Rob Sutter
@robsutter.dev
Building software engineering teams and coaching them to peak performance.
Pinned
Rob Sutter
@robsutter.dev
· Jan 3
Engineering Management Book Club
Daily reviews of software engineering management books
robsutter.dev
Lord help me I’m doing A Thing.
A chapter a (work) day as I work through a few books on engineering management.
Come follow along!
robsutter.dev/posts/leader...
A chapter a (work) day as I work through a few books on engineering management.
Come follow along!
robsutter.dev/posts/leader...
Reposted by Rob Sutter
For Gen X part of why watching the unapproved & unpermitted destruction of the #WhiteHouse is so hard is the symbolism. We watched the Berlin wall fall, & remember elation and excitement that democracy and freedom were winning.
This demonstration symbolizes the fall of our democracy and freedoms.
This demonstration symbolizes the fall of our democracy and freedoms.
October 23, 2025 at 1:47 PM
For Gen X part of why watching the unapproved & unpermitted destruction of the #WhiteHouse is so hard is the symbolism. We watched the Berlin wall fall, & remember elation and excitement that democracy and freedom were winning.
This demonstration symbolizes the fall of our democracy and freedoms.
This demonstration symbolizes the fall of our democracy and freedoms.
Reposted by Rob Sutter
i see you're doing something online that you have effortlessly done 100,000 times. would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? w
October 20, 2025 at 2:38 PM
i see you're doing something online that you have effortlessly done 100,000 times. would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? w
Reposted by Rob Sutter
Okay, for the folks who asked: here's the majority AI view, writing up the reasonable, thoughtful view on AI that the vast majority of people in tech hold, that gets overshadowed by the bluster and hype of the tycoons trying to shill their nonsense. anildash.com/2025/10/17/t... Please share!
The Majority AI View - Anil Dash
A blog about making culture. Since 1999.
anildash.com
October 17, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Okay, for the folks who asked: here's the majority AI view, writing up the reasonable, thoughtful view on AI that the vast majority of people in tech hold, that gets overshadowed by the bluster and hype of the tycoons trying to shill their nonsense. anildash.com/2025/10/17/t... Please share!
Reposted by Rob Sutter
More than *anything* the people who actually know how technology works, who actually build things, wish that people would treat LLMs like every other technology, and be normal about them. Don't build a religion about them, don't force them on people, don't ignore the problems. Just be normal.
October 17, 2025 at 4:34 AM
More than *anything* the people who actually know how technology works, who actually build things, wish that people would treat LLMs like every other technology, and be normal about them. Don't build a religion about them, don't force them on people, don't ignore the problems. Just be normal.
Reposted by Rob Sutter
The appropriate historical analogy is radium, not the web.
In this TED talk, I will
In this TED talk, I will
LLMs everywhere - in software engineering, but in all other industries as well - is happening faster than any past tech adoption.
This is also why, the strategy to ignore AI for a few years is likely to have a similar outcome as ignoring the internet for a decade or two from the late 90s
This is also why, the strategy to ignore AI for a few years is likely to have a similar outcome as ignoring the internet for a decade or two from the late 90s
October 11, 2025 at 9:13 PM
The appropriate historical analogy is radium, not the web.
In this TED talk, I will
In this TED talk, I will
Reposted by Rob Sutter
A cartoonist's review of AI art - The Oatmeal
This is a comic about AI art.
theoatmeal.com
October 7, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Reposted by Rob Sutter
Reposted by Rob Sutter
We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.
October 1, 2025 at 2:38 PM
We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.
Reposted by Rob Sutter
Oh this is good
We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.
October 1, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Oh this is good
Reposted by Rob Sutter
If you think this is US-only, it's not.
If you think the GDPR protects you, it's doesn't.
If you hadn't realised privacy is a national security and corporate espionage issue, it is.
If you think politicians can't tackle this, they can.
If you believe that tech or business need this, they don't.
If you think the GDPR protects you, it's doesn't.
If you hadn't realised privacy is a national security and corporate espionage issue, it is.
If you think politicians can't tackle this, they can.
If you believe that tech or business need this, they don't.
Either real-time bidding data or app SDK data is being bought and used by ICE to seize people from the streets. If you didn’t believe that the adtech stack is a human rights concern, I’m not sure what more evidence you need. www.404media.co/ice-to-buy-t...
ICE to Buy Tool that Tracks Locations of Hundreds of Millions of Phones Every Day
Documents show that ICE has gone back on its decision to not use location data remotely harvested from peoples' phones. The database is updated every day with billions of pieces of location data.
www.404media.co
October 1, 2025 at 6:36 AM
If you think this is US-only, it's not.
If you think the GDPR protects you, it's doesn't.
If you hadn't realised privacy is a national security and corporate espionage issue, it is.
If you think politicians can't tackle this, they can.
If you believe that tech or business need this, they don't.
If you think the GDPR protects you, it's doesn't.
If you hadn't realised privacy is a national security and corporate espionage issue, it is.
If you think politicians can't tackle this, they can.
If you believe that tech or business need this, they don't.
Reposted by Rob Sutter
The idea that we have to "encourage responsible AI usage" is a core part of the inevitability narrative driving the institutional adoption that makes people think it's worth trying out.
it contributes to the very problem it supposedly tries to solve. we can't let it go unchallenged.
it contributes to the very problem it supposedly tries to solve. we can't let it go unchallenged.
September 8, 2025 at 3:48 AM
The idea that we have to "encourage responsible AI usage" is a core part of the inevitability narrative driving the institutional adoption that makes people think it's worth trying out.
it contributes to the very problem it supposedly tries to solve. we can't let it go unchallenged.
it contributes to the very problem it supposedly tries to solve. we can't let it go unchallenged.
Generate code equal to the existing amount of code, make it unreachable, merge. Metric hit.
If I was an engineer at Coinbase and heard this mandate, I’d just start to review AI code less rigorously and let it rip.
The stated goal is to increase AI generation numbers, and nothing about quality, maintainability, correctness, lack of duplication - right?
Give devs a goal and they meet it
The stated goal is to increase AI generation numbers, and nothing about quality, maintainability, correctness, lack of duplication - right?
Give devs a goal and they meet it
September 4, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Generate code equal to the existing amount of code, make it unreachable, merge. Metric hit.
Reposted by Rob Sutter
Something I didn't get to say yesterday:
We heard over and over during the event about "human-centered" approaches to "AI". But if refusal is not on the table (at every level: individual students and teachers right up through UNESCO) then we have in fact centered the technology, not the people.
We heard over and over during the event about "human-centered" approaches to "AI". But if refusal is not on the table (at every level: individual students and teachers right up through UNESCO) then we have in fact centered the technology, not the people.
It has been really interesting to attend UNESCO's Digital Learning Week (though unfortunately I'm not able to stick around). My public lecture from yesterday can be found here:
www.youtube.com/live/l-OWi6V...
>>
www.youtube.com/live/l-OWi6V...
>>
September 3, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Something I didn't get to say yesterday:
We heard over and over during the event about "human-centered" approaches to "AI". But if refusal is not on the table (at every level: individual students and teachers right up through UNESCO) then we have in fact centered the technology, not the people.
We heard over and over during the event about "human-centered" approaches to "AI". But if refusal is not on the table (at every level: individual students and teachers right up through UNESCO) then we have in fact centered the technology, not the people.
Reposted by Rob Sutter
We built a calculator that doesn't work, but don't worry, it's also a plagiarism machine that will tell you to kill yourself. It runs on the world's oceans and costs 10 trillion dollars.
August 29, 2025 at 6:24 PM
We built a calculator that doesn't work, but don't worry, it's also a plagiarism machine that will tell you to kill yourself. It runs on the world's oceans and costs 10 trillion dollars.
Reposted by Rob Sutter
It is truly shocking to discover how many people just don’t want to use their brains and can’t understand why anyone else would want to use their brain either.
my college kid was heartbroken when on the first day of class the professor said "I used to spend 3 weeks teaching this part, but just have AI create it for you and we'll skip it." Skipping the most creative part of the work. The part my kid most looked forward to.
August 23, 2025 at 2:36 AM
It is truly shocking to discover how many people just don’t want to use their brains and can’t understand why anyone else would want to use their brain either.
Reposted by Rob Sutter
Coinbase’s CEO asking people to use AI by Saturday then firing people who didn’t is fascinating because I don’t remember such threats to get tech workers to use Slack, Jira, Visual Studio Code, Google Docs, smartphones or really any valuable productivity tool.
Makes you wonder…
Makes you wonder…
August 22, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Coinbase’s CEO asking people to use AI by Saturday then firing people who didn’t is fascinating because I don’t remember such threats to get tech workers to use Slack, Jira, Visual Studio Code, Google Docs, smartphones or really any valuable productivity tool.
Makes you wonder…
Makes you wonder…
Reposted by Rob Sutter
age 15: Computers are amazing! I'm going to do amazing things with computers!
age 45: explaining to the fourth person this week why Chat GPT is not a replacement for google or the library or friends
age 45: explaining to the fourth person this week why Chat GPT is not a replacement for google or the library or friends
August 21, 2025 at 10:38 PM
age 15: Computers are amazing! I'm going to do amazing things with computers!
age 45: explaining to the fourth person this week why Chat GPT is not a replacement for google or the library or friends
age 45: explaining to the fourth person this week why Chat GPT is not a replacement for google or the library or friends
Reposted by Rob Sutter
MIT’s NANDA initiative found that 95% of generative AI deployments fail after interviewing 150 execs, surveying 350 workers, and analyzing 300 projects. The real “productivity gains” seem to come from layoffs and squeezing more work from fewer people not AI.
MIT report: 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing
There’s a stark difference in success rates between companies that purchase AI tools from vendors and those that build them internally.
fortune.com
August 20, 2025 at 4:52 AM
MIT’s NANDA initiative found that 95% of generative AI deployments fail after interviewing 150 execs, surveying 350 workers, and analyzing 300 projects. The real “productivity gains” seem to come from layoffs and squeezing more work from fewer people not AI.
Reposted by Rob Sutter
Interesting question raised in a q&a today: what do we do about the fact that engineers don't feel like they're learning anything on the job except how to use AI now because that's all anyone in leadership is focused on
August 15, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Interesting question raised in a q&a today: what do we do about the fact that engineers don't feel like they're learning anything on the job except how to use AI now because that's all anyone in leadership is focused on
Reposted by Rob Sutter
Because LLMs haven't even pulled physics really into plain language (as the video explains), they've merely pulled *pretend* physics into plain language (just like non-expert plain language history is mostly pretend history).
The 'tool' is a toy to play at physics like a child plays at house. /end
The 'tool' is a toy to play at physics like a child plays at house. /end
July 25, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Because LLMs haven't even pulled physics really into plain language (as the video explains), they've merely pulled *pretend* physics into plain language (just like non-expert plain language history is mostly pretend history).
The 'tool' is a toy to play at physics like a child plays at house. /end
The 'tool' is a toy to play at physics like a child plays at house. /end
Reposted by Rob Sutter
I like that Strava refers to you as an Athlete. I ate a sleeve of Oreos at 11 pm last night
July 10, 2025 at 3:23 PM
I like that Strava refers to you as an Athlete. I ate a sleeve of Oreos at 11 pm last night
Reposted by Rob Sutter
Work on your critical thinking skills and learn as much as you can. Train your own model.
May 22, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Work on your critical thinking skills and learn as much as you can. Train your own model.
Reposted by Rob Sutter
Re LLMs writing term papers: the other day I saw someone say that using LLMs to write is like bringing a forklift to the gym. It's not that the weights need to go up; it's that you need to do the lifting. The doing of the work is the result, not the paper being done or the weights having moved.
May 5, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Re LLMs writing term papers: the other day I saw someone say that using LLMs to write is like bringing a forklift to the gym. It's not that the weights need to go up; it's that you need to do the lifting. The doing of the work is the result, not the paper being done or the weights having moved.