How AI Is Reshaping Engineering Teams: Insights from 10 Denver Tech Leaders

Recently, we sat down with ten technology leaders from across Denver—Directors to SVPs—who oversee software engineering teams at companies ranging from Series C startups to a $5B healthcare enterprise. Our goal? To understand how AI is actually reshaping engineering orgs today, from sprint velocity to hiring strategy.

Here’s what we uncovered.

1. AI Adoption is All Over the Map

   From early prototyping to shipping customer-facing products, AI maturity varies widely across companies—and even teams within the same company. Most are starting with internal use cases: code generation, documentation, meeting notes, etc. The most popular tools mentioned were ChatGPT Enterprise, Claude, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, JetBrains AI (IntelliJ), Cursor, and GitLab. The main theme uncovered is that companies operating at scale are leveraging AI for efficiency, but it has not yet replaced engineers or had a direct impact on staffing plans.

2. Security and Privacy Are Major Hurdles

   Especially in regulated industries like finance and healthcare, leaders emphasized the importance of data policies. Some have adopted an “AI amnesty” model—prioritizing smart data handling over banning tools outright.

3. AI Coding Tools Boost Velocity—but Come with Tradeoffs

   Tools like Copilot and Claude are undeniably speeding up development, particularly for documentation, test generation, and boilerplate code. But they also pose a risk: developers becoming overly reliant or failing to understand the code they’re shipping.

4. Hiring is Getting Harder, Thanks to AI

   Several leaders cited a rise in “fake” candidates using AI tools to cheat in interviews. This is pushing a return to in-person interviews and a preference for local talent. There’s also ongoing debate over whether to hire more juniors (now more productive with AI) or continue prioritizing senior devs who can better wield these tools.

5. AI’s Role in Security and Performance is Just Getting Started

   Leaders are exploring AI tools for vulnerability scanning (e.g., Snyk), runtime threat detection, and even log analysis. There’s interest in applying AI to DevSecOps, though most are still in early stages.

Final Thoughts

AI isn’t replacing developers—it’s reshaping the skill sets and workflows required to thrive in software teams. For most of the leaders in this roundtable, the focus isn’t just on tools—it’s on how they’re used: with guardrails, governance, and a sharp eye on long-term talent development.

This is a conversation that’s only just beginning, and we’re excited to keep it going.