The Software Development Lifecycle Reimagined: Building in the AI Era

Pre-Event Viewing: Please watch Andrej Karpathy’s “Software 3.0” presentation for essential context on how natural language programming is reshaping development: https://youtu.be/LCEmiRjPEtQ?si=ZibBSEGJB6lO1PgN
AI coding tools are fundamentally changing how software gets built. This isn’t just about productivity—it’s about rethinking the entire development lifecycle from requirements to release, from vibe coding to rapid prototyping. Join fellow CTOs to discuss what’s working, what’s broken, and what comes next.

Key Discussion Topics:

Software 1.0 → 3.0 Transition: How “vibe coding” and natural language programming are eating traditional codebases—and where legacy systems fit.

New QA Reality: Building confidence in non-deterministic systems when traditional testing approaches hit their limits.

Blurred Role Boundaries: PMs building UIs, developers rapid-prototyping—how team structures are evolving and what breaks.

The Experience Gap: Why AI tools impact junior and senior developers differently, and what that means for hiring and mentorship.

Release Criteria Evolution: Moving beyond defect counts—new standards for “production ready” in an AI-assisted world.

Legacy Integration Strategy: Practical approaches for introducing AI development tools without creating technical debt disasters.

Share real experiences and unresolved challenges as we navigate this shift together.

This panel discussion will be moderated by Oded Noy and include:

Jon Perl
Co-founder and CEO of QA Wolf
Jon Perl is the co-founder and CEO of QA Wolf, specializing in automated end-to-end test coverage for software. Since its launch in January 2019, QA Wolf has assisted over 150 companies in automating 80% of their quality assurance processes, accelerating release cycles by five times, and saving customers more than $100 million. Previously, Jon was CTO at Zipdrug, developing a pharmacy care coordination platform, and Head of Technology at Dispatch, and guest lecturer at Purdue.

Chris Smith
VP of Systems Engineering at Crexi
Chris Smith has a diverse work experience in technology and engineering roles. Prior to his time at Crexi, Chris worked as a Senior Staff Engineer at Cruise. Chris also held the position of Vice President, Data Science at Ticketmaster for seven years. Throughout their career, Chris has showcased expertise in data analysis, system engineering, and leadership.

Chris Daden
CTO of Criteria
Chris is a multi-time founder with successful exits in enterprise technology and other industries. He’s brought over $100MM in software to market, with solutions used by global enterprises and Fortune 500 companies. Chris has held both CTO and CEO roles across organizations ranging from early-stage startups to global scale-ups. Chris currently serves as global CTO at Criteria where his focus is on scaling traditional and generative AI systems, advancing science-based talent signals, and enabling distributed teams to thrive.

Agenda:
Networking (6:30 PM – 7:00 PM): Begin the evening by connecting with like-minded professionals. Expand your network and exchange ideas in a friendly, collaborative environment over light refreshments
Panel Discussion & Q&A (7:00 PM – 8:30 PM)
Post-Event Networking (8:30 PM – 9:00 PM): Continue the conversation and build deeper connections with fellow attendees. Discuss insights from the panel and explore potential collaborations.

Whether you’re a seasoned CTO with extensive experience or a VP of Engineering that is new to the role, this panel discussion promises valuable insights and actionable takeaways. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from industry experts and network with like-minded professionals.