Episode · Lenny's Podcast · 2026-02-12
Lenny Rachitsky & Sherwin Wu: books mentioned on Lenny's Podcast
“Engineers are becoming sorcerers” | The future of software development with OpenAI’s Sherwin Wu
Sherwin Wu leads engineering for OpenAI’s API platform, where roughly 95% of engineers use Codex, often working with fleets of 10 to 20 parallel AI agents. We discuss: 1.
Sherwin Wu recommended There Is No Antimemetics Division, Breakneck by Dan Wang, and Apple in China by Patrick McGee, and discussed Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, second edition by Harold Abelson and others and The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick P. Brooks Jr..
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, second edition
Discussed“So structure and interpretation of computer programs. So SICP. At MIT it was really popular and it was actually used as the introductory textbook for the intro programming course for a very long time.”
Where to get it
-
The Mythical Man-Month
Discussed“The way that I think about it is kind of come back to this analogy of software engineer as a surgeon, which comes from the mythical man book. So, it's actually it's funny. So I pull it from the book”
Where to get it
-
There Is No Antimemetics Division
Recommended“The fiction book was I just finished reading it. I really recommend it. It’s uh there is no anti-mimetics division by Q&M. It’s a science fictiony kind of book.”
Where to get it
-
Breakneck
Recommended“So in the last year I've been reading a lot more about China and kind of like the US China relations. And I think there are two books that came out in the last year that have been really really eye opening for me in that regard. First one is the Dan Wang book breakneck.”
Where to get it
-
Apple in China
Recommended“And the other one is the Patrick McGee book on Apple and China was super super interesting. I'm a huge Apple fanboy. Like, it was just super fascinating learning about Apple's relationship to China.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Passing The Sorcerer's Apprentice
“I particularly like the wizard and the sorcery analogy because I think our current state is starting to move towards the sorcerer's apprentice, you know, from Fantasia, where Mickey Mouse is like, you know, he finds the sorcerer hat”