2025 Year-End Reflection for Developers: AI Hype, Layoffs, and What’s Next
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
Release Date: 12/30/2025
Tiered Pricing in the AI Era: What Actually Works (with Dan Balcauski)
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
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Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
Minimal viable pricing is the fastest way to stop debating what your product should cost and start learning what customers will actually pay for. In my interview with Dan Balcauski, founder and Chief Pricing Officer at Product Tranquility, we talked about how early-stage teams can set pricing that’s “good enough” to sell, validate value, and iterate—without getting stuck chasing the perfect number. Pricing can feel risky because it shapes perception, positioning, and revenue. But Dan’s message is practical: you don’t need perfect pricing to move forward—you need minimal viable...
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Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
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Process Before Tools: How to Scale Without Burnout (Michael Toguchi)
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
If you’ve ever felt like your team is running on duct tape and good intentions, you’re not alone. In this Building Better Developers interview, Michael Toguchi (Chief Strategy Officer at eResources) makes a simple point that changes how you approach growth: process before tools. Before you buy another platform, automate another workflow, or roll out a new system, you need clarity on how the work actually gets done—and who it’s meant to serve. You can’t tool your way out of chaos. The real fix starts upstream—before the migration, before the CRM, before the next sprint. It starts...
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Conversion Rate Optimization: Find Funnel Bottlenecks and Improve What Matters
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
You validated the idea. You built the page. Maybe you’re even getting traffic. And yet… the conversions don’t match the effort. In Part 2 of our interview with Samir ElKamouny, we shift from “prove the concept” to conversion rate optimization—the discipline of diagnosing what’s actually limiting growth and improving the parts of your funnel that matter most. This isn’t about chasing shiny marketing tactics. It’s about execution: the kind that turns a funnel from “pretty good” into “predictable.” About Samir ElKamouny Samir ElKamouny is an entrepreneur...
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Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
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New Year, New Momentum: What Developers Can Look Forward to in 2026
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
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2025 Year-End Reflection for Developers: AI Hype, Layoffs, and What’s Next
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
It’s New Year’s Eve-Eve, and instead of recording from our usual virtual setups, we did something we’ve talked about for years: we hit record in the same room. If you’re watching on YouTube, you can actually see us together. If you’re listening on audio, you’ll just have to trust us—this one was in-person. In this special episode of Building Better Developers (our Building Better Foundations season), we keep it simple: a Year-End Reflection for Developers. What are we ready to leave behind from this year? What do we want to carry into the next one? And what’s the reality...
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Year-End Reset for Developers: A Pre-Christmas Check-In to Finish Strong
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
The week before Christmas has a way of exposing how the year really went. Deadlines either slow down or pile up, calendars get messy, and the pressure to “wrap everything up” shows up at the same time you’re trying to enjoy the season. In this Pre-Christmas episode of Building Better Developers, and keep it practical: looking back on the year, calling out what worked (and what didn’t), and sharing why a year-end reset for developers is the best way to prepare for a better new year. Why a Year-End Reset for Developers Matters A year-end reset for developers isn’t just...
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Adapting Your Business to AI: Productivity Surges, New Models, and the Power of Data
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
In Part 2 of our Building Better Foundations interview with , founder and CEO of Barefoot Solutions and Barefoot Labs, we explore how companies can begin adapting their business to AI over the next one to three years. Rather than imagining futuristic scenarios, Hunter keeps the focus on what’s already happening—and what leaders must do now to stay ahead. About Hunter Jensen Hunter Jensen is the Founder and CEO of Barefoot Solutions, a digital agency specializing in artificial intelligence, data science, and digital transformation. With over 20 years of experience, Hunter has...
info_outlineIt’s New Year’s Eve-Eve, and instead of recording from our usual virtual setups, we did something we’ve talked about for years: we hit record in the same room. If you’re watching on YouTube, you can actually see us together. If you’re listening on audio, you’ll just have to trust us—this one was in-person.
In this special episode of Building Better Developers (our Building Better Foundations season), we keep it simple: a Year-End Reflection for Developers. What are we ready to leave behind from this year? What do we want to carry into the next one? And what’s the reality behind the loudest tech conversations?
A Year-End Reflection for Developers isn’t about perfection. It’s about clarity—keeping what worked, dropping what didn’t, and starting the next year lighter.
Year-End Reflection for Developers: What We’re Ready to Leave Behind
We opened the discussion with a question you can ask your team, your friends, or yourself:
What are you ready to see go away?
For Rob, it was the endless, extreme framing around AI. Not AI itself—he uses it and enjoys it—but the constant “AI will save everything” or “AI will destroy everything” energy that dominated so many conversations this year.
The truth is, we’re still going to talk about AI next year. The goal is to move the conversation toward reality: what it can do well, what it can’t, and how to use it responsibly without acting like it’s magic—or doom.
Year-End Reflection for Developers on AI Hype vs Reality
A big part of this Year-End Reflection for Developers was dialing down the panic and dialing up practical thinking.
AI tools can absolutely help developers move faster. They can help summarize, brainstorm, refactor, and even unblock you when you’re stuck. But the hype has pushed people into extremes, and extremes aren’t useful when you’re shipping software.
If you used AI this year, you already know the real story: sometimes it’s brilliant, and sometimes it confidently hands you nonsense.
Use AI like a tool, not a truth machine. A Year-End Reflection for Developers should include one rule: verify before you trust.
Year-End Reflection for Developers on “AI Caused the Layoffs”
Michael took the AI conversation in a different direction: big businesses blaming AI for layoffs.
Yes, AI will impact jobs over time. But what we’re seeing right now often looks more like companies correcting after the COVID-era “no hire / no fire” period. In other words, the bottom line is driving decisions, and AI is becoming a convenient headline.
If you’re cutting roles for financial reasons, just say that. Don’t hide behind buzzwords.
That honesty matters—not just for employees, but for the industry. Developers don’t benefit from fear-based narratives. We benefit from transparency and real strategy.
Year-End Reflection for Developers: Studio Audience Takeaways
Because we had an in-room setup, we passed the mic to a few of our “studio audience” members.
Ian shared the positive side of his year: getting hands-on experience in Agile and learning what it’s like to build alongside a team of developers on a large project. It had hangups, and it ran longer than expected—but that’s real work, and real growth.
Wesley echoed the burnout around AI buzzwords and made a strong point: when we say “AI,” we need to be specific. A lot of what people mean right now is “large language models,” and lumping everything under “AI” only adds confusion. He also called out how hype can warp markets—like hardware prices skyrocketing when everyone jumps on the trend.
Year-End Reflection for Developers: Less Fear, More People
Natalie brought the most human answer of the night: she wants less fear.
Less fear, less uncertainty, less constant tension—and more remembering that we’re all in this together. That hit home, because a Year-End Reflection for Developers isn’t just about tech. It’s about how we work, how we treat each other, and how we show up next year.
Year-End Reflection for Developers: What’s Next
We closed with a simple message: go enjoy the next few days. Get out. Socialize. Be kind. Let go of the fear and anger where you can.
We’ll see you in 2026.
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