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Aug 7, 2026

Psychological Safety in Software Engineering - Jenny-Margrethe Vej & Alexandra Hou Aldershaab

The '10x rockstar developer' is a myth that breeds burnout. Discover why psychological safety and neurodiversity are the true foundational requirements for high-performing software delivery.

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#1 about 3 min

Intersecting neurodivergent support and technical operations consulting

Combining backgrounds in neurodiversity and technical operations reveals a shared need for sustainable work environments.

#2 about 2 min

Treating developer mistakes as team learning opportunities

Framing errors as systemic issues rather than personal failures encourages continuous learning and innovation.

#3 about 3 min

Navigating corporate pushback against diversity and inclusion

The tech industry faces mounting challenges as companies retreat from essential accessibility and diverse hiring programs.

#4 about 3 min

Aligning inclusive team environments with developer productivity

Fostering open communication empowers diverse perspectives to identify architectural traps and improve system design.

#5 about 3 min

Moving away from the lone rockstar developer myth

Emphasizing collaborative practices over individual heroics produces more sustainable and effective software engineering pipelines.

#6 about 3 min

Diversifying student demographics in computer science education

Broadening university admissions introduces fresh perspectives into human-computer interaction and inclusive product design.

#7 about 5 min

Using data to drive inclusive university faculty hiring

Presenting concrete evidence of toxic environments compels institutions to overhaul network-based hiring algorithms.

#8 about 3 min

Creating localized safe spaces within rigid work cultures

Small groups can establish psychological safety in specific meetings before attempting wider organizational transformations.

#9 about 5 min

Improving developer retention through supportive management practices

Investing in an environment where employees feel heard significantly reduces costly staff turnover.

#10 about 4 min

Demonstrating the business value of inclusive office environments

Simple accommodations like silent lunch areas boost overall employee well-being and reduce code review friction.

#11 about 5 min

Balancing remote work flexibility with personal care responsibilities

Allowing engineers to adapt their schedules around family needs increases both job satisfaction and technical output.

#12 about 4 min

Rejecting unsustainable overtime and toxic startup expectations

Artificial intelligence productivity gains should reduce working hours rather than setting impossible expectations for continuous output.

#13 about 5 min

Preserving the senior developer pipeline amidst automation

Relying on automation for junior tasks threatens the long-term development of experienced software architects.

#14 about 3 min

Implementing practical meeting structures and blameless post-mortems

Providing clear agendas and accepting asynchronous input enables team members to communicate without fear of retribution.

#15 about 2 min

Managing cultural differences in direct engineering feedback

Carving out dedicated time for collaborative pre-meetings mitigates misunderstandings caused by blunt communication styles.

#16 about 3 min

Transforming human resources into a supportive employee resource

Proactive and empathetic check-ins redefine the human resources function from disciplinary action to genuine employee assistance.

Matching moments

5:18 min

Addressing psychological safety and ethical risks of AI adoption

Vera Slavnić Vera Slavnić · Europe 2026 Virtual

8:08 min

Q&A on making workplaces inclusive and software career advice

Joana Simoes · LIVE

1:31 min

Addressing developer burnout and the impact of artificial intelligence

Pauline Pagliaro Pauline Pagliaro · WWC 2025

2:08 min

Navigating and mitigating the impacts of broken engineering cultures

Oskar Kruschitz Oskar Kruschitz · Europe 2026 Virtual

2:20 min

Practical strategies for thriving as a neurodivergent software developer

Dennie Declercq · WWC 2022

4:10 min

Preventing developer burnout by avoiding toxic productivity trends

Katja Träumner

Upcoming sessions on this topic

Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

The Broken Rung: How AI is Rebuilding Software Development from the Ground Up

Tomislav Tipurić

Chief Technology Officer, Nephos

Tomislav Tipurić
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

When Humans Stop Writing Code: Rethinking Languages, Compilers, and Responsibility

Simon Auer

Organizer of flutter vienna meetup and CEO of marqably

Simon Auer
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

Beyond the Code: Human-AI Synergies in Product Development

Ajita Kanchivakam Ananth

Staff Technical Program Manager at Google

Ajita Kanchivakam Ananth
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

Culture Doesn't Scale Itself: Leading Engineering Teams Through Hypergrowth and the AI Transition

Thanos Baskous

VP of Engineering and Co-founder of Cogent Security

Thanos Baskous
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

Engineering the Pivot: How Creative Strategy Solves the Hard Problems of AI Accuracy and Scale

Shruti Tiwari

AI/ML product manager, Dell

Shruti Tiwari
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

Vibe Coding Accessibility

Karl Groves

Focused on actively fixing accessibility

Karl Groves

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