The Main Scoop Ep. 39: Fostering Learning Agility and Curiosity - How to Empower Today’s Developers

00:00:00 - Welcome to The Main Scoop
00:01:00 - Classic Cars and Mainframes
00:02:25 - Introducing Brent Foster
Welcoming Brent Foster, VP at TD Bank, and his role in software engineering.
00:03:05 - Developer Experience at TD Bank
Brent discusses the importance of developer happiness and productivity.
00:04:23 - Balancing Speed and Quality
Exploring the challenges of maintaining speed while ensuring reliability in critical workloads.
00:06:39 - Harnessing Technology for Success
Brent shares insights on using abstractions and interfaces to enhance developer efficiency.
00:08:41 - Generative AI in Development
The impact of generative AI on developer workflows and productivity.
00:10:41 - The Role of AI in Developer Efficiency
Discussion on how AI tools can assist developers and the importance of effective prompting.
00:12:42 - Embracing Change in the Workforce
Addressing the varying attitudes towards AI among developers and the importance of learning.
00:14:31 - Creating a Learning Environment
Brent talks about training initiatives and fostering experimentation among engineers.
00:18:18 - The Future of Development with AI
Exploring the potential of AI to scale developer capabilities and enhance productivity.
00:20:44 - Conclusion and Reflections
Wrapping up the discussion on innovation in technology and the journey ahead.

How do enterprises responsibly modernize, optimizing developer experience (DevX) with the latest tooling and AI, while maintaining the security and reliability of mission-critical systems?

On this episode of The Main Scoop, hosts Greg Lotko, SVP & GM, Mainframe Software Division, Broadcom, and Daniel Newman, CEO and Chief Analyst, Futurum, are joined by TD Bank Group’s Brent Foster, VP and Engineering Practice Owner, and DevSecOps Executive Product Owner and Technology Lead, to explore how enterprises like TD Bank are empowering developers through modern AI tools, evolving culture, and practical modernization while meeting the security and governance demands of regulated environments. The conversation ties developer experience priorities such as reliability, modernization, and career growth directly to business impact, showing why technology and culture must evolve together in enterprise IT.

Key Takeaways Include:

🔹 Modernizing core systems responsibly
Developers are evolving mission-critical platforms—like the mainframe—while maintaining the security, reliability, and resilience enterprises depend on.

🔹 AI and modern tooling as DevX accelerators
Generative AI and contemporary development tools are enhancing productivity, improving technical depth, and helping teams modernize without sacrificing control.

🔹 Culture, curiosity, and career growth
Fostering learning agility, clear career paths, and a supportive culture is critical to retaining talent and enabling sustained innovation in hybrid enterprise environments.

#DeveloperExperience #DevX #AITools #GenerativeAI #TDBank #TechnologyCulture #MainframeModernization #CareerDevelopment #EnterpriseIT

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