Annie Vella

A week ago I finished up at Westpac NZ.

This is the second post in a series I’m writing about the most interesting findings from my Masters research on the impact of AI on software engineering, as well as some of the thoughts I’ve had since.

Early in my career, I took a job as a software developer at a large consultancy.

I’m writing this having just landed back in New Zealand after a very long journey home from Utah.

Last year I wrote that 2024 was a “massive year” and that “even that feels like an understatement”.

In the years I’ve been building software, I’ve lived through more than a few waves.

When I came across a recent Harvard Business Review article on the hidden penalty of using AI at work, it wasn’t the AI part that stood out to me, even though I’m studying this very topic as part of my Master’s of Engineering.

A few weeks ago, I had a conversation that’s stayed with me.

The recent releases of Claude Code and OpenAI Codex caught my attention, but not for the reasons you might expect.

We don’t talk enough about the feeling of learning something deeply - the slow, sometimes frustrating and painful process that forges real intuition.

Many of us became software engineers because we found our identity in building things.

In an era where tech stacks grow ever more complex and teams become increasingly specialised, there’s profound wisdom to be found in looking back at simpler, more effective approaches.

Earlier this year, Lovable celebrated their biggest milestone yet - more than 12,000 (!)

I’ve now spent a couple of months using Windsurf fairly regularly and I thought I’d share some of my experiences with it.

The concept of agentic AI absolutely fascinates me.

2024 was a massive year for me, and even that feels like an understatement.

Apologies, this is a long one - clearly I’ve got a lot to say on this subject!

We live in an era where rapid solutions are celebrated.

I’ve been contemplating the concept of agentic AI for a while now.

In June 2024, I had the privilege of travelling from Auckland, New Zealand, to speak at StaffPlus London - an unforgettable experience.