Sunil Shenoy

I don’t need you. I do.

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 19:34:20 +1000

I have been part of some interesting conversations over the last two days around AI. It’s hard to avoid AI as a topic around most tables you sit at these days.

Now that we all have access to the same LLM models from Anthropic or OpenAI, most conversations go like this:

“I am a system architect. I know how to architect a system, and with the power of these models, I don’t need a developer anymore because AI will help me build this awesome architecture I’ve designed.”

“I am a Business Analyst. I no longer need designers or developers to build the customer requirements that I understand so well. Developers and designers were the bottleneck before, but now I can deliver software so much faster using these models.”

“I am a designer. At the end of the day, customers interact with the designs I create. Now that I have access to these models, I don’t need the help of a developer to create my prototypes anymore. Developers were a bottleneck, slowing me down. No more.”

“I am a coach. I understand my clients' problems, and translating them into requirements for developers and designers used to be a massive chore. No more. I have access to these models, and I can now build end-to-end applications myself.”

“I am a developer. I understand how software works. I don’t need designers anymore because the models can help me with UI/UX, and I don’t need system architects because I have access to models that can design the system. I no longer even need help with marketing or coaching, because the models can help me understand and grow my product.”

I am not sure how to be part of these conversations without feeling a bit sad about how we have stopped appreciating what someone else brings to the table.

I need you. I need you to keep doing what you love doing, and to appreciate what you have to offer.

Your perspective. Your way of thinking around your craft.

Hybrid Rockstar

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:00:21 +1000

The first time I heard about Hyrox was four years ago when my friend Richard Peake participated. I remember being tired at the end of the event just from walking around the venue. Walking out of there, I remember wondering if I would ever participate in the event myself.

After three years of just talking about it, I floated the idea of participating during a coffee catch-up with my friend Deepankar this year. He immediately agreed. The next steps were simple: buy tickets as soon as they became available and keep training so that we were fit enough to not die by the end of the event.

The Running Challenge I have never been into running. Having tried it a few times before, I would usually stop after just 100–200 meters. Running 8 km was a challenge I wasn’t ready for, but I was determined to see it through.

December: I started the journey just trying to get comfortable running 1 km. End of February: I was able to run 2–2.5 km, thanks to a few running sessions with friends. The Peak: The maximum distance I covered before the event was 5.5 km.

After a lot of training and quoting Eminem lyrics (“palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy”) whenever anyone asked how I was feeling, I am happy to report that the whole event went really well.

The Results: No injuries, and a final time of 1:31:44.

Deepankar was aiming for 1:30:00 or less, and my only goal was to survive, so 1:31:44 is a result I am incredibly happy with!

Yelling at the cloud

Sun, 05 Jul 2026 20:07:52 +1000

For the past week, I’ve been telling people that I’m feeling a lot like the “Old Man Yells at Cloud” meme.

“Old Man Yells at Cloud” is a meme based on an image from The Simpsons featuring Grandpa Simpson angrily waving a fist under the aforementioned headline. It’s used to poke fun at people who complain about change and have cranky, old-fashioned opinions about modern trends.

And frankly, it’s been great. Paired with a quote from a recent TV show about speaking up for what you believe in, it has unlocked a whole new mindset for me. It’s all about actively speaking your mind when asked about the things you stand for and the things you stand against. I would highly recommend it.

AI Output

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 07:57:14 +1000

Had a really good conversation with a colleague the other day as to why I don’t use AI a whole lot outside of when work mandates usage of AI.

If I come across a long blog post, I rarely read the whole post unless it’s written by an author I know from before or if it’s linked by someone who I know recommends good content. The attention span I have is slowly shrinking and I want to allocate it to a few things during the day.

Using AI gives me the same feeling. I write a few things as part of my prompt and now the ball is in my court to read the output. It’s usually 5 times longer than what I needed as the answer. Now I spend more time reading the output and see if it got everything right.

AI is getting better at solving this problem though. I came across this tool yesterday. A man in the middle which reads AI output and then asks the AI to be more concise with the output.

Usage is Oxygen

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 17:03:59 +1000

If you can think of an idea, there is already software out there addressing that need. It might not be 100% perfect, but it does 80% of what you want it to do. If it is open-source, you can now use AI to get it to 100% and match exactly what you want.

If you read articles online, you’ll see that very few people are writing code without AI assistance anymore. It definitely improves the speed of software development, but writing code or creating software was never the actual issue. Even before AI, online marketplaces could get you 80% of the way there; now, AI just allows a lot more people to build.

The real problem always was getting people to actually use the product you have built. Usage is oxygen.

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 11:13:26 +1000

Cuttlefish and Wobbegong Shark spottings In Shelly Beach

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 09:30:37 +1000

More time in water swimming. Pure joy.

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 07:52:22 +1000

Kwonny

I liked this print from the art collection by Kwonny. On my wish list to buy.

I should write more

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 09:46:36 +1000

and so should you. And of all the advice I would pass on to my niece if she were to ask for advice, writing down your thoughts either in private or in public would be quite high up on the list of things I would tell her.

I am getting back into reading more long form content these days and it’s been great to come across so many new people through their blogs. My RSS reader has a lot more content for me to go through on weekends.

What should you write about? This thought has always stopped me from writing here. Pick a topic and write more about it. Sleep, running, exercise. Or don’t, and write about your life. What did you get up to today? Maybe you don’t have anything to say today. Have a picture to share about something you observed today? It’s your place on the internet.

Go on, start a blog. Write more. Tell me about it. I can’t wait to read more.

Sat, 06 Jun 2026 09:49:21 +1000

I did my job fine before AI came along. Now my workplace ‘suggests’ we use it. How do I say no?
Sigh. Fuck. Fine. OK. Buckle up.

How to use NO as a complete sentence

Been following Mike Monteiro and his writing for a few years now and it’s always good to read the newsletter. If you have not subscribed, you should.

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 10:10:21 +1000

If it ain't fun, there's no sense in doing it. Fast or slow.
— Jason Fried (@jasonfried) June 4, 2026

Being ok with mess

Sat, 30 May 2026 12:52:17 +1000

I recently moved into a new apartment a week ago. After looking for a place for two months, it felt great to finally have a place to call home. My friends helped with the move, dropping everything off in the apartment before they left.

The last time I moved, four years ago, I remember spending the whole weekend finding a spot for everything I owned and giving it a place in the apartment. I am being a bit more cautious this time around. I have set up the basics - the bed, the computer table, and the essentials in the bathroom. Everything else is still stacked in the corner right by the door, allowing me to decide whether those things move further into the apartment or if I should donate or discard them.

Being okay with the mess has been difficult. However, having a purpose for why it is there has been a great reminder of why those things aren’t in their future places just yet.

Fri, 15 May 2026 11:40:22 +1000

More pictures from the trip

Fri, 15 May 2026 11:29:06 +1000

Some captures from the recent trip around Berlin and Norway.

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:26:49 +1000

The speed of writing code was never your problem. If you thought it was, the gap between that belief and reality is where all your actual problems live. The competitive advantage doesn’t go to the team that writes code fastest. It goes to the team that figured out what to build, built it, and got it into users’ hands while everyone else was still drowning in a review queue full of AI-generated PRs that nobody has the time or the energy to read.

Writing Code AI speed

Last leg of the trip

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 18:45:55 +1000

It started with me telling people I am away for 9 weeks and now it’s down to the last three. Every time I pressed submit on an empty timesheet for work, I would tell my friends, that’s one week done out of nine. This Friday, I complete seven weeks.

Time does fly by really quickly. I remember a few friends asked me what I planned to do in the nine weeks I would be away and I told them I had no plans. I really did not. The last seven weeks were just waking up and figuring out what I felt like doing that day. One day in Madeira, my friend and I just ended up being in a hotel room coding, and that day was as good as the day we spent exploring the city from 9 in the morning till late at night.

Two weeks left on this trip and I have no plans for the rest of the journey. Excited and looking forward to meeting friends and family in Oman and then in India. Also equally looking forward to being back in Sydney meeting friends there, being back at work and starting to prepare for Hyrox.

Norway, Thank You

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 02:16:14 +1000

It’s been a plan in action since July last year, and here I am sitting in Bergen airport as I say goodbye to the Norway leg of this trip.

I got here sixteen days ago. I started by landing in Tromsø and then slowly made my way through Bodø, Svolvær, Oslo, Flåm, Voss, and finally Bergen.

I remember telling my friends I couldn’t wait to experience sunlight a few days after getting to Tromsø. And Norway did deliver. For a few minutes every four days over the last sixteen days, I got to experience sunlight. I didn’t think I would miss sunlight so much.

It’s been great being here these past two weeks, from the lows to the highs of everything the country has to offer. I interacted with a lot of locals, and even though language was a concern, I felt welcomed in all the places I visited.

Experience snowfall ✅
Walk in snowfall ✅
See northern lights ❌
Swim in a frozen lake between holes ❌
Floating sauna to ice-cold water (5 degrees) ✅
Kvæfjord Cake “Verdens Beste” (World’s Best Cake) ✅ (OMG so good)
Solskinnsboller – Norwegian Sun Buns (Solboller) ✅ (OMG so good)

Being a coffee addict, and coming from Australia where I’m spoiled with good coffee, I had low expectations for coffee in Norway. I was so wrong. I remember texting a friend from Tromsø that the coffee at this café, “Risø,” was better than some of the coffee I’ve had in Sydney.

It’s been fun, Norway. Thank you so much for all the experiences. I’ll cherish them for life. Can’t wait to visit again sooooon.

AJAX

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 21:36:05 +1000

I’ve been thinking about AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) a lot over the last few days. After working as a PHP developer at a company back in 2009 and then moving to New Zealand to do a PG Diploma in Computer Science, I remember hearing the word AJAX quite often, before I actually got a chance to work on creating websites again in 2011.

After two years of hearing about and seeing what people were doing with AJAX, I couldn’t wait to learn how to use it in the next website or application I built. All that time, I imagined it would be too difficult for me to learn.

But after just a few days of playing around with the syntax, PJAX, and some of the tools around it, I remember the joy when I finally had a webpage move from one state to another without a full page reload. Full page reloads had always been a requirement before, but now I could replace just part of the page with new content. The possibilities this opened up felt endless.

Other than the marquee tag, which made text move out of view and then back in the view again, and AJAX, very few things in web UI design have brought me as much joy.

Seventeen Years of Coding and Starting Over

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 04:35:07 +1000

HTML was the first syntax-based language I learned. I still remember the joy on my face as I wrote the <scroll> tag and saw the text move from one side of the screen to another. A few nbsp; and I could see text have more space than what the default setting allowed.

Since then, I have never stepped away from the world of software and technology. Building software gave me so much joy.

Something changed though in mid-2024. I was creating less software. From a time when I would easily spend six to eight hours every day writing code, I was now spending more time outdoors. More time with friends, at the gym, swimming, and going to the movies. I realised I was burnt out from years of just working too much.

Since 2009, I have always had so many things to do. I built a lot of websites, web and mobile apps, and set up more servers than I can remember.

Last year I gave up many of the projects I was involved in. I wanted to do less. I wanted more time away from the computer and more time in the real world. I still enjoy programming. It still pays my bills. But I was no longer doing it outside of work.

Ever since I learned HTML, I always told everyone there was more to learn in the tech world than one person could ever keep up with. There are so many different aspects to making software work and so many people solving these problems.

I blinked, and suddenly there is so much to catch up with in the AI world.

Writing code by hand, something I enjoyed so much, is no longer considered the best way to create software. I even saw a video that said software engineering is a dead field and people should move to something else.

Maybe this is what I had been waiting for.

The AI world brings with it so many possibilities. Things will probably be rough for a while. The software engineering world will need fewer people now thanks to AI. Many will need retraining.

I am ready to learn again. And honestly, I am excited.

Somewhere Between Sydney and the Arctic

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 03:55:55 +1000

Its finally happening. The trip I had been planning since August last year. After hearing about a friend who recently went through a life-threatening operation, my mind immediately went to one question: what do I want to experience before life ever gets to that point?.

I am in Tromso in Norway as I write this and even though I am yet to see northern lights, I am filled with joy to be able to make this trip. So much has changed since then to now. I booked my tickets to go to Berlin in August. If work did not give me three months off, I would take 15 days and just visit Berlin and be back in Sydney.

Work agreed. I realised my lease was up for renewal. I had always wanted to move to a different place. A bigger place. Why? I am not sure. I was just listening to my heart the last few months. Wanted to do something. So I did. Not a lot of thought put into it. As long as I was not hurting anyone and it made me happy. I did it. Sent that email out to my real estate company and the place I called home for four years was now available for someone to call their home.

None of these were easy decisions. Giving up my flat, making a three-month travel itinerary and then shortening it to nine weeks cause of budget constraints, talking to my manager about the holiday, moving everything from the apartment into friend’s storage, saying goodbye to friends and the routine. Somehow it all fell into place though.

Almost everyone I spoke to about the break asked me what I was going to do when there. I had no plans other than enjoying the experience. The plan was to make plans every day based on how I felt that day. My friend Tania gave me a book and said let Sunil talk to Sunil in this trip and there has been a lot of that happening on this trip.

To the future me, I am glad we packed our bags and took the trip.

P.S: How beautiful is Norway in winters. Walking around in snowfall is such a joy.

Four Zero

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 22:12:35 +1000

Forty.

I used to rush to write this blog post every year, usually the day before my birthday on the 15th of December. But if this year had a theme, it was this: few things are rushed anymore. Things still get done. Just not in a hurry.

Less urgency. Less noise. More intention.

I turned 40 this year, and surprisingly, it doesn’t feel like a checkpoint. I remember turning 30 and spending a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to have achieved by that milestone. This year felt different. It felt more like setting the stage than checking boxes.

I was more intentional with my time this year and spent more of it creating space for what comes next.

A few years ago, I stopped setting strict yearly goals and started using themes instead. It’s given me direction without pressure, and it continues to work well for me.

Travel

I booked fewer trips for 2025 and a few tickets further out for 2026.

This year, I travelled to:

India
New Zealand
Poland

I moved between places at a slower pace than before and spent more time simply being where I was.

Most of this travel was about people. Catching up with friends, revisiting familiar places, and keeping things simple.

Fitness

Fitness stayed consistent, even when motivation didn’t.

There were good stretches and off weeks, but showing up regularly mattered more than doing things perfectly. Training gave structure to my days and helped keep everything else in balance.

Tech

This year reshaped how I think about building software.

I spent time learning to trust AI. Not as a shortcut, but as a collaborator. It changed how I approach problem-solving, debugging, and even thinking through ideas.

I also went deeper into Swift and SwiftUI, which stretched me in new ways. At the same time, I continued getting better at Ruby on Rails.

A lot of this learning came together while building cravingfor.app. It’s a product I’ve been steadily working on, refining, and living with day to day. This year was about getting it right. Shaping it patiently rather than rushing it out.

The app is close now, and it feels ready to be launched soon.

A Highlight

A few people asked what the highlight of the year was.

Swimming.

When I moved to Manly, the swim from Manly to Shelly felt like something I’d never be able to do. This year, I swam from Manly to Shelly and back a few times. Something that once felt out of reach slowly became normal.

Those swims weren’t about speed or distance. They were about getting in the water, trusting my body, and enjoying the movement.

Early mornings.
The ocean.
Steady breathing.

Love

This part of life stayed uncertain.

There were connections that didn’t last and lessons that took time to sink in. I handled things with more patience than before and felt less need to rush outcomes.

Projects and Space

This year, I stopped working on a lot of projects.

Some had been with me for a long time. Others just didn’t feel worth carrying forward anymore. Letting them go wasn’t easy, but it felt necessary.

The last few months, especially since August, were quiet. Sometimes boring. And instead of filling that boredom, I let it sit.

That space turned out to be useful. It helped clarify what mattered, what didn’t, and where my energy was better spent.

Overall

As I turn 40, I feel steady.

This year felt balanced. My health held up. Work felt intentional.

Here’s to 40.

Themes for 2026

More travel - Berlin, Norway, Barcelona, Lisbon, Qatar, and India
Apartment shift. Moving out of the apartment and finding a new apartment once I’m back
Spending more time building and growing cravingfor.app

No rush.
Just movement in the right direction.

Do Less

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 11:54:15 +1000

Since I moved back to India in 2009, I have struggled with managing my calendar. There were more things to do than I had time for. There was always that one new project to work on.

The last few years though, I made a conscious decision to slow down. Do less. Work less. Spend more time doing nothing. It was a long process of slowly parting ways with projects I had worked on for ten-plus years. As much as I enjoyed working with the team and on the product, I told myself I should be doing less. Do less instantly became a mantra.

Do less to do what though? I never asked myself that question. “It’s a question I answer later,” I told myself, because I was not sure if I would ever get to now. I am glad I did not answer the question then and pressure myself to do five new things to replace the previous things I committed to.

I have been doing random things with my free time: reading more, walking more, listening to more podcasts, working on an app that I have been wanting to work on. None of these take as much time, and it’s been great. Do less. I would highly recommend it if you can afford to. Being bored has been great.

Building What Wouldn’t Leave My Mind

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 13:23:16 +1000

I’ve been building something.

And that’s all I’ve wanted to do over the last few weeks. It’s a project that has lived quietly in the back of my mind for years, one of those ideas that keeps resurfacing no matter how many times I’ve tried tried to put it away.

Last month, it finally felt like the right time to commit to it. Letting go of other projects wasn’t easy; I enjoyed working on them. But this one kept calling for attention.

When I started, the scope was small. Two screens, that’s it. Today, I’m up to eight, and I already see a dozen more I’d love to add. Still, I’ve set myself a ship date. I want to get it out there. Have other people use it.

Last week, a friend asked me, “What if no one uses it? What if no one likes it?”

Answering that made something clear: this is the project I should have built all along. Even if no one else uses it, I will. It solves a problem I have. And that’s enough reason to build it.

Taking the Pressure Off

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 18:02:26 +1000

For a long time, every time I came up with an idea I wanted to work on, I put too much pressure on it. It had to be the idea, the one that hit it out of the park. The winning idea. The idea that lots of people used, loved, and talked about.

But age (and experience) has taught me something important: putting all that weight on a single idea is never helpful. In fact, it often gets in the way.

Now I try to approach things differently: show up, do the best you can, and enjoy the work itself.

It’s a new kind of freedom. One that makes working on ideas lighter, easier, and far more fun.

Rethinking Code Reviews

Sat, 26 Jul 2025 10:48:29 +1000

We had an internal discussion in the team a few weeks ago about AI (it’s hard to be in tech and avoid talking about it).

What do you use it for? How has it improved the way you work?

A colleague mentioned using AI to do code reviews. A prompt in Claude Code would tell the AI: “Go to xxx branch, pull the latest code from remote. Switch over to master, pull the latest code from remote. Switch back to xxx branch, and compare the changes between xxx and master. For the code changes, provide suggestions on how to improve the code.”

I hadn’t thought of using AI for this. Every time I come across a new use case, I try it.

Other than looking up documentation and writing commit messages, this is another great use case for AI.

Coming back to using AI for code reviews, I started wondering: why do we need someone else on the team to do this? Why not make it part of the development process? After the developer finishes their work, they ask AI to review and provide suggestions. Accept or ignore them, but get a second pair of eyes on the code.

I’d still want another team member to look at the code, though. They might spot a broader pattern or issue that wasn’t part of this change.

Humans and AI working together to build software? Sign me up for that.