Staff+ engineering has always been about shaping strategy, navigating ambiguity, and building durable systems. As the most recent hype-cycle, AI is fundamentally changing how decisions are made, and the practice of Staff+ engineering has to evolve. This track explores what's changed, what hasn't, and how senior ICs play the long game to sustain agency and influence through rapid industry shifts.
From this track
The Influence Toolkit
Senior IC roles are often said to be about influence – but what do we mean by influence? And what are the tools that a senior IC can employ to influence individuals and teams within a large organisation?
Henry Wilson
Senior Architect @BBC
The Sociotechnical Staff Engineer: Architecture, Culture and Organizational Change
In today’s complex engineering landscape, Staff+ engineers, architects, and technical leaders can no longer operate solely as technical experts.
Vanessa Formicola
Principal Architect and Head of TASC (Technology, Architecture and Software Craft) @Prima, Ex Thoughtworks/Microsoft
All Tech Debt is NOT Created Equal
As we move into the era of AI, code that could be called slop or tech debt is increasing faster than ever. This means that managing that tech debt is just as important as ever. However, how do you prioritize which tech debt to work on? How do you convince others that any of it is important?
Joy Ebertz
Principal Engineer @Imprint, Blogger, and Speaker, Previously @Harness, @Split, & @Box
The Hidden Power of Boring Problems
Every engineer faces the same dilemma: invest your limited time mastering the latest technology and framework, or go deeper on fundamental problems that feel "boring" but compound for decades to come?
Yinka Omole
Lead Software Engineer @Personio, Previously Vice President @Goldman Sachs
