#119 - Navigating Ambiguity and AI's Impact on Engineering feat. Ivan Kusalic // CTO @ Enpal

alphalist.CTO Podcast - For CTOs and Technical Leaders

Leading in ambiguous environments and the impact of AI on engineering practices

In this episode, Tobi talks with Ivan Kusalic, CTO of Enpal, who leads a team of 250 engineers at one of Germany's leading solar energy companies. Ivan shares insights from his extensive technical leadership journey and his recent return to coding after seven years due to his excitement about AI.

Ivan discusses how he navigates complexity and ambiguity in the renewable energy sector, where Enpal builds systems to help households manage solar panels, batteries, EV chargers, and heat pumps as integrated energy solutions. He explains the challenges of coordinating with Germany's fragmented energy grid infrastructure and how Enpal's Virtual Power Plant stabilizes the grid by coordinating household energy consumption in real-time.

Discover:

• 🧠 How Ivan uses intuition as a leadership tool while managing complex technical organizations
• 🌞 The technical challenges of building integrated renewable energy systems for households
• ⚡ How Enpal's Virtual Power Plant (VPP) helps stabilize the energy grid through coordinated home energy management
• 📱 Ivan's personal productivity system and thought management techniques
• 🤖 Insights on AI's impact on engineering productivity and the future of coding
• 🚀 Practical tips for managing complexity and making decisions in ambiguous environments

TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Introduction to Alphas Podcast 00:54 Meet Ivan Kusalic, CTO of NPAL 02:00 Ivan's Journey into Engineering and Leadership 07:05 The Role of NPAL in the Renewable Energy Sector 14:54 Navigating Ambiguity in Complex Systems 16:30 The Importance of Intuition in Leadership 23:24 Tools and Techniques for Managing Thoughts and Productivity 26:01 The Future of AI in Engineering 29:07 Experimenting with AI in Coding 29:57 Productivity Gains with AI Tools 30:40 Challenges with AI in Complex Projects 31:37 AI's Randomness and Managing It 32:24 Real-World Examples of AI Limitations 35:08 Setting Up AWS Infrastructure with AI 38:10 The Evolution of Tech Stacks 44:35 Adopting AI in Large Organizations 51:01 Reflections and Advice for Engineers 54:28 Conclusion and Contact Information

QUOTE: "Intuition is an impulse to explore. It triggers the right thoughts for exploration in a moment that you would otherwise miss." - Ivan Kusalic, CTO of Enpal