Sau Sheong Chang—Chief Technology Officer and Deputy Chief Executive of GovTech Singapore, and bestselling author of two Go-language books—drops by to code-switch with Michael & Raz on the future of technical leadership. From writing his first lines of C to shipping SingPass Mobile for five million citizens, Sau Sheong reveals how hands-on coding sharpens executive judgment, why GovTech runs like a startup inside the state, and how AI-augmented teams will rewrite the engineer’s career map over the next five years.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why he still writes code as a CTO

• Data-driven leadership lessons from GovTech, PayPal, & SP Group
• AI’s impact on software-engineering careers over the next 5 years
• Building “startup culture” inside government
• Counter-intuitive takeaways for building products
• The one thing he’d tell his 20-year-old self

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00:00 Introduction02:00 Writing and Publishing Books on Code02:24 Early Coding Journey and Java Era04:36 Transition to Ruby and Go09:31 Career Path and Opportunities12:43 Leading Engineering and Business Teams20:35 Singapore's Unique Tech Journey31:28 GovTech's Role and Responsibilities31:50 Smart Nation Initiative and Govtech34:15 The Role of AI in Software Engineering38:59 Impact of AI on Various Professions49:33 Advice for Startups and Engineers54:58 Reflections and Personal Insights

Hosts:

• Michael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp
• Razko Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razko282

Guest:

• Sae Sheong Chang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sausheong/

Resources & Links:

• GovTech Singapore: https://www.tech.gov.sg
• SP Group: https://www.spgroup.com.sg
• Temasek: https://www.temasek.com.sg
• Yuu Rewards: https://www.yuu.sg
• Codeium: https://www.codeium.com
• Revenge of the Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell): https://www.amazon.com/Revenge-Tipping-Point-Overstories-Superspreaders/dp/B0D5RFG8KQ/