Maddy Zhang

Senior software engineer (ex-Google) sharing career / tech tips and coding memes! When I'm not online or crying over my code, I love board games, running, and mysteries 🤍 ✉️ [email protected] * all opinions my own

7 summaries
Jun 08 - Jun 14, 2026
2 videos
The 5 Levels of AI Explained in 10 Minutes thumbnail

The 5 Levels of AI Explained in 10 Minutes

The video outlines five levels of AI proficiency—from consumer to orchestrator—emphasizing that progress is about how and where you apply judgment rather than just using more tools. It argues for building repeatable AI-enabled processes, adopting systematic evaluation, and thinking in terms of systems design, not features, with concrete examples (like level three and the Bun workflow) to illustrate how engineers advance toward autonomous AI capabilities.

00:01:15 read 00:10:09 video 8 chapters
5 Claude Code Skills I Use as a Senior Software Engineer thumbnail

5 Claude Code Skills I Use as a Senior Software Engineer

Maddie introduces Claude Code and argues that “skills” unlock the true potential of Claude by enabling it to think in your workflow, not just generate code. The video then walks through five core skills (Front-end design, Code review via Girl with Docs, TDD workflow, shared/secure code changes with Skill Creator, and security/infra-focused reviews), plus how to install and use skills (including plan mode, auto mode, desktop preview, and checkpointing), with demonstrations on building, validating, and iterating on a music app and a data-visualization plugin. The talk emphasizes how these skills elevate output, enforce best practices (TDD, design principles, security reviews), and make Claude Code reusable across projects.

00:01:30 read 00:10:23 video 8 chapters
May 25 - May 31, 2026
1 video
System Design was HARD until I Learned these 6 Concepts thumbnail

System Design was HARD until I Learned these 6 Concepts

The video introduces six core system design concepts that transform how you reason about building scalable software: statelessness for true horizontal scaling, caching strategies, the CAP theorem and when to prioritize consistency vs availability, the role of message queues for resilient asynchrony, choosing SQL vs NoSQL based on data guarantees, and thoughtful API design (REST vs GraphQL) with careful versioning and contracts. It emphasizes moving from memorizing definitions to understanding the underlying principles and how to apply them to real systems, with practical examples and tips for interviews and daily development.

00:01:13 read 00:09:42 video 8 chapters
May 18 - May 24, 2026
1 video
How I use Claude Cowork (Senior Software Engineer Tips) thumbnail

How I use Claude Cowork (Senior Software Engineer Tips)

The video explains Claude Co-work, a desktop automation tool designed for recurring, multi-source engineering tasks that run in the background with a visual interface and native connectors (unlike Claude Code, which targets active code development). It covers four practical use cases—weekly digest generation from Gmail newsletters, project directory cleanup before handoffs, drafting postmortems from incident data, and turning notes into interactive explainers—plus setup tips, the desktop-only nature, and a browser extension as a secondary option.

00:01:48 read 00:10:41 video 9 chapters
May 11 - May 17, 2026
1 video
Fastest way to get a Remote Job in 2026 | Full Roadmap thumbnail

Fastest way to get a Remote Job in 2026 | Full Roadmap

The video explains that fully remote tech roles are rarer in 2026 and remote work is an operating model, not a perk. It then outlines a five-part strategy to land remote roles: filter for remote-first companies, build an async-proof portfolio, set up an applicant-timing system, prepare for remote-specific interviews, and run a warm visibility loop while engaging in open-source contributions, documentation, and live projects to demonstrate remote-aptitude.

00:01:26 read 00:10:29 video 8 chapters
May 04 - May 10, 2026
1 video
Why Companies Are Quietly Rehiring Software Engineer thumbnail

Why Companies Are Quietly Rehiring Software Engineer

The video argues that Q1 2026 showed a paradox: over 52,000 tech layoffs contrasted with a three-year high in software engineering postings, especially for AI-related roles. It explains this split as an industry shift toward AI-enabled, senior positions while many entry-level and routine roles are eliminated, and offers practical guidance on how to position yourself—specialize, leverage AI tools responsibly, build a strong pipeline of opportunities, and nurture your professional network.

00:01:27 read 00:10:51 video 7 chapters
Apr 27 - May 03, 2026
1 video
I Tried 50 AI Certifications. Here Are the Top 5 thumbnail

I Tried 50 AI Certifications. Here Are the Top 5

The video debunks the hype around AI certifications and shares a practical framework for judging which ones are worth pursuing. Maddie highlights five credible, career-advancing options for 2026 (DataCamp AI Fundamentals, AWS Certified AI Practitioner, Azure AI Fundamentals, DataCamp AI Engineer for Developers, and Google Cloud Professional ML Engineer) while explaining how to evaluate relevance to your goals, and warns against low-effort, non-recognized certificates.

00:01:41 read 00:09:45 video 9 chapters

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