Building Engineering Teams

As software delivery accelerates and AI reshapes how work gets done, engineering teams are being forced to rethink some of their most foundational assumptions. Skills that once defined success are shifting. Roles are blurring. Assessment techniques are under scrutiny. And leaders are asking hard questions: What does it mean to be a strong engineer today and how do we build teams for what's next?

This track explores how organizations are adapting their recruitment, training, and progression frameworks in response to these changes. We'll examine how hiring practices are evolving beyond traditional signals, how internal growth models are being redefined, and how teams are recalibrating expectations as AI-powered tools and agents take on work once reserved for humans.

Talks in this track span multiple perspectives and company contexts (from startups to global enterprises) and balance tactical insight with human-centered considerations. Sessions will look at:

• How AI is changing the "surface area" of team design, including roles, responsibilities, and collaboration models
• What progressive organizations are doing right now to rethink hiring, interviewing, and evaluation
• How leadership expectations and career paths (especially at senior and staff levels) are evolving
• The impact of AI adoption on wellbeing, burnout, and the psychological safety of teams
• The future of platform and enabling teams in an AI-augmented engineering organization

Designed for engineering leaders, architects, managers, and senior individual contributors, this track blends practical experience with forward-looking insight. Attendees will leave with concrete ideas they can apply immediately. The goal is to leave with a clearer understanding of how to build resilient, inclusive, and effective engineering teams in a world where AI is no longer optional, but foundational.