

What the Dev?
SD Times
What the Dev? is a podcast by the SD Times editorial team. We cover the biggest and newest topics in software development.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 31, 2026 • 16min
349: Addressing AI bottlenecks in Agentic Development (with Kenneth Ziegler)
In this episode, Dave talks with Kenneth Ziegler, CEO of Leapwork, about the findings of a survey on AI in testing, revealing that while 88% of companies are developing agentic software, only 13% are using AI for testing. He highlighted that 59-60% of testing remains manual, presenting an opportunity for AI to streamline processes. Ziegler emphasized the importance of speed, ease, and quality in AI adoption. He introduced Leapwork's new AI Studio, which integrates traditional no-code testing with AI-native continuous validation, aiming to address bottlenecks in agentic development by ensuring deterministic outcomes.

Mar 24, 2026 • 14min
348: MCP and AI Strategy Heartburn (With Adam Seligman of Workato)
In this episode, SD Times editor-in-chief Dave Rubinstein speaks with Adam Seligman, CTO at Workato, about MCP and what Adam is calling AI strategy heartburn.Seligman compares the current AI adoption to overeating at a buffet, emphasizing the need for a healthy approach to AI. He explains the magic of AI when it works but also its tendency to hallucinate or provide incorrect answers, likening it to the need for secure and trusted human interactions.

Mar 17, 2026 • 16min
347: Application Security in the Age of Agentic AI Development (With Eran Kinsbruner of Checkmarx)
Traditional AppSec tools were created with the assumption that humans wrote code and security reviewed it afterward. But when AI generates code continuously and autonomously, at a speed no traditional security process can keep up with, vulnerabilities spread long before a scanner ever runs. Risk is compounding while security struggles to catch up. In this episode, Dave Rubinstein speaks with Eran Kinsbruner, vice president of marketing at AppSec company Checkmarx. Among the topics discussed are:-- Why traditional AppSec tools can't keep pace with AI-generated code-- The need to ensure security from the beginning of the project-- How the SDLC is morphing into assn ADLC -- Agentic Development Life Cycle

Mar 10, 2026 • 20min
346: Where AI in QA is Actually Working Today (with Digital.ai's Derek Holt)
In this episode, Dave speaks with Derek Holt, CEO at digital.ai, to discuss how AI should be used in testing to give organizations the most value.In this podcast, they talk about:-- How AI pays off when it handles pattern-heavy, low-judgment work-- How fully autonomous, “one-click” QA has issues-- What organizations can do to get started using AI in software testing

Mar 3, 2026 • 18min
345: What hiring managers are looking for in developers in 2026 (with Cribl's Sydnee Mayers)
In this episode, Dave interviews Sydnee Mayers, product lead at Cribl, about the skills developers need to thrive in 2026.They discuss:How the development role is changingThe specific skills developers need going forwardHow organizations should handle the speed at which things are changing

Feb 24, 2026 • 15min
344: Why developers should adopt a head chef mentality to work with agents (with Confluent's Adi Polak)
In this episode, Jenna interviews Adi Polak, director of advocacy and developer experience engineering at Confluent, about why developers need to embrace a head chef mindset when working with AI agents.They discuss:What it means to adopt a "head chef" mindsetThe mental shifts needed to work this wayWhat role data streaming plays in enabling this

Feb 17, 2026 • 14min
343: Breaking the cycle of unnecessary complexity in dev environments (with Tempo Software's Vic Chynoweth)
In this episode, Jenna interviews Vic Chynoweth, CEO of Tempo Software, about how the company predicts that this year software development teams will begin challenging the rising complexity in their dev environments.They discuss:Why teams are shifting from executing work to questioning why it existsWhat's driving rising complexityHow SPM can help manage complexity

Feb 10, 2026 • 15min
342: The risks of using OpenClaw (with 1Password's Jeff Malnick)
In this episode, Jenna interviews Jeff Malnick, GM of developer and AI at 1Password, about the open source agent platform OpenClaw and some of the security concerns that have been raised about it.They discuss:What OpenClaw isThe security issues that could result from using itSteps to take to reduce risk when experimenting with it Here are a few blog posts from 1Password mentioned in the episode:From magic to malware: How OpenClaw's agent skills become an attack surfaceIt’s incredible. It’s terrifying. It’s OpenClaw.How to build secure agent swarms that power production-grade autonomous systems

Feb 3, 2026 • 18min
341: The world of open-source AI (with Mozilla.ai's John Dickerson)
In this episode, Dave interviews John Dickerson, CEO of Mozilla.ai, about the current state of open AI models.They discuss: The challenges of bringing open AI models to the communityHow government regulations could potentially impact open-source AIThe importance of transparency of models that are being deployed in production

Jan 27, 2026 • 12min
340: Skills and talent alignment in an AI era (with SHL's Sara Gutierrez)
In this episode, Dave interviews Sara Gutierrez, chief science officer at SHL, about the evolving skills needed in an AI-driven workforce.They discuss: Why in 2026 it's important to have foresight to notice things before disruption hitsAI as an enabler for talent decisionsUsing small experiments to guide larger decisions


