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Danny Thompson · Author, Senior Developer Advocate, Executive Advisor & Community LeaderWhen engineering teams lose clarity, they call me.

Too many priorities, too much complexity, not enough direction. I fix team alignment, simplify systems, and deliver results leaders are proud of.

Clarity. Confidence. Code.

450K

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200

Talks

Brands

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👨‍💻

Junior Developer

0-2 years experience

🚀

Senior Engineer

5+ years, seeking Staff/Principal

📄

Engineering Manager

Leading teams & processes

📫

Developer Relations

DevRel, advocacy & community

🔄

Career Changer

Transitioning into tech

⚡

Executive Leader

VPs, Directors, CTOs

Danny Thompson

Senior Developer Advocate

👨‍💻

Junior Developer

0-2 years experience

🚀

Senior Engineer

5+ years, seeking Staff/Principal

📄

Engineering Manager

Leading teams & processes

📫

Developer Relations

DevRel, advocacy & community

🔄

Career Changer

Transitioning into tech

⚡

Executive Leader

VPs, Directors, CTOs

Orbit View: Discover your path

THE PROGRAMMING PODCAST

EST. 2023 • WEEKLY

FM889296100104MC

MW5585110140KC

STATION 1 OF 4

NOW BROADCASTING

EP. #4

Oct 16, 2026●1h 15m

Software Engineering Secrets from a 12-Year Apple Veteran

Learn how to become a better software engineer from an Apple veteran with over 12 years of experience building products.Follow Ray!https://x.com/RayFernando1337https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@RayFernando1337⁩ We sit down with an industry expert to break down the realities of Apple engineering and what it takes to succeed at a top-tier firm. This discussion moves beyond standard advice, focusing on the tactical skills required to elevate your career and sustain long-term growth in a competitive field.We also cover the practical side of building and launching your own personal applications. As the industry shifts toward agentic workflows, we analyze how engineering roles are evolving and what you need to prioritize to stay relevant in this new era of automated tools and development.Undersold!https://www.undersold.ai🤝 Thank You to Our Sponsors!GitKraken: Stop fighting Git and spend more time building. Get visual Git workflows, PR management, and tools built for modern AI-powered development. Check out exclusive offers at https://www.gitkraken.com/programmingpodLevel Up Financial Planning: Take your financial confidence to the next level with certified financial planner Lucas Casares, specializing in early and mid-career tech professionals. Get a complimentary meeting at https://www.levelupfinancialplanning.com/🔗 Resources & Links MentionedThe Developer's Guide to AI: Grab the newly released book by Danny Thompson from here! http://developersguide.ai/Stay in Touch:📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!Danny Thompsonhttps://x.com/DThompsonDevhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDevwww.DThompsonDev.comLeon Noelhttps://x.com/leonnoelhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/https://100devs.org/📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!00:00 Meet Ray Fernando: 12 Years at Apple01:51 How Ray Uses AI Agents to Build Software05:24 The Real Cost of AI Agent Workflows07:25 Automating Email with AI10:52 A Word from Our Sponsors13:13 Building Reliable AI Agents and Verification Systems18:31 How to Keep Up with AI as a Software Engineer21:01 Skill Chaining: Building Better AI Workflows24:05 CSV vs. JSON and Why AI Constraints Matter26:32 Claude vs. Codex vs. Gemini: Choosing the Right Model31:17 Leon's AI Workflow for Shipping Code Faster35:41 Behind the Scenes of Undersold AI39:01 When Is an AI Product Ready to Launch?43:04 Why Danny Walked Away from Two Software Projects48:40 Fail, Pivot, Grow: Turning Failure into Progress49:13 From Wedding DJ to Apple Engineer53:09 How to Build Relationships and Network in Tech58:19 What It Takes to Succeed as an Engineer at Apple1:02:56 What Separates Great Engineers from Average Engineers?1:06:50 Listener Q&A: What AI Portfolio Project Should You Build?1:10:52 Why Most Developers Build the Wrong Portfolio Projects1:14:41 Final Thoughts and Outro

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THE PROGRAMMING PODCAST

EST. 2024 • WEEKLY BROADCASTS

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Station 1 of 4

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NOW BROADCASTING

EP. #4

Oct 16, 2026●1h 15m

Software Engineering Secrets from a 12-Year Apple Veteran

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DTHOMPSON

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Let's MakeSomething Epic

From community scaling to brand partnerships. I bring extensive experience in the tech industry to help you build, scale, and succeed. Let's give people something to talk about!

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Brand Partnerships

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