Episode 231: The B is Back

May 20, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The B Is Back: Why Software Engineering Needs a New Set of Principles

When Brent Jensen walked off the Pacific Crest Trail after a year-long thru-hike from Mexico to Canada, he returned to a software industry that looked fundamentally different from the one he left. The trail name that stuck—"Spy"—came from a fellow hiker who caught him recording voice notes and asked if he was a spy. But the bigger shift was professional: the modern testing principles he and Alan Page had spent years developing and evangelizing suddenly felt like they belonged to a previous era. "I do feel modern testing principles have expired," Brent told Alan on Episode 231 of AB Testing. Alan pushed back—the principles were never really about testing, they were about delivery—but conceded a crucial point: "They're insufficient. They're an insufficient definition of how teams deliver in this new world."

The Case for Postmodern Engineering

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What you'll learn

1 (00:05) **Welcome and Host Banter** - Allen and Brent reintroduce themselves after a long hiatus, with playful arguing over episode numbering and Brent's status as a "guest."
2 (02:58) **Catching Up: Trail Name "Spy" and the PCT Hike** - Brent explains where his trail name "Spy" came from during his Pacific Crest Trail hike.
3 (08:56) **Personal Update: ADHD Diagnosis** - Brent shares a personal revelation.
4 (11:49) **Allen's New Role at Microsoft** - Allen shares his own career update.
5 (15:23) **The Core Thesis: Modern Testing Principles Have Expired** - Brent introduces the main argument that the old principles are no longer sufficient.
6 (20:53) **Introducing "Postmodern Engineering Principles"** - Brent names and defines the proposed new framework.
7 (25:34) **Adding to the Definition: Vibe Coding and Continuous Feedback** - Allen and Brent expand on the core idea.

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Show Notes

In this episode, Spy and a special guest explore the evolving landscape of software engineering, emphasizing the shift towards postmodern engineering principles that acknowledge the role of AI, organizational interaction, and probabilistic systems. They discuss how traditional concepts are becoming obsolete and propose a new framework for trustworthy, adaptive socio-technical systems.