This post neatly explains the rise of new AI roles. The execution phase of knowledge work was squeezed, so the other phases need to be staffed more heavily to compensate.
An interesting read! I really appreciate the detailed breakdown of how the training and eval data were prepared for Zeta2. I hope the team shares the datasets like they did for the first-gen model.
I fully agree that staff engineers should get hands-on experience with coding agents in 2026. However, I'd argue that learning and filtering emerging technologies have always been core functions of staff engineers.
Great points on ownership in this Oxide RFD. Using AI is fine, but blaming the model when a reviewer finds a bug is unacceptable. That abdication of responsibility should be Strike One for a junior engineer, and an immediate PIP for a senior one.
