Thanos Diakakis on Surviving the Software Apocalypse – AI, Agile, and Good Engineering

On this episode of Data Driven, we venture into the ever-shifting landscape of software engineering, AI-assisted coding, and the sometimes chaotic future of development teams with special guest Thanos Diacakis—no, not the Marvel villain, but a powerhouse in software leadership whose career spans scrappy startups to tech giants like Uber. Hosts Frank La Vigne, Andy Leonard, and resident AI BAILeY welcome Thanos for an insightful, witty, and sometimes philosophical conversation about the promise and perils of AI in software engineering. From the rise (and risks) of “vibe coding” to the changing definition of good engineering, Thanos shares firsthand experiences, pitfalls to avoid, and why solid fundamentals matter now more than ever—even with AI churning out code at lightning speed. We also explore how AI is reshaping workflows for both solo developers and large teams, the difference between local and global efficiency, and how bottlenecks are shifting in this new era. Thanos breaks down his “seven mental models” for effective engineering, demystifies the right way to work with AI tools (instead of letting them run wild), and explains why junior devs still deserve a seat at the table. If you’re curious about the real impact of AI-assisted coding, worried about the next wave of software “apocalypse,” or just eager for practical strategies to keep your teams productive and sane, this episode is packed with the wisdom, humor, and actionable takeaways you’ll want to hear. Buckle up as we dive deep into the code base—this is Data Driven, where the only thing disappearing is inefficiency.LinksCosmic Teacups: https://www.cosmicteacups.com/The Goal 40th Anniversary Edition: https://amzn.to/4lGhZbI (Amazon affilliate link)The Goal Graphic Novel (Yes, really) https://amzn.to/47ohIXx (Amazon affilliate link) Time Stamps 00:00 "Exploring AI Coding with Thanos" 05:20 Revolutionizing Productivity with Code 08:18 Cross-Platform Utility Development 12:14 Database Costs Drop, Demand Surges 14:43 Unauthorized Copying of Software Manuals 17:54 "Chunked Narratives Enhance LLM Performance" 19:43 Grox Impressive Despite Incompletion 24:40 Reviving a Startup with AI 28:53 Bottleneck Identification and Resolution Strategy 29:37 Incremental Improvements Drive Success 34:40 Agile's Evolution: Remembering Its Roots 38:41 Balancing Features and Tech Debt 42:50 Software Estimations: A Management Trap 45:55 Managing Project Time Expectations 47:47 Trust Building Through Incremental Delivery 51:23 Language Models: Human Cognition Parallel? 56:04 "Exploring Intelligence: Brains vs. AI" 58:06 "Data Driven Episode Conclusion"