Practical notes on software, engineering leadership, and applied AI.https://alexanderjthomas.com/en-ushttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/linkedin-7521610008254443540/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/linkedin-7521610008254443540/The agent prepares the work; the product supplies the view and controls for people to review, edit and approve it inside their assistant.Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitectureMCPAgent surfacesProduct designhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/linkedin-7521286317457084417/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/linkedin-7521286317457084417/AI on both sides of procurement can turn suggestions into requirements. Quality discovery gives vendors a meaningful project and budget to price.Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTEngineering leadershipApplied AIDiscoverySoftware deliveryhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-22-software-risk-without-code-changes/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-22-software-risk-without-code-changes/I'm for sure going to post some stuff from #AllThingsOpen this week, but that got sideswiped yesterday/today for news from... PHP? That wasn't on my bingo card.Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitectureSecuritySoftware maintenanceApplied AIhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-20-all-things-open-day-two/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-20-all-things-open-day-two/#AllThingsOpen day 2! Come stop by, second floor next to ballroom A.Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTEvents & reflectionsAll Things Openhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-16-speaking-at-all-things-open/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-16-speaking-at-all-things-open/I am super excited to be speaking at All Things Open Conference in Raleigh next Tuesday, October 20, about building products for people who use them through AI agents.Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTEvents & reflectionsAll Things OpenMCPAgent systemshttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-12-test-strategy-speed-limit/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-12-test-strategy-speed-limit/I've never played Go. I've played enough chess to appreciate its complexity, but Go is orders of magnitude more complex by possible positions. More than the number of atoms in the universe.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTEngineering leadershipAgentic SDLCEvaluationAI-assisted developmenthttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-06-product-value-when-agents-can-act/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-06-product-value-when-agents-can-act/“As agents get more capable, why should your product still exist?”Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitectureProduct designAI agentsMCPhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-05-ai-conference-drumline/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-05-ai-conference-drumline/Something about a Drumline always gets me pumped up. Really enjoyed this!Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTEvents & reflectionsThe AI Conferencehttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-05-buttery-agent-interface-hack-day/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-05-buttery-agent-interface-hack-day/Conferences Hack Day, a one-day hackathon to take an idea through to a working demo. We were encouraged to build with the sponsors tools.Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTApplied AIAgent systemsHack DayProduct designhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-02-incentives-and-ai-adoption/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-02-incentives-and-ai-adoption/This gif brings me so much joy. It feels like the way I might have played a video game when I was a kid.Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTEngineering leadershipAI adoptionThe AI Conferencehttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-02-smaller-models-for-code-review/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-02-smaller-models-for-code-review/Last night, Dave Sifry’ gave an Ignite talk and made a good case for trying a modest model for AI code review.Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTDeveloper toolsAI-assisted developmentCode reviewEvaluationhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-01-agent-traces-and-delivery-cost/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-01-agent-traces-and-delivery-cost/I did promise to keep you posted from The AI Conference. There's a ton of topic areas here, but naturally I'm drawn to those around software development.Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTEngineering leadershipAI agentsObservabilitySoftware deliveryhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-01-ai-conference-day-two/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-10-01-ai-conference-day-two/The AI Conference day 2 (3?)! Let’s get it.Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTEvents & reflectionsThe AI Conferencehttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-09-30-learning-at-the-ai-conference/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-09-30-learning-at-the-ai-conference/Out here learning everything I can about AI so you don’t have to. Lots of great insights to share, stay tuned!Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTEvents & reflectionsThe AI ConferenceApplied AIhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-09-29-ai-for-coral-restoration/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-09-29-ai-for-coral-restoration/This is one of the most exciting things I’ve been able to be a part of in my career, and I’m so excited to see it featured.Tue, 29 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTApplied AIAI adoptionBusiness workflowshttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-09-09-small-models-intent-classification/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-09-09-small-models-intent-classification/Fine-tuned Small Language Models are the absolute backbone of an efficient AI-automation paradigm.Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTApplied AISmall language modelsEvaluationData privacyhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-09-03-browser-agents-make-it-tangible/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-09-03-browser-agents-make-it-tangible/Anthropic quietly added what I think is a transformational capability to Cowork: a built-in browser.Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTApplied AIBrowser agentsBusiness workflowsApex Intelligencehttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-08-31-using-software-without-its-ui/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-08-31-using-software-without-its-ui/I use HubSpot every day, but I have no idea how to navigate HubSpot. I’m probably not going to learn.Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitectureMCPProduct designAI agentshttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-08-26-agent-overreach-and-recovery/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-08-26-agent-overreach-and-recovery/About a month ago, I refactored the agent network for a project I’m working on. Every agent file got a model assignment appropriate to its job, mostly Sonnet and Opus. Fable could orchestrate, but I did not want it dragging every…Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitectureAI agentsSecurityCost controlshttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-08-20-prototypes-and-production-responsibility/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-08-20-prototypes-and-production-responsibility/Better tools are changing who can start the job, but expertise is still needed to finish the job.Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTEngineering leadershipSoftware deliveryAgentic SDLChttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-08-17-curiosity-in-the-ai-first-sdlc/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-08-17-curiosity-in-the-ai-first-sdlc/Ted Lasso made this alleged Walt Whitman quote famous. "Be curious, not Judgmental."Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTEngineering leadershipAI adoptionDiscoveryLeadershiphttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-08-10-ai-literacy-and-shared-practices/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-08-10-ai-literacy-and-shared-practices/One of the things that stuck with me from the recent All Things Open Conference meetup wasn’t one of the slides. It was the little outdoor space at The Barn: a few chairs arranged around a hearth.Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTEngineering leadershipAI adoptionGovernancehttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-08-10-when-work-needs-a-handoff/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-08-10-when-work-needs-a-handoff/Mostly agree. But sometimes the most efficient thing to do is hand this off to someone else/ their agents. Sometimes my developers get instructions about the infrastructure or devops pipelines they don’t have the context / can’t digest.…Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTEngineering leadershipAgentic SDLCTechnical leadershiphttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-08-06-not-every-workflow-needs-a-pit-crew/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-08-06-not-every-workflow-needs-a-pit-crew/Not every workflow needs a pit crew. Sometimes jobs are a routine process - like getting the paper tray refilled.Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTApplied AIAutomationAI agentshttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-07-28-build-an-agent-in-a-day/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-07-28-build-an-agent-in-a-day/It’s easy to get buried in the day-to-day and forget to look up once in a while.Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTEvents & reflectionsAgent systemsAll Things AIhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-07-15-security-is-a-discipline/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-07-15-security-is-a-discipline/Spending the day at The Official Cybersecurity Summit.Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitectureSecuritySoftware deliveryhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-03-26-apex-intelligence-business-owners/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-03-26-apex-intelligence-business-owners/Kicked off the morning at Apex Intelligence — a new Apex Chamber connection circle focused on AI for small businesses, hosted by my friend Paul Trent.Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTEvents & reflectionsApex IntelligenceAI adoptionhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-03-24-all-things-ai-durham/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-03-24-all-things-ai-durham/Day 2 of All Things AI in Durham!Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTEvents & reflectionsAll Things AIhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-02-17-ai-trust-and-operations/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-02-17-ai-trust-and-operations/Still seeing devs post “AI can’t even count fingers / write regex” memes. That’s not skepticism. It’s denial.Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMTEngineering leadershipAI-assisted developmentSoftware deliveryhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-02-09-can-your-product-be-used-by-an-agent/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-02-09-can-your-product-be-used-by-an-agent/OpenClaw is blowing up the internet right now — and not because it’s polished. It’s chaotic, exploitable, wide‑open, and somehow still the clearest signal of where software is going next.Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitectureMCPAI agentsProduct designhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-01-27-do-you-need-a-native-app/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-01-27-do-you-need-a-native-app/Even in 2026, I still hear it. “We need an app.”Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitectureMobileProduct designhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-01-13-staying-current-with-ai-tooling/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-01-13-staying-current-with-ai-tooling/Being early in AI isn’t the moat you think it is.Tue, 13 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMTApplied AIAI strategyCloud platformshttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-01-08-signal-in-technology-decisions/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2026-01-08-signal-in-technology-decisions/In a world full of new tools and louder headlines, time is our scarcest resource. Every week a new platform promises to fix everything. Most of us don’t have the space to evaluate them all, and the signal gets buried in the noise.Thu, 08 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMTEngineering leadershipTechnology strategyModernizationhttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2025-11-24-ai-for-small-and-midsize-businesses/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2025-11-24-ai-for-small-and-midsize-businesses/AI isn’t just for the tech giants anymore—it’s delivering real, measurable value for small and midsize businesses, too.Mon, 24 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMTApplied AIAI adoptionBusiness workflowshttps://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2025-11-18-how-much-cloud-scale/https://alexanderjthomas.com/writing/2025-11-18-how-much-cloud-scale/How much scale will your cloud architecture support, and how much do you need?Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMTArchitectureCloud architectureProduct design