenAI: Too much spend, too little benefit?
