What 500 developers taught me about the state of AI-first software engineering

Over the past year, I have delivered intensive multi-day AI-first software engineering trainings to more than 500 developers across teams of all sizes around the world. Along the way, I've had countless conversations with developers, tech leads, and engineering managers trying to get the most out of coding agents. I'll share the biggest lessons I've learned from those 500 developers: the misconceptions that repeatedly hold teams back, the engineering practices that consistently produce better results, the organizational challenges every AI-first team eventually encounters, and practical advice for both developers and engineering leaders trying to find their footing in the changing landscape.