All software is an optimization of tokens and time (and speed is still the moat) | AMD’s Anush Elangovan

What happens when you strip away decades of engineering abstractions and let AI navigate the wild west between your initial intent and the final outcome? This week on Dev Interrupted, Anush Elangovan, VP of AI Software at AMD, returns to unpack the rapid shift toward an agentic software development lifecycle. Anush introduces the concept of "Agentic IO," a workflow where engineers focus strictly on high-level goals while AI handles the complex implementation. The conversation also highlights the expanding productivity wingspan of modern developers, the power of local open source models, and why speed remains the ultimate competitive moat. Learn why: LinearB is a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Developer Productivity Insight PlatformsFollow the show:Subscribe to our Substack Follow us on LinkedInSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelLeave us a ReviewFollow the hosts:Follow AndrewFollow BenFollow DanFollow today's guest:AMD ROCm: Learn more about AMD's open-source software stack for AI at rocm.docs.amd.com and on GitHub.AMD Advancing AI 2026: Register for AMD's flagship global AI event taking place July 22-23 in San Francisco at amd.com/advancing-ai.Follow Anush on LinkedIn: Anush Elangovan | AMD blogOFFERSStart Free Trial: Get started with LinearB's AI productivity platform for free.Book a Demo: Learn how you can ship faster, improve DevEx, and lead with confidence in the AI era.LEARN ABOUT LINEARBAI Code Reviews: Automate reviews to catch bugs, security risks, and performance issues before they hit production.AI & Productivity Insights: Go beyond DORA with AI-powered recommendations and dashboards to measure and improve performance.AI-Powered Workflow Automations: Use AI-generated PR descriptions, smart routing, and other automations to reduce developer toil.MCP Server: Interact with your engineering data using natural language to build custom reports and get answers on the fly.