Every episode of the Cynical Developer podcast

Why do performance reviews reward visibility over impact, and why do so many developers leave them feeling misunderstood? In this episode, James unpacks why performance reviews are quietly broken, and what that’s doing to teams.

Developers leave jobs all the time, but rarely share the real reasons. James explores why developers quit and what companies miss.

James takes aim at management practices that are hurting developer productivity and morale. What do managers need to stop doing?

James explores spec-driven development and how it changes the way developers actually work with AI tools to build better software.

AI can help write code, but it can also make your codebase worse. James explores the pitfalls of AI-generated code and how to avoid them.

As AI becomes embedded in software development, ethical questions arise. James discusses the moral considerations teams should be thinking about.

No-code platforms promise to democratize development, but they keep falling short. James examines why no-code struggles to deliver on its promises.

A gap is forming between teams that embrace AI tools and those that don't. James explores what this divide means for the industry.

AI can generate code quickly, but that code still needs experienced eyes. James explains why senior review remains critical.