Is Critical Thinking the Most Important Skill for Software Engineers? - The Pragmatic Engineer

Critical thinking will only become more important as AI tools spread more. How can you get better at this, and why should you reject jargon and "thought leaders?"

Before we start: I'm hosting the first-ever The Pragmatic Summit on 11 February, 2026, in San Francisco. Join 400 top engineers and leaders as we answer the question: How is AI reshaping software engineering, dev workflows, and the modern engineering stack? Spaces are limited - don't miss out! Buy tickets here . --> Critical thinking will only become more important as AI tools spread more. How do you get better at this, and why do yourself a service by rejecting jargon and by not taking things at face value from "thought leaders." When I think back on the software engineers I looked up to, the

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