Discover the next era of software development
What does the future of software engineering look like?
Engelberg, Switzerland | June 28 - 30, 2026Twenty-five years ago, in the mountains of Utah, a small group of technologists gathered to rethink how software is built. Their ideas ignited what would become the agile movement, setting a new direction for the industry.
In February 2026, we returned, not to memorialize the past, but to confront a new inflection point: the shift to AI-native software development. Hosted by Martin Fowler and Thoughtworks, the event brought together a small group of practitioners, researchers and enterprise leaders to ask what responsible and effective software development looks like in an era defined by AI. We’ve captured the most impactful insights and future-facing perspectives from the group in this report.
We are bringing this critical conversation to Switzerland to confront the rapid shifts in AI-native development since February.
Why this moment matters
AI is already changing the craft: how we design, build, test, deploy, and reason about software.
Some foundations remain solid. Others are cracking. Teams are experimenting faster than language, principles, or shared understanding can keep up.
This retreat creates space to step back from the urgency of shipping and explore questions we don’t often get space to consider:
What does it mean to be an "AI-native" team - how do they work, learn, and make decisions?
How all of this tooling and code generation changes how we think about architecture and process?
What patterns and principles do we see forming?
What this retreat is
A small-format, highly participatory gathering built around 1.5 days of focused exploration and discussion.
No keynotes.
No staged content.
No performance.
No audiences. Only participants.
This is not a conference. It's a working session with peers who are shaping the future of the craft.
Instead:
Collaborative, facilitated discussions
Small-group breakouts
Experiences shared openly — what’s working and what isn’t
Space for critique, reflection, and cross-disciplinary thinking
Agenda
6pm to 8pm: Welcome reception and dinner at the Kempinski Palace Engelberg Restaurant
8am to 4:30pm: Unconference sessions, convening at the Kempinski Palace Engelberg conference space (Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Verdi and Schubert)
6pm to 9pm: Social event and dinner at location to be announced
8am to 12pm: Unconference sessions and closing reflections, convening at the Kempinski Palace Engelberg conference space (Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Verdi and Schubert)
12pm onwards: Afternoon departures
"We kept asking the same question in every room: if AI handles the code, where does the engineering actually go? Nobody had the same answer. But everybody agreed the question is urgent."
Voice from the floor, February 2026 (Chatham house rules applied)
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Key insights and themes from the Future of Software Engineering Retreat
Reflections on the Future of Software Engineering Retreat
Where does the rigor go?
