Want smarter insights in your inbox? Sign up for our weekly newsletters to get only what matters to enterprise AI, data, and security leaders.<\/em> Subscribe Now<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re already behind if you\u2019re still vetting engineers like it\u2019s 2021. We\u2019re living through what I believe will be the most transformative technological shift of our lifetime, even bigger than the Internet.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The AI revolution is accelerating at a pace most of us can\u2019t even fathom. It\u2019s not hype. It\u2019s a recalibration of what it means to build, create and work. Founders who prepare now will lead in what comes next. Those who don\u2019t will find themselves outpaced by five-person AI-native startups that operate with 10X the speed and precision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, how do you hire developers in this era of acceleration?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t screen them for how well they write code. You screen them to see how well they orchestrate it. Let me explain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every founder wants an \u201cAI developer.\u201d But that term can mean many things. Are you looking for someone to build large language models (LLMs) in Python? Or someone skilled at leveraging AI tools to boost velocity and reduce bugs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most companies need the second. But they don\u2019t always know how to ask for it. That\u2019s why AI fluency, or how well a developer can navigate and leverage a wide range of AI tools, is becoming as critical as knowing a specific language or framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tooling will keep changing. But the meta-skill of learning how to use new AI assistants, evaluate their output, and incorporate that into your workflow? That\u2019s the durable advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An AI orchestrator is today\u2019s essential developer archetype. They don\u2019t manually write every line of code \u2014 they prompt, critique, debug and refactor AI-generated output. They understand when to delegate to machines and when to apply their judgment. And they know how to communicate with AI agents like coworkers.<\/p> At the same time, while AI is fast, it\u2019s not always right. And it certainly doesn\u2019t know your company\u2019s specific needs. So the traits you\u2019ll want to prioritize in hiring are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just like we didn\u2019t stop teaching math because calculators exist, we can\u2019t abandon foundational programming skills just because AI writes code. We need developers who understand the architecture, know when to trust AI and know when to step in and fix what\u2019s broken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In response to the proliferation of AI tools, my company has overhauled how we screen technical talent. The traditional process of technical interviews, algorithm challenges and language-specific coding tests just doesn\u2019t cut it anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what to do instead:<\/p>\n\n\n\n My team used to assume that senior developers would get more out of AI. But what we found surprised us. In a series of surveys, junior developers reported high productivity gains from AI, but often lacked the judgment to catch flawed output. Senior developers, by contrast, were skeptical or cautious, which led to lower short-term gains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, we built training for each experience level. For juniors, it\u2019s about slowing them down, helping them see where AI is steering them wrong. For seniors, it\u2019s about educating them on integrating AI without losing control. In both cases, the goal is to unlock real productivity without compromising quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, this transition to AI is scary. And yes, there will be turbulence. There will be jobs that fade and new ones that rise. But those who learn to screen, train and build teams around AI-enabled talent will write the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re still hiring engineers for what they can do alone, you\u2019re missing the point. Start hiring them based on how well they work with machines.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The future isn\u2019t AI versus humans. It\u2019s AI with<\/em> humans, and those who adapt the fastest will win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jacqueline Samira is the founder and CEO of <\/em>Howdy.com<\/em>, which builds and manages elite software engineering teams across Latin America.<\/em><\/p>\n Daily insights on business use cases with VB Daily<\/strong><\/p>\n If you want to impress your boss, VB Daily has you covered. We give you the inside scoop on what companies are doing with generative AI, from regulatory shifts to practical deployments, so you can share insights for maximum ROI.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\tThanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here.\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n An error occured.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>AI fluency is actually the new literacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s an AI-orchestrator, and why do you need one?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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4 ways to assess an engineer\u2019s AI competency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What to be mindful of amid AI adoption<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Accept that change creates opportunity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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