The Future of Software Engineering in the Age of ChatGPT - Kai Yuan Neo from Rocket Academy

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Welcome to Business Over Drinks, one of the most unique podcasts you will find anywhere in the world helmed by two people from different walks of life.

This entrepreneur podcast is an extension of their real-life experiences as business owners, salaried employees and industry mavericks who made mistakes along the way and lived to talk about it.

WE SPEAK TO: Kai Yuan Neo

Meet Kai, a software engineer, Stanford graduate, and founder and CEO of Rocket Academy, an online coding boot camp started and based in Singapore. With his impressive background in software engineering, from an internship at Facebook and Alibaba Cloud, to working with startups in America and Southeast Asia, Kai started Rocket Academy after witnessing a gap in the software engineering talent market. 

Other than his goal to equip talents with relevant tools that are in demand in the industry and job market, Rocket Academy also strives to provide an avenue for those without a tertiary education in Computer Science to switch careers and kickstart their journey into software engineering. 

With a splendid record of 100% success rate in getting employment offers for their graduates, Kai believes in giving back to his community by drawing on his experience to provide not only academic support but also moral support and employability skills to Rocket Academy’s graduates to ensure their success.

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WE’RE DRINKING:

• David – Prosecco
• Terng – Whiskey
• Kai – herbal drink for his cough 

WE CHAT ABOUT:

• Why Kai chose to start an EdTech company
• The increasing demand for software engineers vs the gap in skills in talents
• The future of software technology hiring trend
• Why Kai is optimistic about the future of hiring in the computer science industry in the age of AI like ChatGPT
• How does Rocket Academy achieve the 100% employability rate
• Rocket Academy’s approach on their education model and their priorities
• Theory-centric courses vs Project-centric courses in tertiary education
• Lessons in the Space Jam movie
• Kai’s experience interning at Meta and Alibaba Cloud and how that influenced the courses in Rocket Academy
• Kai’s input on Elon Musk’s doomsday outlook on the future of AI
• What kind of resources and what kind of talent is needed to create AI products
• Kai’s life advice for budding entrepreneurs 

GUEST’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. Robert Kuok, a Memoir: Author : Robert Kuok & Andrew Tanzer

2. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike: Author: Phil Knight

3. The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company: Author: Robert Iger

Visit our book recommendations section for more books from our guests

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT KAI

• Kai’s LinkedIn
• Rocket Academy’s website

PROMOTION:

• Use code “BOD20” for S$20 off Rocket Academy’s introductory coding course (Coding Fundamentals on rocketacademy.co) 
• Use code “BUSINESSOVERDRINKS” to get a $110 discount on your first year of Motley Fool Stock Advisor (NP: $199/year) or visit zen.ai/businessfool to find out more
• Get a FREE audiobook and support our show by signing up to a free Audible trial here: https://www.audible.com.au/bod011-20
• Check out amazing (and collector’s) selections of gin and whiskey from Gin Loot and Whiskey Loot at Liquor Loot.
• Listeners get 10% of David’s hilarious new book, Everyday A**holes, using the promo code BOD at checkout. Get a copy at everydayassholes.net.
• Listeners get a free 30-minute consultation with Terng’s company, SYNC PR. Just mention this podcast when contacting them at syncpr.co
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