Frameworks change, but the hardest problems in production software don’t. This post explores what senior developers should actually care about in 2026 - judgment, boundaries, domain modeling, performance, testing, and communication - long after the hype fades.
TL;DR Code reviews should teach, not just catch bugs. Stop nitpicking syntax and start building autonomous developers. Focus on architectural patterns, ask guiding questions instead of giving orders, and eliminate multi-team approval bottlenecks that delay delivery. Good reviews create learning opportunities that scale your team’s expertise. Code reviews shouldn’t be about catching syntax errors or enforcing personal preferences. They’re your best tool for spreading architectural knowledge and building stronger development teams. But most teams get this wrong, creating bureaucratic bottlenecks instead of learning opportunities. ...