With tools like Claude, Cursor, and Copilot changing how we write code, what do I actually look for when I’m hiring an engineer I’d be working with day to day?
AI unlocks a lot of the technical execution. That’s the shift. So for me, the focus moves to the other qualities — the ones that really matter now.
I need someone who is curious. Someone keen on learning, not afraid of new technologies. If you don’t have that, all the AI tooling in the world won’t help you.
I need someone who thinks from the product perspective. Not just “what does the ticket say” — someone who is genuinely product-minded. Someone who understands why we’re building what we’re building.
I need someone who pushes for addressing technical debt — but also knows when to let it happen. Sometimes you have to compromise. You can’t fight every battle. The maturity to know when to push back and when to let it go is rare.
I need someone with a rapid prototyping mentality. Ship something, learn, iterate. But — and this is the balance — also someone who thinks about scaling and enhancing the system proactively. Not waiting for things to break. You anticipate problems before they show up.
That’s the real tension: balancing between building features and investing in the system underneath. You need both. And you need someone who believes in iterative, creative development — not someone who wants to plan everything perfectly before writing a single line of code.
I’m not saying technical skills don’t matter. They do. But they’re not the differentiator anymore. That’s what I’d interview for.