Managing AI Agents: The Reshaped Role of the New Engineering Manager
bendee983 · x · 2026-08-01
The author notes that while transitioning from an IC to an Engineering Manager is somewhat applicable to AI-assisted coding today, there's a key difference: you are now managing AI agents that act like "alien intelligence."
AI is smarter than humans in some aspects but dumber than a rock in others. Furthermore, it doesn't evolve gradually by gaining experience like a human developer. Changing its behavior requires either swapping the underlying LLM (causing sudden behavioral shifts) or adjusting the scaffolding. This means managers are adapting to the AI more than the AI adapts to them, fundamentally changing the nature of engineering management.
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