The Art of Network Engineering

In Linux, the whoami command returns the identity of the current user.
But what happens when engineers ask that same question about themselves?
Who am I if I am no longer the person who knows every command? Who am I if automation can perform the work I spent years mastering? Who am I if AI can write code I never learned how to write?
At AutoCon 5 in Munich, Andy Lapteff sat down with Network Automation Forum founders Chris Grundemann and Scott Robohn to examine one of the biggest barriers to technological change: identity.
For decades, network engineers built their careers around mastering the CLI. Certifications, maintenance windows, troubleshooting experience, and vendor-specific knowledge reinforced a particular definition of what it meant to be a skilled engineer.
Automation challenges that definition.
When our skills become part of our identity, new tools do not simply feel unfamiliar. They can feel threatening. Instead of objectively evaluating the technology, we protect the version of ourselves that the technology appears to be replacing.
This conversation explores how identity shapes our worldview, determines which ideas we are willing to consider, influences our career decisions, and ultimately affects our outcomes.
Andy also shares his own journey from publicly resisting network automation to working with Python, GitHub, AI coding tools, and open-source collaboration.
The group discusses why automation reallocates attention rather than simply saving time, how it reduces cognitive load, why engineers do not need to become professional programmers, and how AI is changing what technical expertise looks like.
The tools will keep changing.
The more important question is whether your identity can change with them.
Links:
• AONE Website: https://artofnetworkengineering.com
• NAF: https://networkautomation.forum/
• Scott Robohn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottrobohn/
• Chris Grundemann: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cgrundemann/
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Does making your code public mean giving away your best ideas?
It's a question more developers are asking as AI makes software creation more accessible than ever.
After spending decades believing software development wasn't for him, Andy Lapteff has spent the last several months building real applications with AI-assisted coding tools like Claude Code. That journey led to a bigger question:
Should you make your GitHub repositories public?
Joining Andy is William Collins for a thoughtful discussion about open source software, GitHub, intellectual property, AI-assisted development, and why the real value in software may have far less to do with code than most people think.
Together they explore why projects like Terraform became industry standards, how open source communities create powerful network effects, and why execution—not ideas—often becomes the real competitive advantage.
They also discuss the changing role of AI in software development, the future of technical careers, and why builders, entrepreneurs, and network engineers should rethink what it means to create value in the age of AI.
In this episode, you'll learn:
 Why open source doesn't necessarily mean giving away your ideas 
 When to keep a GitHub repository private—and when to make it public 
 Why community can become a stronger competitive advantage than code 
 How AI tools like Claude Code are changing software development 
 What network engineers can learn from open source software 
 Why execution matters more than protecting ideas 
Whether you're a developer, network engineer, entrepreneur, or simply curious about how AI is changing software, this conversation will challenge some long-held assumptions about open source, intellectual property, and building technology.
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Andy Lapteff sits down with network architect James Bensley at AutoCon 5 in Munich to explore the realities of service provider networking, architecture, automation, and standards development.
 
James shares his path from support engineer to architect, explains how network designs evolve, and discusses how architects balance business requirements, operational simplicity, and long-term scalability. 

The episode also explores product development, the IETF, RFCs, and why understanding fundamentals still matters more than chasing the latest buzzwords.
 
A must-listen for network engineers interested in architecture, automation, or service provider networking. 
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What happens when a network engineer realizes their biggest strength isn’t just technology, it’s communication?
In this episode of The Art of Network Engineering, Andy Lapteff sits down with Patrick McCabe to discuss the transition from network engineering into product marketing and other vendor-side technical roles.
Pat shares stories from:
carrier-scale networking,
tier 3 operational support,
IPTV deployments at AT&T,
systems engineering,
sales,
and eventually product marketing leadership.
Together, they discuss:
why some engineers naturally gravitate toward communication-focused roles,
how soft skills accelerate technical careers,
the realities of outages and operational burnout,
the difference between engineering and product marketing mindsets,
and why AI is changing how technical professionals work.
This episode is especially relevant for engineers who enjoy:
teaching,
storytelling,
customer interaction,
content creation,
mentoring,
or translating technical complexity into business value.
If you’ve ever wondered what comes after network operations, this conversation offers an honest look at one possible path forward.
Topics discussed:
Product marketing, vendor careers, systems engineering, AI, technical communication, networking careers, maintenance windows, IPTV, AT&T networking, soft skills, sales engineering, and career growth in IT.
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AI infrastructure is reshaping networking faster than most engineers realize.
In this episode, Andy Lapteff sits down with Scott Robohn to discuss why traditional network engineers should start paying attention to AI networking, GPU infrastructure, and the massive changes happening inside modern data centers.
They explore:
Why AI workloads are changing networking requirements
GPU networking and lossless Ethernet
Ethernet vs InfiniBand
The rise of NeoCloud providers
Co-Packaged Optics (CPO)
Ultra Ethernet and emerging transport technologies
Why AI infrastructure behaves like “one giant computer”
How network engineers can start learning this technology today
This conversation cuts through the hype and focuses on what actually matters for engineers trying to stay relevant as AI continues transforming the industry.
Whether you're a traditional network operator, automation engineer, architect, or someone curious about the future of networking, this episode will help you understand where the industry is heading next.
Guest: Scott Robohn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottrobohn/
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