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In 2024, we believe the role of engineering leaders has never been more critical—or more complex. The rapid rise of generative AI, intense competition for top talent, and mounting pressure to deliver value faster, in our view, are fundamentally transforming the way technical organizations operate. Leaders are being asked to not only adapt to rapid change but also anticipate it, and balance dualing priorities – driving innovation while ensuring their teams can scale sustainably.
At ICONIQ Growth, we are fortunate to collaborate with some gifted minds in technology through our Technical Advisory Board (TAB). This accomplished group of engineering and product leaders, who have scaled teams at iconic tech companies including Airbnb, Dropbox, Meta, Slack and more, brings uncommon expertise to our portfolio companies. The TAB helps portfolio companies navigate the challenges of building high-growth, high-performing technical organizations. Their deep experience offers a valuable perspective into the strategies, trade-offs, and innovations we see shaping the future of engineering.
We asked our TAB to tackle what we believe are some of the most pressing questions facing engineering leaders today. From how AI will redefine technical organizations to breaking free of outdated norms that no longer serve scaling teams, let’s dive into some of their 2024 reflections.
What are your top predictions for how engineering will change in the next few years?
Aditya: There will be 100x more code produced in the next 5-10 years. Whereas today we treat code as a scarcity, in the future as code becomes commoditized, our relationship with software and the modern software development cycle will also change.
Anantha: AI will become ubiquitous in engineering workflows. Teams will shrink by 50%, but the pace of innovation will increase by 50%, and quality will improve by 25% due to faster iteration cycles. Engineers who deeply understand systems and their limitations will thrive, while "AI Engineers" may paradoxically become the first to be automated out of a job.
Keith: AI copilots will unleash a superhuman wave of software creation. However, this “Summer of Code” will be followed by a “Winter of Maintenance,” requiring AI-driven solutions to manage the massive technical debt generated. Over time, AI will produce not just more software but higher-quality, more reliable systems. Additionally, the relevance of high-level languages like Python may diminish as AI-driven coding gravitates toward low-level languages optimized for hardware efficiency.
Mike: Expect fewer managers as engineering leaders oversee larger teams (20+ direct reports) and become more technically hands-on. AI-based tools will reduce overhead for tasks like performance management and recruiting. While coding copilots will improve productivity, they won’t revolutionize workflows—yet.
Neha: AI will drive end-to-end development and operations, from code generation to proactive incident management. Developers will benefit from highly integrated, personalized toolchains that streamline workflows and enhance productivity. Meanwhile, low-code/no-code platforms will evolve to handle complex architectures, democratizing application development. Lastly, DevSecOps practices will embed security into every stage of the software lifecycle, shifting the focus from reactive fixes to proactive resilience.
How do you approach balancing long-term vision with short-term pressures in a high-growth environment?
Anantha: Avoid splitting teams into "long-term" and "short-term" workstreams. When the same team owns both, they naturally prioritize paying down technical debt and improving velocity.
Neha: Balancing long-term vision with short-term pressures requires a structured approach that prioritizes agility without sacrificing foundational goals. Create a flexible, three-dimensional roadmap focused on long-term investments, short-term must-haves, and customer delight features. By embedding agility into engineering practices, teams can pivot to meet immediate needs without losing sight of strategic goals.
If you could break one industry norm in how we scale tech organizations, what would it be?
Jeff: We usually think of scaling in terms of the size of a team or organization instead of focusing on scaling up the skills and knowledge of the organization. Scaling out is much easier than scaling up, but scaling up enables transformational change that is almost never achievable by scaling out.
Mike: Hire slowly. New tools and streamlined management should make it possible to deliver more customer value with less people. Smaller teams are more efficient in every way. We should see more billion dollar companies with under 100 employees.
What’s the most underrated quality for engineering leaders in fast-growing tech companies today?
Aditya: Deep technical expertise. Exceptional leaders understand the trade-offs between quality, speed, and scope, enabling them to make informed decisions and elevate their teams’ output.
Anantha: The ability to build and leverage partnerships, both internally and externally.
Jeff: Deep technical excellence and empathy. Both are equally important. Technical excellence alone can help a manager achieve great objectives in the short term. Long term success requires managers who can assure the engagement of their team through alignment of personal and organizational goals. Unfortunately, in fast growing organizations, inexperience in hiring along with a competitive market often results in hiring managers who lack excellence in one or both of these qualities.
Keith: Weirdness. Non-consensus thinking can lead to differentiated solutions and even new product directions. While “boring tech” has its place, innovation often stems from “interesting” approaches.
Neha: Operational empathy. Leaders who’ve grown through the ranks from IC to management bring a unique ability to align engineering health with broader company goals. They advocate for sustainable practices and foster a culture of respect, support, and technical excellence.
What advice would you give your younger self about scaling technical teams?
Anantha: Define the culture you want from the outset.
Mike: Leading an entire function at a company can be lonely. You need to have answers for your teams and your peers leading other functions but may not have the specific knowledge to help you. Find two or three external advisors who have scaled technical functions to give you ideas and perspective. Also, prioritize developer experience early — scaling on top of brittle tooling is an enormous tax that only grows as teams expand.
As we move into 2025, we believe one thing is certain: the most effective leaders are those who blend technical expertise, empathy, and adaptability to create resilient organizations that excel in an ever-evolving landscape. For more insights on the state of engineering, we welcome you to visit our latest engineering research here.
Published:
December 9, 2024
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