Growing engineers: 1:1s and learning with AI

Use 1:1s for growth, and design the work so understanding still forms when an agent writes the code.

Engineers grow through conversation and through work that teaches. A 1:1 is the one meeting built around one person. If it turns into a status update, the task board could have done the job.

Make the 1:1 theirs

Their agenda first: keep a shared running document the engineer adds to, and start with their topics.
Ask before telling: “What would you do?” builds judgment faster than an answer does.
Vary the depth: most weeks cover obstacles; every few weeks, step back to career goals and the next stretch.
Close with commitments: what will each of you do before the next one?

For engineers who stay technical, growth means more scope and better judgment: owning a design decision, leading a migration, or mentoring someone newer. Reschedule rather than cancel; Yolanda Lau suggests holding 1:1s at least three weeks in four.

Design the learning in

An assistant can finish the task and skip the learning. In a 2026 randomized trial, Anthropic found that developers learning a new library with AI help scored 50 percent on a quiz about its concepts, against 67 percent for those who coded by hand. Those who asked follow-up questions retained more. The trial covered one library and mostly junior developers, but the lesson holds: learning has to be designed in.

Explain before merging: the author can walk someone through the change without the assistant.
Rotate ownership: give each engineer a system to understand end to end.
Grow several depths: Luca Mezzalira argues for a comb shape, with real depth in more than one area.