Speaking - Michelle Brenner

Featured Talks

Michelle has spoken at technology and business events across the United States, as well as in Europe and the Caribbean. She offers customized talks for tech businesses and nonprofits, student organizations and recent graduates.

Professional Development

The Missing Cipher: The Field Guide to Becoming a Senior Software Engineer

Mid-Level Engineers / Engineering Leadership 30-60 mins

I learned how to be a Senior Engineer by listening to those around me and deputizing my co-workers as my unofficial mentors. As many teams have become stratified and the Senior Engineer is most likely to work remotely, this learning-by-osmosis is no longer happening.

In an excerpt from my book, we’ll discuss the product lifecycle, including writing the pitch and designing the MVP, to releasing a fully productionized app to general availability and handling exponential growth with distributed systems.

Technical skills are only half of what you need. We’ll go over the professional skills, from navigating ambiguity and technical negotiation to documenting your work to create your brand and finally acing the next interview you’ll get with your expanded network.

For the engineer looking to take control of their career, or the manager seeking a lesson plan to uplevel their team, the missing cipher will help them navigate this critical transition. Based on my personal story, interviews with a diverse set of engineers at every level, and research on what the studies say really works, this talk will provide the highlights to get you started today.

Takeaways

System Design breakdown, from basics to productionizing
Communication and research tactics for bringing ideas to life
Adding resilience and observability to reduce support costs
AI native thinking to focus our judgment and skills on critical tasks

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Innovation Strategy

Engineering Leadership in the Age of AI

Engineering and Business Leaders 30-60 mins

Alternate title options available

We’ll start by examining the friction points among the people in your company, who all have different AI goals. Executives want cost and headcount down. Technical leadership wants AI in the workflows without losing accountability. Engineering managers want to meet their production goals while keeping their teams. Engineers want to build good products, learn the new tools, and still have a job next year. Almost every AI collision at work is between those four goals, and we’ll name them out loud so we can find solutions.

We’ll go through the research and what the numbers are saying instead of just the headlines. We’ll trace where the tech layoffs are really coming from, and how many of them are the result of AI efficiencies. We’ll spend a minute on the history of how the spreadsheets were going to eliminate accounts in 1983, but there are even more in 2026.

Then we’ll get hands-on. No one automatically knows how to use AI because it’s an everything tool. We’ll cut through the confusion by applying a Six Sigma process map. Originally designed to modernize bureaucracy, we’ll use it to understand where AI can be most effective and where we need to keep the creative human in the loop. This will help us focus on being more productive and using AI surgically, rather than spending a year’s worth of tokens in a month trying to do everything.

Takeaways:

A map of the four AI goals in your org based on the current research, and language for surfacing them
A process mapping exercise you can run on your own work
What the six percent did differently
A concrete plan to make the most out of AI and increase RO

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Career Resilience

Meet, Greet, Repeat. Networking Skills to Build Real Connections

All Professionals 45-60 mins

Alternate title options available

In a world where AI blurs reality, face-to-face connections are critical to standing out. This workshop includes everything you were expected to know about socializing, but no one ever told you. We will do a deep dive into where to find events, breaking into conversations, what to say once you get started, and how to follow up so it’s not just a rising number of connections on LinkedIn.

This workshop has been a conference favorite because you won’t just be listening to me talk. You will immediately put each new skill into practice with your fellow attendees. Most people walk out with their first new connection already made. Having a structure to follow is what turns a daunting room into an exciting one.

10 years ago, I was stuck on a dead-end team at a company that eventually shuttered. I studied networking to kick-start my career, and after 7 years at Netflix that started at a conference, I am going to help you skip a few steps and get right to what works.

Takeaways

Setting networking goals and identifying the most useful events
Becoming a confident conversationalist
Making a genuine connection instead of a one-off conversation

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From the Archive

Previous Talks

Skill Building

3 Habits To Become Employee of the Year

Engineers At All Levels 45-60 mins (flexible)

Professional skills are rarely taught in school, even though they are as critical to career success as technical skills. In this talk, I will let you in on the 3 habits that have helped me and hundreds of people I have mentored to become superstar employees and fast-track their growth. Specifically, I will show you how to give meaningful feedback, enhance your brand, and create a thriving network within your industry. The secret is: it’s not just about you. It’s about transforming your team into a powerhouse and sending your ROI soaring.

Personal Branding

Transform into an Industry Expert and Supercharge Your Career Growth

Mid-Senior-Level Engineers 45-60 mins (flexible)

When you solve a technical problem by reading a blog post, watching a YouTube video or using an open source tool, it can seem like there are a world of experts who know more than you. In fact, those are all regular people just like you. It’s time to share your expertise. Not only will you be helping other people, you will be establishing your industry brand as an expert in your field. Your brand will help you land the projects, promotions and career growth you are looking for. This talk will help you generate ideas and get writing, filming and coding for your community.

Product Leadership

Project Management for Engineers

Senior ICs 45 mins

Senior technologists are often tasked with “dealing with ambiguity”. It can be daunting to get started with project management when you are used to receiving tickets. This framework will walk through the entire project process, from ideation to presentation. It also includes practical exercises like the Impact Effort Matrix for planning and Success Statements for reporting. Finally, it will cover techniques for delighting stakeholders while keeping your teammates from burning out. Owning your project management means knowing you are doing the right work while having a broad impact.

Previous Venues