Back in the Code

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:00:00 -0600

For most of the last decade, the standard advice for new engineering managers was consistent:

Get out of the code.

Your job is people and priorities now, not pull requests.

Every hour spent reviewing a diff is an hour not spent on the work only a manager can do.

I gave that advice myself, more than once, and believed it. Lately, I’m watching it reverse.

More Hours in the Trenches

LeadDev’s Engineering Leadership Report 2026 (May 2026), based on 600 engineering leader responses, found that 37% are doing more hands-on technical work than they were a year ago. One in three managers surveyed are considering leaving management to go back to being an individual contributor. Neither number is describing burnout in the abstract. Engineering leaders are being asked to do more, technically, strategically, and managerially, as organizations flatten and AI reshapes how code gets written, reviewed, and shipped.

Code-Review on David R. Longnecker - Converting Coffee to Code

Back in the Code

More Hours in the Trenches