Description

In this episode

Drew sits down with Justin O’Connor, AI leader at KPMG Advisory and founder of InfraCodebase, an AI-native platform reimagining developer experience and cloud delivery. From automating his first enterprise workflow out of pure frustration to now shaping agent strategy for one of the world’s largest consultancies, Justin’s career has been a masterclass in momentum, experimentation, and enabling people to work smarter with AI.

Together, Drew and Justin explore what makes a “10x developer” in the age of agents, how culture (not tech) is the biggest barrier to AI adoption, and why developer experience is fast becoming a competitive advantage.

What you’ll learn in this episode

• Why developer experience is the new differentiator for AI-era engineering teams
• How to go from “AI curiosity” to real momentum through small wins and prototypes
• Why culture, literacy, and empathy matter more than tooling when adopting AI
• How InfraCodebase is rethinking cloud delivery around AI-native collaboration
• The rise of agents, interoperability, and the coming “year of orchestration”
• Why SaaS isn’t safe and how AI-native startups can still disrupt crowded markets

Chapters

[00:00] Justin on AI-native vs. legacy SaaS (intro clip)

[00:45] Justin’s origin story: from banking to automation to KPMG and AI strategy

[08:00] The InfraCodebase story and what “AI-native” really means

[10:00] Developer experience, culture, and why happy devs = happy customers

[11:55] Advice for mid-market companies: literacy, focus, and scale

[17:40] The 100x developer, enablement, and scaling knowledge across teams

[23:20] The age of agents: 2023–2026 and beyond

[27:40] Apps vs. no apps, orchestration, and where work will really happen

[33:50] Practical advice for leaders: start with culture, community, and enablement

[38:50] Empathy, momentum, and how to actually start

[39:15] Hot take: why legacy SaaS isn’t safe in the AI-native era

Connect w/ Drew & StealthX

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewhburdick/

Website: https://stealthx.co

Connect w/ Justin O’Connor

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-o-connor-67376483/

Website: https://infracodebase.com/