Neel Shivdasani
About Neel
I pay the bills with my work as a PM for AI features and agents at Webflow. In my free time, I make art with code that I often try to bring into the physical world. I'll have an interactive installation on June 12th at Underground Atlanta as well as some sculptures on display at the OK Motion 5th anniversary party at the Goat Farm in July.
At the end of the work day, I'm ready to get off of my computer. This can make it hard for me to make time for reading news, making art (with code), and learning new things. Lately, I've been putting a lot of thought into how I can take some of my computer-based work and move it away from the screen. I've been generating podcasts that help me learn and making physical versions of my code-based art. Anything that I can do while walking around my neighborhood or building something with my hands is a plus.
NotebookLM
NotebookLM is a small personalized knowledge base that you can populate with specific context and then talk to. I use it because it has a podcast feature that generates 20-60 minute podcasts, enabling me to learn away from my computer.
→ VisitDeep Research
Deep research is a skill used by agents to synthesize a large amount of information. I actually asked my agent to build a skill rather than using this MD, but it's been really valuable when I'm planning large changes to my codebase.
→ VisitThe Drama
This recent movie from Kristoffer Borgli (Dream Scenario) starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson really caught me off guard with how well constructed it was and with... the unexpected detail. Don't look it up. Just watch it.
→ Visit
What I'm thinking about
This month, I'm wrapping up the proposal for my very first book! (Wish me luck!) So I've been diving really deeply into systems thinking, what makes a system equitable, and how to build tech that is regenerative rather than solely extractive. I want to help move the conversation toward the "how" of building tech that empowers.
Lenny's Podcast: How Anthropic, Costco, and Patagonia all build incorruptible companies with Eric Ries
Eric Ries, author of the classic The Lean Startup, is back with a new book called Incorruptible. If The Lean Startup is the guide to building a successful company, then Incorruptible shows us how to protect what we've built.
→ VisitCode & Conscience
Code & Conscience is my way of thinking out loud with friends (that's you, btw) about how we as technologists — builders, creators, and leaders — impact the world around us with what we choose to build and how we build it.
→ VisitSouth of Midnight
A stunning game with a captivating story based on the folklore of the Deep South. It's available on Xbox, PC, PlayStation, Steam Deck, and Switch — and it's currently on sale, so you can explore this unique portrayal of Southern and African American fantasy just in time for Juneteenth.
→ Visit
What I'm thinking about
This month I'm really thinking about how to get beyond the headlines of AI's impact and figure out how to make it really useful, beyond coding, for doing important things. There continue to be challenges in getting real with how to find the benefits in an existing business, and I appreciate the folks who are thinking about this and providing everything from topics to consider to actionable steps!
I Switched 50% of My AI Work to Claude, Here's Why
A great overview of how to jump in and use Claude well in non-code ways.
→ VisitThe CTO Substack
Always great insights here, including what the next challenges are in engineering leadership and ways to be ready for them.
→ VisitAfter Burnout
Kelly has some great, applicable advice for how to be a good manager, which can also be used to figure out how to work well with your manager.
→ Visit
What I'm thinking about
Recently, I've been thinking about AI ethics and how it should factor into my job search, especially the kind of company I want to work for. Not just the AI products a company builds, but their values around the responsibility that comes with building them, how they use AI internally, and how much research I should really be doing before I apply or interview somewhere.
Lovable
An AI website builder that lets you ship real, custom-coded sites just by describing what you want in natural language. If you've ever wanted to build something but stalled on the engineering, this changes the equation. I've used it for both REFACTR.TECH and my personal site.
→ VisitI Made Claude Do My Job Search While I Slept
A scheduled Claude task that scans LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and Dice weekly, filters against my criteria (remote, salary floor, role fit), and drops a curated digest in my inbox every Monday. Job searching became one task per week instead of a constant background process.
→ VisitHow Did This Get Made
I've been listening to HDTGM for over 15 years. The only thing I love more than a good movie is a truly bad one, and every other week the hosts do a deep dive into a new cinematic disaster. Bad 80s and 90s action movies are basically my comfort food.
→ VisitFrom the Community
Recommendations from the people who show up.
Anonymous
Sean Goedecke
He does cool work and posts very insightful thoughts on his blog. He has written a book that has helped me immensely.
→ VisitThe Programming Podcast
These people are genuinely creating content to help people who are starting in the industry, and it doesn't stop there — they have a Discord server that builds a huge community with a lot of channels to help people get a job for free.
→ Visit
Henri Helvetica
Lenny's Podcast
I used to live and breathe pure technical streams, but lately, I'm deep into product driven content like Lenny's Podcast. As Claude Code creator Boris Cherny noted on a recent episode, we're moving into a world where writing code "won't really matter" as much, shifting the ultimate differentiator to product taste and multidisciplinary execution: business acumen, design sense, or even user experience understanding.
→ Visit
Mike Hartington
Implementing Standard.site
Standard.site is a new standard for defining how content can be displayed on AT Protocol platforms, like Bluesky. Mat shows how to set up Standard.site metadata on your site, and how to validate your setup with the rest of the ATmosphere.
→ Visit
Susa Hart
Previous REFACTR talks:
House of El - AI
I've been intrigued lately by this YouTube channel that intends to demystify AI and its impact on global politics, macroeconomics, and the tech industry. It's somewhat intriguing and suspicious that the host, a Comp Sci PhD, doesn't expose her name. But so far the topics are thought-provoking, like "Why do the tech bros rush everyone to deploy AI?" and "AI is more expensive than humans."
→ VisitElmiche
Shell Game
With all the buzz about AI taking people's jobs, Evan Ratliff puts the question to the test — in season 1, he creates a voice clone of himself and releases it into the world; in season 2, he runs a startup staffed mostly by AI agents.
→ Visit
Elizabeth Jamison
Unmasking AI
Dr. Joy Buolamwini explains the harm of biased AI through the lens of facial recognition technology, alongside her academic story and how she fell into AI ethics research. A really great intro to AI ethics that's accessible to everyone — including non-tech folks.
→ VisitElizabeth Jamison
Dr. Timnit Gebru
She co-authored the foundational "Stochastic Parrots" and TESCREAL papers. Because she runs her own research institute with no commercial ties, she can speak more freely on AI than most researchers. Strong takes on AI and the language we use to talk about it.
→ VisitElizabeth Jamison
Georgia Tech OMSCS
GT's OMSCS is a great (and affordable) way to earn a master's while working. Graduates can continue taking classes, so it's a nice way to stay current. They also publish syllabi and course materials online — even if you don't enroll, it's a great resource for diving deeper into CS topics.
→ VisitOn the Community's Mind
Reflections from the people sending us recommendations.
"This month I've really been thinking about harness engineering but also thinking about if product managers or directors are now more important than ever and if I should move into that kind of work from development IC work."
— Anonymous
"The personification of AI (e.g., saying 'hallucinations' instead of 'errors') is used to make it more human-like and likable. This is problematic — it makes errors seem inevitable and less malicious than they are."
— Elizabeth Jamison
"This month I've been thinking of how to shout to the world how cool and effective coffee chat is for networking."
— Cindy Mae Ngoho
"It's easy to focus on the low morale gripping a lackluster job market as organizations slash entire teams. But a rising tide I'm bullish on: a steady reinvestment in live, in-person experiences, proving that genuine human connection has never been more vital."
— Henri Helvetica· PAST SPEAKER
"As tech workers, how might we help companies use AI to innovate better human experiences, instead of delivering slop that's intended to replace us?"
— Susa Hart· PAST SPEAKER
"I've been thinking about where AI currently is in regards to potentially replacing human workers."
— Elmiche