Before you measure AI coding tools, listen to your engineers.
Companies roll out AI coding tools and start counting pull requests and lead time. The better first move is to ask the people doing the work what helps and what gets in the way.
Field Notes
What I think, in my own words.
Essays, practical articles, quick takes, predictions on the record and the resources I actually use, from twenty years of building software and leading teams through AI.
October 2026
Restricting AI tools has a cost, so treat shadow AI as a chance to learn.
Standardizing tools is expected in an enterprise, but there's a fine balance between controlling risk and enabling innovation. The last thing you want is a team that uses tools only because someone said so, and stops adapting and trying new…
On the briefAI Agents Overstepping Limits and Government AI Tool Bans
Rogue AI agent headlines create the wrong picture, and the real lesson is safeguards.
Most of the recent incidents that grabbed media attention were self-reported by the labs involved, which gives little to no visibility or evidence of what really happened. They also appear to have come from poorly handled experiment sandboxes. The result…
On the briefAI Agents Overstepping Limits and Government AI Tool Bans