SED News is a monthly podcast on Software Engineering Daily, hosted by Gregor Vand and Sean Falconer, discussing pivotal topics in software engineering, Silicon Valley, and the tech industry.
This episode focuses on Starlink’s offering of free, high-speed in-flight internet, Tesla’s shift from Autopilot to full self-driving, and Apple’s potential use of Google’s Gemini models for Siri. The conversation also covers Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of Manus, challenges faced by Waymo as it scales its autonomous vehicles, and the competitive impact of Google’s AI hardware advancements.
Gregor and Sean delve into the tech job market, discussing OpenAI’s policy change on vesting cliffs, the intense competition for top AI talent, and what recent layoffs suggest about the future of software engineering. They analyze how AI coding tools are altering the dynamic between junior and senior engineers, the enduring importance of fundamentals, and key areas developers should focus on as 2026 approaches.
The hosts also highlight notable discussions from Hacker News, featuring Doom running on wireless earbuds, the fascination with complex side projects, and the relevance of hacking for fun amid industrial-scale AI.
Gregor Vand brings his expertise as a security-focused technologist, having served as a CTO in cybersecurity, cyber insurance, and software engineering sectors. He resides in Singapore and can be reached through his profile on vand.hk or LinkedIn.
Sean’s background includes roles as an academic, startup founder, and Googler. His publications span AI to quantum computing, and he currently contributes as an AI Entrepreneur in Residence at Confluent, focusing on AI strategy and thought leadership. Sean is accessible via LinkedIn.
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