Beyond The Build

Send us Fan Mail
Ask us a question or suggest an Episode: https://forms.gle/8tEg2CKTNNWteSgt9

Connect with Ope - https://www.linkedin.com/in/osunkoyaope/

Connect with Uma:
Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/umacodes)
Tiktok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@umacodes)
Twitter: (https://twitter.com/umacodes)
LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/umaabu/)

Follow us on Social Media
Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/beyondthebuildpodcast)
TikTok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondthebuildpodcast)

Send us Fan Mail
In this episode, we break down one of the wildest stories in tech right now — an AI agent wiping out an entire production database in seconds — and what that says about the systems we’re building.
But that’s just the beginning.
We also dive into the bigger shift happening across the industry: the decline of junior developer roles, the rise of AI-assisted engineering, and why the way we build software is fundamentally changing. From debugging with AI to companies restructuring how teams work, this isn’t just a trend — it’s a real shift in how engineers are expected to operate.
If you’re a software engineer (or trying to break into the field), this is something you need to understand now, not later.
Let us know in the comments — are we moving too fast with AI, or is this the natural evolution of engineering?

Connect with Ope - https://www.linkedin.com/in/osunkoyaope/

Connect with Uma:
Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/umacodes)
Tiktok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@umacodes)
Twitter: (https://twitter.com/umacodes)
LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/umaabu/)

Follow us on Social Media
Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/beyondthebuildpodcast)
TikTok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondthebuildpodcast)

Send us Fan Mail
Ask us a question or suggest an Episode: https://forms.gle/8tEg2CKTNNWteSgt9
Last week in tech, around 20,000 layoffs landed in seven days. Meta announced 8,000 cuts and froze another 6,000 open roles, reorganizing survivors into a new Applied AI Engineering division. Microsoft ran its first voluntary buyout in 51 years, using a Rule of 70 to target longer tenured staff. And Sam Altman, of all people, publicly called the whole trend "AI washing." In this episode of Last Week in Tech, Uma and Ope break down what is actually going on under the hood. Are these AI layoffs or just rebranded cost reductions? Why are stocks climbing while engineers are getting cut? And what does the gap between capex and headcount mean for your career as a software engineer in 2026? We cover Meta's autonomous coding agents push, Microsoft's buyout criteria and pay restructuring, Oracle's 95 percent net income jump alongside 30,000 cuts, why employment for engineers aged 22 to 25 is down nearly 20 percent since 2024, and what 80,000 Q1 tech layoffs actually tell us about the future of the industry. Beyond the Build is the podcast for software engineers who want to talk about everything outside the code editor. New Last Week in Tech episodes drop weekly. Tech layoffs 2026, Meta layoffs, Microsoft buyout, AI replacing software engineers, AI washing, Sam Altman, junior engineer job market, Big Tech earnings, software engineering career, capex AI infrastructure.
Connect with Ope - https://www.linkedin.com/in/osunkoyaope/
Connect with Uma: Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/umacodes) Tiktok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@umacodes) Twitter: (https://twitter.com/umacodes) LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/umaabu/)
Follow us on Social Media Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/beyondthebuildpodcast) TikTok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondthebuildpodcast)

Send us Fan Mail
Ask us a question or suggest an Episode: https://forms.gle/8tEg2CKTNNWteSgt9
AI coding tools are everywhere right now. They’re helping engineers move faster, ship more code, and build things that would’ve taken days in a fraction of the time.
But there’s a catch.
Recent studies show that around 40 to 46 percent of AI-generated code contains security vulnerabilities. At the same time, 93 percent of companies are still pushing that code into production. Not by accident. On purpose.
In this episode of Beyond the Build, we break down what’s actually happening behind the scenes. Why teams are choosing speed over security. Whether this is really a new problem or just something AI has made more visible. And what it means for engineers who are now expected to review, validate, and take responsibility for code they didn’t fully write.
We also get into the real questions nobody has answers to yet. Who’s responsible when AI-generated code causes a breach? Are we actually more productive, or just creating more problems faster? And what skills actually matter now that writing code isn’t the bottleneck anymore?
If you’re a software engineer using AI tools or thinking about how they’re changing the industry, this is a conversation you need to hear.
Topics covered include AI-generated code security, software engineering with AI, developer productivity, debugging AI code, OWASP vulnerabilities, and how AI is reshaping the role of engineers.
Subscribe for more episodes of Beyond the Build where we talk about what software engineering looks like beyond just writing code.
Connect with Ope - https://www.linkedin.com/in/osunkoyaope/
Connect with Uma: Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/umacodes) Tiktok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@umacodes) Twitter: (https://twitter.com/umacodes) LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/umaabu/)
Follow us on Social Media Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/beyondthebuildpodcast) TikTok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondthebuildpodcast)
Sources:
Main Story: https://sqmagazine.co.uk/ai-coding-security-vulnerability-statistics/
Cognitive Debt: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/as-ai-accelerates-software-complexity-thoughtworks-technology-radar-urges-a-return-to-engineering-fundamentals-to-combat-cognitive-debt-302737210.html
Stacked PR - https://github.github.com/gh-stack/

Send us Fan Mail
Ask us a question or suggest an Episode: https://forms.gle/8tEg2CKTNNWteSgt9
Most engineers think onboarding is about learning the codebase.
It’s not.
In this episode of Beyond the Build, we break down what onboarding actually is and why so many smart engineers struggle in their first 90 days, even when they’re technically strong.
We talk about the hidden layer no one teaches you. The part that actually determines whether you succeed or stall. Things like how decisions are made, what “good” really looks like, and how to build trust before you’ve shipped anything meaningful.
We walk through a practical 30-60-90 day approach, but not in the typical checklist way. This is about understanding the system you’re stepping into and learning how to operate inside it.
If you’ve ever felt lost in a new role, unsure if you’re doing well, or like everyone else understands something you don’t, this episode is for you.
Because onboarding isn’t about learning faster.
It’s about reducing uncertainty and building trust.
Connect with Ope - https://www.linkedin.com/in/osunkoyaope/
Connect with Uma: Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/umacodes) Tiktok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@umacodes) Twitter: (https://twitter.com/umacodes) LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/umaabu/)
Follow us on Social Media Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/beyondthebuildpodcast) TikTok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondthebuildpodcast)