DevTalk LA

This week's topic: Software engineering agents

As described in Thoughtworks Technology Radar Vol. #32.

Since we last wrote about software engineering agents six months ago, the industry still lacks a shared definition of the term “agent.” However, a major development has emerged — not in fully autonomous coding agents (which remain unconvincing) but in supervised agentic modes within the IDE. These modes allow developers to drive implementation via chat, with tools not only modifying code in multiple files but also executing commands, running tests and responding to IDE feedback like linting or compile errors.

This approach, sometimes called chat-oriented programming (CHOP) or prompt-to-code, keeps developers in control while shifting more responsibility to AI than traditional coding assistants like auto-suggestions. Leading tools in this space include Cursor, Cline and Windsurf, with GitHub Copilot slightly behind but catching up. The usefulness of these agentic modes depends on both the model used (with Claude’s Sonnet series the current state of the art) and how well the tool integrates with the IDE to provide a good developer experience.

We’ve found these workflows intriguing and promising, with a notable increase in coding speed. However, keeping problem scopes small helps developers better review AI-generated changes. This works best with low-abstraction prompts and AI-friendly codebases that are well-structured and properly tested. As these modes improve, they’ll also heighten the risk of complacency with AI- generated code. To mitigate this, employ pair programming and other disciplined review practices, especially for production code.

Zoom link will be added about 5 min before the event starts.

Discussion Resources :

Please try to read/watch before the meetup as it will help drive the discussions.

Reading and video resources will be added few days before the meetup. Please try to read/watch the resources before the meetup so you participate in the discussion.

This week's topic: Supabase

As described in Thoughtworks Technology Radar Vol. #32.

Supabase is an open-source Firebase alternative for building scalable and secure backends. It offers a suite of integrated services, including a PostgreSQL database, authentication, instant APIs, Edge Functions, real-time subscriptions, storage and vector embeddings. Supabase aims to streamline back-end development, allowing developers to focus on building front-end experiences while leveraging the power and flexibility of open-source technologies. Unlike Firebase, Supabase is built on top of PostgreSQL. If you’re working on prototyping or an MVP, Supabase is worth considering, as it will be easier to migrate to another SQL solution after the prototyping stage.

Zoom link will be added about 5 min before the event starts.

Discussion Resources :

Please try to read/watch before the meetup as it will help drive the discussions.

Reading and video resources will be added few days before the meetup. Please try to read/watch the resources before the meetup so you participate in the discussion.

This week's topic: LangGraph

As described in Thoughtworks Technology Radar Vol. #32.

LangGraph is an orchestration framework designed to build stateful multi-agent applications using LLMs. It provides a lower-level set of primitives like edges and nodes compared to LangChain’s higher-level abstractions, offering developers fine-grained control over agent workflows, memory management and state persistence. This graph-based approach ensures predictable and customizable workflows, making debugging, scaling and maintaining production applications easier. Although it has a steeper learning curve, LangGraph’s lightweight design and modularity make it a powerful framework for creating agentic applications.

Zoom link will be added about 5 min before the event starts.

Discussion Resources :

Please try to read/watch before the meetup as it will help drive the discussions.

Reading and video resources will be added few days before the meetup. Please try to read/watch the resources before the meetup so you participate in the discussion.

This week's topic: Cluely

As described in Thoughtworks Technology Radar Vol. #32.

Cluely—officially known as Cluely AI or Cluely.ai—is a real-time, desktop-based AI assistant that listens to your screen activity and audio during calls or meetings and discreetly supplies context‑aware prompts, responses, and follow‑up materials via a hidden overlay. It's pitched for high‑pressure situations like interviews, exams, dates, and sales calls.

Zoom link will be added about 5 min before the event starts.

Discussion Resources :

Please try to read/watch before the meetup as it will help drive the discussions.

Reading and video resources will be added few days before the meetup. Please try to read/watch the resources before the meetup so you participate in the discussion.