“GPT-5 is going to kill OpenAI.” That’s the headline making the rounds—but it’s wrong. In this episode, Alec Harrison breaks down why the panic is overblown, why those infamous GPT-5 launch graphs don’t tell the real story, and how OpenAI is shifting from hype to stability.

We’ll zoom out on the bigger picture: OpenAI’s rapid rise, the reality of innovation cycles, and why competition from Anthropic, Google, Meta, and others actually makes the whole industry stronger. From enterprise adoption to government deals, GPT-5 isn’t a death knell—it’s the start of OpenAI’s next chapter.

If you’ve been wondering whether GPT-5 signals decline or maturity, this episode will give you the context you need.

👉 Stick around until the end for Alec’s take on what this launch means for the future of AI.

Ready for a master-class in mentoring, managing, and staying sane in the age of AI? In this no-filter chat, Alec Harrison and Brian Gorman welcome returning guest Cameron Presley—engineer, functional-programming fan, and self-proclaimed “hot-take factory.” Together we cover:

• From Junior to Jedi: practical ways leaders can help devs find their lane—and how to nudge the rock-stars and shooting stars on your team without burning them out.

• When Life Smacks Your Sprint Plan: candid advice on supporting teammates through family crises, caregiver duties, or just plain “I’m tapped-out” seasons.

• The AI Performance Debate: Microsoft’s leaked memo that says “Using AI is no longer optional”—and what mandatory Copilot metrics could mean for your next review. ⁠Business Insider⁠

• Networking That Doesn’t Suck: why real-world user groups, conferences, and mastermind circles beat random LinkedIn cold-pitches every time.

• Managing Your Toughest Employee—You: swapping stories on the brutal self-talk solo consultants dish out, and healthier ways to keep yourself accountable.

Expect spicy sound bites, a couple of trains barreling through Brian’s mic, and plenty of actionable tips for every rung of the career ladder—from fresh grads to CTOs.

• Business Insider: “Microsoft pushes staff to use internal AI tools more, and may consider this in reviews.” (June 27, 2025) — ⁠https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-internal-memo-using-ai-no-longer-optional-github-copilot-2025-6⁠

(Did we promise another resource and miss it? Ping us and we’ll drop it here!)

Ready for a master-class in mentoring, managing, and staying sane in the age of AI? In this no-filter chat, Alec Harrison and Brian Gorman welcome returning guest Cameron Presley—engineer, functional-programming fan, and self-proclaimed “hot-take factory.” Together we cover:

• From Junior to Jedi: practical ways leaders can help devs find their lane—and how to nudge the rock-stars and shooting stars on your team without burning them out.

• When Life Smacks Your Sprint Plan: candid advice on supporting teammates through family crises, caregiver duties, or just plain “I’m tapped-out” seasons.

• The AI Performance Debate: Microsoft’s leaked memo that says “Using AI is no longer optional”—and what mandatory Copilot metrics could mean for your next review. Business Insider

• Networking That Doesn’t Suck: why real-world user groups, conferences, and mastermind circles beat random LinkedIn cold-pitches every time.

• Managing Your Toughest Employee—You: swapping stories on the brutal self-talk solo consultants dish out, and healthier ways to keep yourself accountable.

Expect spicy sound bites, a couple of trains barreling through Brian’s mic, and plenty of actionable tips for every rung of the career ladder—from fresh grads to CTOs.

• Business Insider: “Microsoft pushes staff to use internal AI tools more, and may consider this in reviews.” (June 27, 2025) — https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-internal-memo-using-ai-no-longer-optional-github-copilot-2025-6

(Did we promise another resource and miss it? Ping us and we’ll drop it here!)

📄 Episode Description:

In this episode, we welcome back Cameron Presley, now the owner of Small Batch Solutions, to dive deep into the real work of building better engineers—not just better apps. We talk about how to create environments where interns and junior developers can thrive, why mentorship is a long game, and how AI might be reshaping the way we learn (for better or worse).

From Pokémon metaphors and force pushes to production, to tough love truths about bad internship programs—this one’s packed with hard-earned wisdom, spicy takes, and plenty of laughs.

Plus:

🔥 Why some teams should not hire interns

🌱 What it really takes to grow junior talent

🤖 The role (and limits) of AI in developer learning

🧪 Real talk on tests, professionalism, and legacy code

🔗 Links & Mentions:

🎉 KCDC – Kansas City Developer Conference: https://kcdc.info

🧠 Cameron Presley: blog.softwarementor.com

🐦 Cameron on BlueSky: ‪@thesoftwarementor.com‬

🚀 Alec’s company: https://eitl.ai

In this thought-provoking episode, Alec Harrison sits down with Peter Swimm—founder of Toyleville and a veteran in conversational AI—to unpack the real value of AI in today’s business world. From the early days of teaching internet literacy in Chicago libraries to advising enterprises on AI adoption, Peter brings a rare blend of empathy, technical depth, and straight talk.

They discuss why most businesses are still stuck in Excel purgatory, the risk of blindly chasing AI hype, and how true innovation means aligning technology with human strengths—not replacing them. They also explore the messy reality of model upgrades, the danger of centralized AI monopolies, and how smaller companies can outmaneuver giants by embracing context, creativity, and collaboration.

Whether you’re an enterprise leader, startup founder, or just AI-curious, this episode will challenge your assumptions and leave you asking better questions.

🔗 Links:

• peoplemakeitbetter.com – Peter’s consulting agency and info on Toyleville

Nebraska.Code 2025 is right around the corner, but before you pack for Lincoln, join Alec and Brian as they tackle the hottest developer question of 2025: How do I harness AI agents without handing the keys to my codebase—or my laptop—over to Big Tech?

In this candid therapy-session-meets-tech-deep-dive, we unpack everything from Model Context Protocol (the “USB-C of AI apps”) to rolling your own “Cursor-style” IDE assistant. You’ll hear:

The exact trade-offs between GPT-4-class models in the cloud and leaner Phi 3/Llama models you can run on-prem with Foundry Local for air-gapped privacy.

Why agent-driven search is replacing static web pages—and how building an Azure OpenAI chatbot today keeps your organization off the “left behind” list.

A pragmatic roadmap for leveling-up: free AI-900 / AI-102 learning paths, sample GitHub repos, and the one-day AgentCon tour that drops actionable agent patterns straight into your toolbelt.

Whether you’re a developer sick of dependency-update tickets or an underwriter who’d rather review the interesting policies, this episode shows you how AI can erase the drudgery—without erasing your intellectual property.

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| NEBRASKA.CODE 2025 – REGISTRATION |

| https://whova.com/portal/registration/IOhJf-6D449qSu-mYLa9/ |

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| AGENTCON 2025 – KANSAS CITY (Global AI) |

| https://globalai.community/chapters/kansas-city/events/agentcon-2025-kansas-city/ |

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| GET STARTED WITH FOUNDRY LOCAL (Microsoft Learn) |

| https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-foundry/foundry-local/get-started |

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| MICROSOFT CERTIFIED: AZURE AI FUNDAMENTALS (AI-900) |

| https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/azure-ai-fundamentals/ |

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| VS CODE + MCP SAMPLE REPO (mcp-for-beginners) |

| https://github.com/microsoft/mcp-for-beginners |

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For a while now, AI and tech headlines have been dominated by layoffs and market shifts. But what if a crucial, yet often overlooked, factor was at play? I'm experimenting with a new narrative style in this video to break down Section 174 of the US tax code. Discover how changes to this R&D deduction policy, from its inception in 1954 to the impactful 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, quietly impacted everything from startup funding to the massive tech layoffs we've seen. We'll also cover the breaking news of its recent reversal on July 4th, 2025, and what that means for the future of innovation in the US.

#AILayoffs #TaxCode #Section174 #RDTaxCredit #TechLayoffs

🚀 Description:
In this packed episode of Engineering the Loop, we break down everything you need to know from Microsoft Build 2025—and trust us, it’s not just incremental upgrades. From the rise of AI agents and the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to the total transformation of search, software development, and even how you cool a data center, this year’s Build proves Microsoft is all in on an AI-first future.

We cover:

• Why MCP might replace traditional APIs (and kill search engines as we know them)

• How Copilot is leveling up with Agent Mode and SRE capabilities

• Running your own copilots locally with AI Foundry Local

• The wild vision of NL Web for conversational internet

• And why every developer needs to pay attention—fast

Whether you’re a developer, an architect, or just fascinated by what’s next in AI, this episode will catch you up and spark ideas.

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 – Welcome & Build 2025 Overview
Kickoff and why this year’s conference felt like a seismic shift.

02:30 – Agents and MCP 101
What are agents? What is Model Context Protocol? Why do they matter so much?

10:20 – Copilot Everywhere
Copilot Studio, Copilot Agent Mode, GitHub Copilot Chat, and the rise of SRE agents.

19:15 – AI Foundry Local & Bring Your Own Models
How you can run and fine-tune your own models—locally and securely.

25:40 – NL Web & The Death of Search
Could conversational agents replace traditional search engines?

31:00 – Data Center Innovations & Sustainability
Immersive cooling, carbon negativity, and the future of green AI infrastructure.

35:10 – Developer Productivity Supercharged
Swagger specs, MCP servers, and Copilot building entire applications for you.

41:45 – Governance, Security & What Comes Next
Managing agents, protecting MCP endpoints, and Microsoft’s vision for AI governance.

47:00 – Closing Thoughts & Predictions
Where do we go from here?

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation—because the future is arriving faster than you think.