The Cynical Developer
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The Cynical Developer
A UK based Technology and Software Developer Podcast that helps you to improve your development knowledge and career, through explaining the latest and greatest in development technology and providing you with what you need to succeed as a developer.
Neueste Episoden
194 Episoden
AI Is Creating Two Kinds of Developers
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....
Why Your Team Doesn’t Own Anything
We dig into the gap between responsibility and ownership - why so many teams are accountable for outcomes they were never given the authority to contr...
Remote Work Didn’t Kill Productivity - Bad Management Did
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 pre...
The Real Cost of Context Switching
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...
Why Promotions Rarely Go to the Best Engineers
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...
Psychological Safety Is Not Being Nice
“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 m...
Episode 27 - Performance Reviews Are Broken
Why do performance reviews reward visibility over impact, and why do so many developers leave them feeling misunderstood? In this episode, James unpac...
Episode 26 - Why Developers Quit (And Don't Tell You Why)
Developers leave jobs all the time, but rarely share the real reasons. James explores why developers quit and what companies miss.
Writte...
Episode 25 - What Managers Need to Stop Doing
James takes aim at management practices that are hurting developer productivity and morale. What do managers need to stop doing?
Written...
Episode 24 - Spec-Driven Development: How You Actually Work With AI
James explores spec-driven development and how it changes the way developers actually work with AI tools to build better software.
Writte...
Episode 23 - When AI Makes Your Codebase Worse
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.
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Episode 22 - The Ethics of AI in Software Teams
As AI becomes embedded in software development, ethical questions arise. James discusses the moral considerations teams should be thinking about.
Episode 21 - Why "No-Code" Keeps Failing
No-code platforms promise to democratize development, but they keep falling short. James examines why no-code struggles to deliver on its promises.
Episode 20 - The Coming Divide: AI-Augmented vs Non-Augmented Teams
A gap is forming between teams that embrace AI tools and those that don't. James explores what this divide means for the industry.
Writte...
Episode 19 - Why AI Code Still Needs Senior Review
AI can generate code quickly, but that code still needs experienced eyes. James explains why senior review remains critical.
Written by J...
Episode 18 - Your LLM Is Not a Junior Developer
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.
Episode 17 - AI Won't Replace Developers — But It Will Replace Some Jobs
The AI replacement debate continues. James provides a nuanced take on which jobs are safe and which might be at risk.
Written by James St...
Episode 16 - Observability Is Not Optional Anymore
In modern systems, observability is essential. James discusses why you can't afford to skip proper monitoring and tracing.
Written by Jam...
Episode 15 - Why Your Cloud Bill Keeps Going Up
Cloud costs spiral out of control for many organizations. James explores the common reasons and what you can do about it.
Written by Jame...
Episode 14 - APIs Are Products — Start Treating Them Like It
APIs are often an afterthought, but they're products that developers consume. James discusses why API design deserves more attention.
Wri...
Episode 13 - The Death of "Clean Architecture" Dogma
Clean Architecture became a religion for some developers. James challenges the dogmatic adherence to architectural patterns.
Written by J...
Episode 12 - Monoliths Are Back (Because They Never Left)
The pendulum is swinging back to monoliths. James discusses why monolithic architectures are making a comeback and why they were never really a bad id...
Episode 11 - Event-Driven Everything — Do You Actually Need It?
Event-driven architecture is everywhere now. But is it always the right choice? James examines when to use it and when to avoid it.
Writt...
Episode 10 - The Rise (and Abuse) of Serverless
Serverless computing has taken off, but it's often misused. James explores when serverless makes sense and when it doesn't.
Written by Ja...
Episode 9 - Microservices Were a Mistake (For Most Teams)
Microservices promised scalability and flexibility. But for most teams, have they delivered? James takes a critical look at the microservices hype.
Episode 8 - Meetings Stink!
Too many meetings, too little work getting done. James rants about the meeting culture plaguing software teams.
Written by James Studdart...
Episode 7 - Technical Debt: Who Creates It and Who Pays
Technical debt accumulates in every codebase. James discusses who's responsible for creating it and who ultimately pays the price.
Writte...
Episode 6 - Why most software estimates are fiction, not fact
Software estimates are notoriously unreliable. James explores why this is the case and what we can do about it.
Written by James Studdart...
Episode 5 - The Difference Between Busy Teams and Effective Teams
Being busy isn't the same as being effective. James discusses what separates truly productive teams from those just spinning their wheels.
Episode 4 - Is AI going to make us all 10x Developers?
Everyone's talking about AI making developers more productive. But what's the reality? James dives into the hype vs. reality of AI-assisted developmen...
Episode 3 - Agile Is Not the Problem — Leadership Is
Agile gets blamed for a lot of failures, but is Agile really the problem? James argues that leadership failures are often the real culprit.
Episode 2 - Why "Senior Developer" Doesn't Mean What You Think
What does it really mean to be a senior developer? James explores the disconnect between titles and actual skills in the industry.
Writte...
Episode 1 - The State of Software in 2026: What's Actually Broken
James takes a cynical look at the current state of software development in 2026. What's working, what's broken, and what needs to change?
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Episode 0 - We are back!
Welcome back to The Cynical Developer! In this episode, James introduces Season 2 and discusses what's coming up in the new season.
Writt...
Episode 159 - JetBrains Space
In this episode we talk about JetBrains Space, with Valerie Andrianova.
Contacting Valerie Andrianova
Website: https://www.jetbrai...
Episode 158 - Code Reviews
In this episode we talk about Code Reviews with Jordan Ambra Contacting Jordan Ambra Website: https://www.serenity.software
Twitter: http...
Episode 157 - Developer Life Cycle
In This episode we talk with Lee Mallon about the Developer Life cycle Contacting Lee Mallon Website: http://www.rarely.io/
Twitter: https...
Episode 156 - Deep Fakes
In this episode we talk with Nigel Cannings about Deep fakes... or do we... is this even us, are you even you?
Contacting Nigel Cannings
W...
Episode 155 - Changes in OSS
In this returning episode we introduce a returning guest Matt Yonkovit, who was on the show back in November 2019, on episode 127 about Automation lea...
Episode 154 - Pause for thought
In this episode of the Cynical Developer, I wanted to pause for a thought, and make an announcement about the show...
Contacting James S...