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Knowing how LLM contexts work and how to work around context limitations – aka “context engineering” – is becoming more important for software engineers working with LLMs. Let’s look into what works and what doesn’t, today.
In this episode of The Pragmatic Engineer podcast, I sit down with the CEO and cofounder of HumanLayer, Dex Horthy, who coined the term “context engineering”. We discuss the ideas behind this context engineering, harness engineering, loop engineering, software factories, why his approach to AI-assisted software development has evolved, and how HumanLayer is helping engineering teams automate more of the software development lifecycle without sacrificing code quality.
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Timestamps
Intro
Dex’s path into tech
Early work in platform engineering
Replicated
Metalytics
12-factor agents
Context engineering
Harness engineering
Context overload
Loop engineering
Software factories before and after AI
Automation limits
Three options for automating
RPI framework
Intentional compaction
Token harder vs. token smarter
AI slop
HumanLayer
Book recommendation
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The Pragmatic Engineer deepdives relevant for this episode:
• How Uber uses AI for development: inside look
• Are AI agents actually slowing us down?
• AI Tooling for Software Engineers in 2026
• Vibe Coding as a software engineer
• AI Engineering in the real world
• How AI-assisted coding will change software engineering: hard truths
• The creator of OpenClaw: "I ship code I don't read"
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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@pragmaticengineer.com.
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