How I use LLMs as a staff engineer in 2026

Staff engineer Sean Goedecke documents how his LLM usage has evolved over fifteen months—from occasional tactical help to relying on agents for nearly all code changes and bug investigations. He argues that while agents now handle most technical tasks well, human judgment remains essential for evaluating their output, narrowing the problem space, and overseeing high-impact work. The takeaway is about balance: push substantial work onto agents without over-relying on them for communication or sensitive technical decisions that still require human judgment.