Cisco CPO Highlights Two Underrated Skills Essential for Future Engineers

Cisco’s President and Chief Product Officer, Jeetu Patel, recently shared his insights on the evolving role of engineers in the tech industry with Business Insider. Despite the widespread belief that the number of engineering roles might decline due to advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), Patel emphasized that Cisco is actively expanding its engineering workforce. Currently employing 27,000 engineers, the company is "unapologetically hiring" more, driven by the need to execute a plethora of internal projects. Patel acknowledged that AI, particularly through partnerships like Cisco’s recent collaboration with OpenAI’s Codex AI coding assistant, will transform the nature of engineering work. Codex is designed to handle repetitive tasks, such as writing code, debugging, and running tests, thereby allowing human engineers to focus on more complex and creative aspects of their jobs. This shift will reduce the emphasis on technical syntax, as Patel noted that understanding the nuances of coding language will no longer be as consequential in the next five years. Instead, two skills that are currently "grossly underestimated" will rise in importance. The first is "orchestrating agent workflow." This involves managing a network of AI agents that communicate with each other to solve problems. Lori Castillo Martinez, Salesforce’s Executive Vice President of Talent Growth and Development, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the significance of determining which tasks are best handled by agents versus humans. The best managers and engineers will be those who can effectively analyze and optimize team dynamics to enhance overall productivity and problem-solving capabilities. The second skill, "quality of ideas," will also become increasingly valuable. With AI tools like Codex freeing up time and resources, engineers will need to generate a plethora of innovative ideas. According to Patel, such tools can boost engineers’ productivity by 10 to 50 times, compressing the development cycle from months to minutes. This will enable companies to rapidly translate ideas into products, with the primary constraint being the creativity and imagination of the engineers themselves. Patel believes that AI augmentation will significantly improve both output and job satisfaction. Engineers will spend more time on strategic and creative tasks, fostering a more fulfilling work environment. Morgan Brown, Dropbox’s Vice President of Product and Growth, similarly advised product managers to focus on "deep work" and generating innovative ideas in the age of AI. In essence, the future of engineering, as envisioned by Patel, will require engineers to excel not only in technical proficiency but also in managing complex workflows and cultivating a continuous stream of high-quality ideas. These changes are expected to drive greater innovation and efficiency, making the role of the engineer more multifaceted and rewarding. Industry insiders and company profiles further support this vision. Cisco, a global leader in networking and IT, is committed to leveraging AI to enhance its engineering capabilities, reflecting a broader trend in the tech sector where companies are investing in tools and skills that complement rather than replace human ingenuity. This approach not only prepares engineers for the AI-driven future but also ensures that they remain central to the innovation process.