Engineer Returns to Coding After Years in Management, Finds the Role Has Changed

A software engineer reflects on completing one year at mobile and API security firm Approov after transitioning back from a management career. He found that the rise of AI-assisted 'agentic' coding shifted the premium skill from writing code from memory to crafting precise specifications and making sound architectural judgments. Crucially, he realised his management years had been quietly building exactly those skills, rather than pulling him away from engineering. Moving from payments to mobile security, he noted a key difference: while payments typically begins with trusted parties on both ends, mobile security requires earning trust on every single request. He describes shedding a middle-management 'translation layer' as one of the year's greatest gains, now working in a smaller team where decisions are made and acted on directly.