Beyond Coding AI Expert: Most Software Engineers Aren't Ready for What's Coming
The role of the software engineer is shifting from execution to orchestration, and it's happening faster than most of us realize. Dennis Vink, Principal Consultant at Xebia, breaks down how he approaches code modernization with AI, why fundamentals and system design matter more now than ever, and what the engineering role is actually becoming.
In this episode, we cover:
- Why you need to mature your old codebase before you can migrate away from it
- How to prove feature parity between legacy and modern systems
- Why vibe coding without architecture knowledge gives you zero control
- The shift from execution-focused engineering to orchestration
- Why Dennis worries about the next generation of engineers
Whether you're sitting on legacy code at work or wondering how your role as an engineer is evolving, this conversation will make you think about where you need to invest your time next.
Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:51 - Dennis's Early AI Engineering Assignments
00:02:23 - Side Projects: Reviving a 20-Year-Old Game in Rust
00:04:36 - Why Vibe Coding Without Fundamentals Fails
00:05:15 - The Fundamentals You Need for Code Migration
00:06:45 - Proving Feature Parity with Automated Testing
00:08:12 - Writing Tests First as Risk Mitigation
00:10:13 - How Much Should You Care About Code Structure?
00:11:18 - Migrating in Small Pieces of Value
00:12:26 - Will Engineers Still Find Fulfillment in Building?
00:14:01 - How to Actually Start Side Projects (ADHD Brain)
00:15:34 - Why Pivoting Is No Longer Painful
00:16:12 - Prompting as the New Bottleneck
00:17:23 - Parallelizing Work Across Projects
00:19:08 - Why System Design Is the #1 Audience Demand
00:20:19 - AI as a Differentiator for Strong Architects
00:21:11 - Why the New Generation Should Worry
00:23:01 - Are Bootcamps Still Worth It?
00:25:15 - The Shift from Collaboration to Business Understanding
00:27:56 - Infrastructure as a Core Competency Bet
00:30:15 - Deterministic vs Non-Deterministic Code Generation
00:32:16 - Can This Approach Scale to Million-Line Codebases?
00:34:20 - Why a Finger-Snap Migration Would Scare You
00:37:01 - Where to Start with Your Own Legacy Codebase
00:38:43 - Which Languages Do AI Models Struggle With?
00:40:24 - Building Around Hallucination with Scaffolding
00:42:30 - Spec-Driven Development as the Future Way of Working
00:43:30 - Turning a Non-Technical Colleague into a "Developer" in an Hour
00:46:21 - When the House Is on Fire, That's When You Need Real Engineers
Projects we discussed:
Agent designer - hurozo.com
Game project - Zorlore.com (https://github.com/zorlore/)
Vibe coded solar system simulation - spacehaste.com