ShiftMag

I was at the MCP Dev Summit North America and heard from its co-creator, David Soria Parra, that the question is no longer how to use MCP, but what breaks when you try to scale it.

If AI can do the coding and speed isn’t an issue, what do developers actually bring to the table now?

When was the last time a dev conference taught you something you couldn’t learn online? Probably never. But that’s the wrong benchmark - conferences were never just about information.

What if I told you that understanding AI is a bit like juggling knowledge about Marvel, DC, Matrix, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Pokémon franchises? Crazy, right? But hear me out.

I admitted it: AI first sounded like coffee talk, not daily work, but I had to push through to help my teams.

Mackenzie Jackson, security researcher and advocate, told me that AI can’t catch the bugs, but it knows which ones actually matter and provides the context teams need.

For eight years, I was the only one excited to talk about accessibility - until it became law last year, everyone joined in, and I felt... hollow.

Andy Skipper, founder of CTO Craft, warns that even seasoned CTOs struggle with the pressure to deliver AI-driven productivity while balancing innovation and reality.

As AI tools become part of developers’ everyday workflows, a lot of engineering leaders assume that getting started is just a matter of buying the right software.

At the Pragmatic Summit, I heard firsthand that Uber engineers aren’t just using AI to write code anymore, they’re assigning it work. Let’s see how that plays out.

A canary died in the open source coal mine and a hundred people showed up to argue about the autopsy.

Being the only female software developer in a team is both unique and challenging – and it happens a lot. This is my story.

ShiftMag Insightful engineering content & community

MCP Co-Creator Explains Why MCP Needs More Than the Protocol to Scale

Some Engineering Teams Won’t Be Ready for AI Orchestration – and It Will Cost Them

Tech Conferences Aren’t Dead. But Why We Go Is Changing.

11 Terms You Need to Know Before Incorporating AI

As an Engineering Manager, I couldn’t ignore AI if my teams are to survive

AI Won’t Replace Security Tools – It’s Helping Them Prioritize Biggest Threats

You don’t need to care, just make your products accessible

CTOs Face Pressure to Deliver AI Gains, but Productivity Isn’t There Yet

Many Engineering Leaders Are Getting AI Adoption Wrong

How Uber Engineers Use AI Agents

License Laundering and the Death of Clean Room

The journey of a lone female software developer