Lindsey Simon

AI tools are writing more code than ever — but the engineers and leaders getting the most from them aren't the ones with the best prompts. They're the ones who think most clearly.Drawing on The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking by his former math professor Michael Starbird, Lindsey makes the case that a generalist's toolkit — deep understanding, productive failure, relentless questioning — is the real multiplier in an AI-augmented workflow. The same habits that make you a better thinker make you a better collaborator with machines.This talk also draws on Vercel's own AI adoption journey: rolling out AI tooling company-wide, developing shared vocabulary for working with coding agents, and building systems that connect AI-generated code to real production impact. Lindsey shares practical lessons on what's worked, what hasn't, and why "learning how to think" may be the most underrated leadership skill in tech right now.