The Cynical Developer

Epizódy

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  The Junior Developer Crisis Nobody Is Talking About 14.09.2026 6min

  If AI writes the boilerplate, tests and CRUD screens juniors used to learn on, how does anyone become senior? We look at the apprenticeship we’ve quietly automated away - and the slow, deferred bill that comes with it.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  The End of Coding Interviews As We Know Them 07.09.2026 5min

  The whiteboard puzzle always tested the one mode the job never uses - alone, from memory, no help. We look at why AI finally makes that impossible to ignore, why hiring clings to it anyway, and what’s worth measuring instead.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  Prompt Engineering Is Dead - Long Live Specification Engineering 31.08.2026 6min

  We argue prompt engineering is already on its way out - and what’s replacing it is one of the oldest skills in software. When generating code gets cheap, deciding precisely what to build becomes the whole game.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  AI Is Creating Two Kinds of Developers 24.08.2026 5min

  A quiet split is forming in software teams - not junior versus senior, but developers who’ve learned to work with AI and those who’ve decided not to. We look at what the divide really is, why it compounds, and why plenty of brilliant people are on the wrong side of it.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  Why Your Team Doesn’t Own Anything 17.08.2026 5min

  We dig into the gap between responsibility and ownership - why so many teams are accountable for outcomes they were never given the authority to control, and how “you own this” quietly becomes “you hold the pager”.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  Remote Work Didn’t Kill Productivity - Bad Management Did 10.08.2026 5min

  We take on the tidy story that remote work killed productivity. It didn’t - it removed the things that were hiding weak management. We look at the presence trap, what genuinely broke, and why the easy diagnosis pointed at the wrong people.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  The Real Cost of Context Switching 03.08.2026 5min

  We look at a cost that never shows up on any report: the wreckage an interruption leaves behind. Not the thirty-second question, but the twenty-minute rebuild, and why unpredictability, not volume, is what really destroys deep work.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  Why Promotions Rarely Go to the Best Engineers 27.07.2026 6min

  We pull apart a quiet truth most teams can see but rarely say: the strongest engineer often isn’t the one who gets promoted. We look at why visibility beats impact, why the best work leaves the least evidence, and what both sides can actually do about it.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  Psychological Safety Is Not Being Nice 20.07.2026 6min

  “Psychological safety” has quietly become a synonym for “being nice”, and in this episode we explain why that’s a problem. We look at what it really means, why the healthiest teams disagree more rather than less, why a quiet team isn’t necessarily a safe one, and what actually builds the kind of trust where bad news arrives early instead of late.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  Episode 27 - Performance Reviews Are Broken 13.07.2026 7min

  Why do performance reviews reward visibility over impact, and why do so many developers leave them feeling misunderstood? In this episode, James unpacks why performance reviews are quietly broken, and what that’s doing to teams.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  Episode 26 - Why Developers Quit (And Don't Tell You Why) 06.07.2026 7min

  Developers leave jobs all the time, but rarely share the real reasons. James explores why developers quit and what companies miss.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  Episode 25 - What Managers Need to Stop Doing 29.06.2026 7min

  James takes aim at management practices that are hurting developer productivity and morale. What do managers need to stop doing?Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  Episode 24 - Spec-Driven Development: How You Actually Work With AI 22.06.2026 7min

  James explores spec-driven development and how it changes the way developers actually work with AI tools to build better software.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  Episode 23 - When AI Makes Your Codebase Worse 15.06.2026 5min

  AI can help write code, but it can also make your codebase worse. James explores the pitfalls of AI-generated code and how to avoid them.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  Episode 22 - The Ethics of AI in Software Teams 08.06.2026 5min

  As AI becomes embedded in software development, ethical questions arise. James discusses the moral considerations teams should be thinking about.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  Episode 21 - Why "No-Code" Keeps Failing 01.06.2026 5min

  No-code platforms promise to democratize development, but they keep falling short. James examines why no-code struggles to deliver on its promises.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  Episode 20 - The Coming Divide: AI-Augmented vs Non-Augmented Teams 25.05.2026 6min

  A gap is forming between teams that embrace AI tools and those that don't. James explores what this divide means for the industry.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  Episode 19 - Why AI Code Still Needs Senior Review 18.05.2026 6min

  AI can generate code quickly, but that code still needs experienced eyes. James explains why senior review remains critical.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  Episode 18 - Your LLM Is Not a Junior Developer 11.05.2026 6min

  LLMs are powerful tools, but they're not junior developers you can just hand tasks to. James discusses how to think about AI assistants correctly.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.
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  Episode 17 - AI Won't Replace Developers — But It Will Replace Some Jobs 04.05.2026 6min

  The AI replacement debate continues. James provides a nuanced take on which jobs are safe and which might be at risk.Written by James Studdart. Voiced using an AI model of his voice.