Introduction
Getting faster isn’t the same as getting better.
Your team ships more every week. Nobody can tell yet whether the work is improving.
Work with me
Most teams are somewhere in the middle.
already have agents doing real work unsupervised
using AI as a faster autocomplete
holding back, usually for good reasons
The gap isn’t effort. It’s that nobody tells the middle sixty percent what good looks like. My job is moving them, without losing the twenty percent who are right to be cautious.
- Keynotes and talks
What is actually changing in engineering, and what it means for the room.
Three days, hands on, with your codebase and your tickets.
- Advisory
Ongoing, for leaders making this shift at org level. A small number at a time.
Tell me where your team sits. The first coffee is on me.
Track record
Where I have done this.
Mashhood put together a fantastic workshop for a team of 24 software developers, guiding us from experimenting with AI to becoming true Agentic Developers. His knowledge, experience, and speaking style provided a level of confidence that is enabling our team to truly harness the power of AI for their work.
Thank you Mashhood!
Writing
What I am thinking about.
- Three ways to build the same tool
I gave Google's Elephant-Goldfish Model, Superpowers and a plain agent the same brief. All three passed the tests. The differences were in what the tests didn't check, and in the bill: 1x, 15x and roughly 40x. So is EGM worth it?
- The tests your agent writes for itself
Banning an agent from writing tests cost nothing across 111 DeepSWE tasks, and saved 6% of the time and 9% of the spend. What the experiment actually shows, the case for it, and the case against.
- Don't be a meat proxy
Don't outsource your thinking is an argument about what you lose. This is the other half: what you owe the person who came to you, and why a relay costs you the trust you were valued for.
- What changed about learning, and what didn't
The CRUD app that used to take a junior engineer months now takes an afternoon. That is not the end of the learning — it is the point at which the real work starts.
- Code review when the agent wrote the code
Clean code, passing tests, and a linear scan where a binary search belonged. What actually changes about code review when an agent writes the code, and what to look at instead.
Podcast
KarachiWalaDeveloper.
A builder without a technical background asked how to make software factories actually work. My answer is simpler than a better harness: build your understanding as you go. Every instruction is a chance to learn — ask the agent what it did, why, what the alternatives were. Good skills will carry a prototype a long way, but systems that last need you to understand how they're designed. Question: I want to move toward software factories because people talk about them a lot, but I can't seem to use them properly — is it worth it, and how do I build a workflow that makes sense? In this episode: The question: why software factories don't work for a non-technical builder yet Step in with curiosity and a learning mindset Every instruction is a chance to learn: what did you do, why, what are the alternatives, pros and cons? Depth comes with time: data models, REST APIs, data storage, encryption, authentication Skills and a good harness carry a prototype a long way — look at what Matt Pocock and Addy Osmani share Systems that last need an understanding of system design, and sometimes the code Related episodes: The Shifting Role of the Developer: From Writing Code to Writing Specs From Coder to Architect: The Power of the Producer Mindset The AI Autonomy Paradox: Why Software Engineers Must Unlearn "Control" Agentic Transformation Concept: Progressive Disclosure Have a question? Reach out on LinkedIn or Twitter.
A question from a young engineer: should you build depth or breadth in a market nobody can predict? I start with a different question — what kind of work do you actually enjoy? — then walk through where depth still matters (the AI frontier, trillion-dollar systems like Stripe, formal verification) and why breadth roles are becoming outcome-focused. My answer: try both, practise relentlessly, and set outcome-based targets for yourself. Question: Should new software engineers focus on fundamentals or other things — depth or breadth — to succeed in an unpredictable market? In this episode: Start with what kind of work you enjoy — not everyone fits every path Why most people will be a better fit for breadth roles Where depth lives: model training, security, compute optimisation, and the ML frontier Complex systems at Stripe's scale need domain + technical depth to stay verified Formal verification: a new field that will demand depth Breadth = learning new domains fast; roles judged on pure outcomes Sales, marketing, product, design — learn them on the go, deploy, get feedback The open question: how do juniors build depth when AI does the work? Practice, critical and Socratic thinking, and outcome-based targets apply to both paths Related episodes: Are you a T-Shaped Developer? Whats makes a good software engineer? Stop Reviewing Code, Start Reviewing Tests: TDD in the Age of AI The Shifting Role of the Developer: From Writing Code to Writing Specs Have a question? Reach out on LinkedIn or Twitter.
"Forward-deployed engineer" is the title everyone wants. I share what it actually looked like for me: two weeks sitting in a field office that runs 200 schools, taking phone-call tasks about broken solar panels and missing teachers — and building tools in the afternoons until the coordinator asked to use them. Recorded live at a community session on agentic engineering (Urdu/English). Question: Is forward-deployed engineering a real role — and what does it actually look like? In this episode: FDE is a company engineering role, not a freelance gig — and titles get abused The field office story: arrive with a blank slate, do whatever work they hand you Building on Replit from 2–6pm, using the tool yourself the next day, gaining your first user Two intense weeks that ended in a contract Related episodes: Agentic Transformation: My Story The Shifting Role of the Developer: From Writing Code to Writing Specs Have a question? Reach out on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Talks
Conferences and community events.
The tools and workflows shaping Software 3.0, and what it takes to adapt to them. The demo used Antigravity to build a software factory loop, end to end, in 20 minutes.
Software Factories using Google Antigravity Google ThinkApps Pakistan, Lahore, Pakistan · · 180 attendedA 20-minute demo: build a simple loop, put skills, hooks, permissions and guardrails around it, then let the harness take one ticket from start to finish.
Using Antigravity to wire the AdMob Next Gen SDK into the room's own Android projects, working through the skills the AdMob team ships and what it takes to move an older app onto the new SDK.
How agentic systems actually work, what it takes to build an agent, and where the practice holds up once it meets real work. For people already building with agents and for people trying to see where this goes next.
Building loops with Antigravity, and handing them the most tedious part of the work.
Harness engineering in Gemini CLI, through live demos and real workflows rather than slides — what it looks like when AI sits inside the development process instead of beside it.
Mentorship
I mentor engineers, for free.
Mashhood gave clear, well-thought-out advice on all my questions and shared great resources to follow up with. Professional, patient, and genuinely helpful. Highly recommended!
Abdullah KhaliStudent · LUMS
Mashood has an exceptional grasp of the startup and product ecosystem. Drawing directly from his hands-on experience, he helped me look at my ongoing challenges from an entirely fresh angle. The session provided crucial clarity and truly helped shape my perspective on how to steer this ship forward. I highly recommend booking a session with him…
Hafsa JavedComputer System Engineering Student · UET Peshawar
I had an outstanding experience with my mentor, who provided amazing communication and motivation throughout our session. Their deep subject knowledge and exceptional problem-solving skills helped me gain clarity on my questions. I truly appreciate the valuable insights shared, which have significantly enhanced my understanding. I highly recommend booking a session with them if…
Muhammad SirajStudent · Comsats university Islamabad
I had an outstanding experience with Mashood! His amazing communication skills and deep subject knowledge made our session incredibly valuable. He motivated me throughout our discussion, offering insightful problem-solving strategies that addressed my industry concerns. Mashood's patience and willingness to listen truly set him apart. I highly recommend booking a session…
Nooruddin Bakhtiyar SolangiFounder · Hexule
It was an honor speaking with Mr. Mashhood Rastgar. Thank you sincerely for taking the time to share your valuable advice and guidance. Your insights addressed several challenges we are currently facing in our startup, and helped bring much-needed clarity and direction to our thinking. We truly appreciate your openness, practical perspective, and encouragement. Conversations like this are incredibly motivating for early-stage, bootstrap startups like ours.
Meher AliCo-founder · Innovation Nexus
I had another fantastic session with Sir Mashood, whose amazing communication skills truly transformed my perspective on growth and learning. His deep subject knowledge and problem-solving abilities inspired me to push my boundaries and stay motivated. Overall, my experience exceeded all expectations. I highly recommend booking a session with him if you're looking…
Syed Muhammad BilalFrontend Developer · Iqra University
Mashood bhae shared his experience and guided me how to approach the problem in a systematic manner. He also gave ideas from his prior experience in working with AI and how far it has evolved.
Ashar HaroonLead Enginner · Sastaticket.pk
I attended a session, and it was truly excellent! The instructor explained the concepts clearly, making the session highly engaging and insightful…
zeeshan yousufFront End Engineer · Student
I had an outstanding session with Mashhood. His amazing communication, motivation, and subject knowledge helped me immensely. I highly recommend booking him if you seek a transformative experience!
Owais AhmedStudent · university of London
Sessions are free and open to anyone — students, career changers, engineers weighing a move. Bring a real problem.
About
The rest of it.
I am an engineering and AI leader based in Islamabad. Right now I am helping Taleemabad, the largest ed-tech in Pakistan, scale to thousands of schools and millions of children, and rebuilding how the organisation itself works around agents.
I offer free coaching and mentoring sessions on ADPList. When I am not working you will find me cycling, running and swimming, slowly working towards a triathlon.
Reading
Elsewhere
Archive
- Creating a self contained gem installation
- Installing Ruby Gems without 'sudo'
- Getting battery related information in Cocoa (OSX) development
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