Link: https://forms.gle/ZRUM55Ve1cRF74pg6

Please share and/or answer for me if you are a mom. If you know a mom, please share with them or tag them below.

Being a mom is a full-time job. Add career ambitions, school deadlines, leadership responsibilities, and suddenly the mental load feels endless.

I’m excited (and honestly a little emotional) to finally share something I built from lived experience: MAI an all-in-one AI assistant designed specifically to support mothers in their daily lives.

1. Android

2. iOS

Why I built MaiAI

While pursuing my Executive MBA at Cornell, I found myself constantly juggling classwork, family schedules, meals, self-care, and the invisible mental load that so many moms carry. I didn’t need another productivity app. I needed support, something that could help me think, plan, breathe, and keep going without judgment.

So I built the tool I wished existed.

MaiAI isn’t about doing more. It’s about helping moms thrive, not just survive.

What MaiAI helps me with

AI Chef & Meal Planner
Staring at a fridge full of random ingredients? MAI turns what you have into simple, family-friendly meals—instantly.

• Smart ingredient search (e.g. “chicken, rice, broccoli”)

• Save favorites and build your own digital cookbook

• Fewer dinner decisions, more peace of mind

MaiAI Wellness Companion
Because your mental health matters.

• 5-minute self-care ideas for busy days

• Sleep and recovery tips for tired moms

• Non-judgmental parenting support when things feel hard
  (MaiAI provides general wellness support and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.)

Family Organizer & Calendar
One place to manage appointments, playdates, school events, and everything in between, built for real life, not perfection.

Community & Resources
Access curated resources and connect with other moms navigating similar seasons, from newborn care to toddler tantrums.

MAI Premium - Because tokens are not Free :(

For moms who want even more support:

• Unlimited AI recipe generations

• Unlimited wellness chats, 24/7

• Ad-free experience so you can focus on what matters

MAI was built by a mom, for moms, especially those balancing ambition, family, and self-care.

If you’re in a season where you’re carrying a lot, this is for you.

Download MAI today or share with someone who can benefit and give them or yourself the support you deserve.

Because happy mamas raise happy families.

With love - Madona,

Recently, I had the honor of attending the Android AI Insider event at Google’s NYC office, which was truly inspiring. While I can’t share specific details for now (due to the nature of the event and the products released), I left with an even more profound curiosity about something that’s been on my mind: Where is the future of AI in mobile headed, and why does it sometimes feel like it’s moving more slowly than the rest of the tech world?

Seven years ago, when I first started exploring Machine Learning, I couldn’t find a clear use case or immediate application, mainly because, as mobile engineers, we’ve often been consumers of APIs rather than creators.

As an Android Engineer and Google Developer Expert for five years, I’ve witnessed the Android ecosystem evolve dramatically. From early challenges with fragmentation to the rise of Jetpack Compose, Material You, and now multiplatform development, Android has continuously reinvented itself, a journey that even inspired me to author my first book, Modern Android 13 Development.

But today, we stand at a new frontier: the era of AI-native mobile experiences.

We’re no longer just building apps that react to user input; we’re creating experiences that anticipate, adapt, and learn. Yet integrating AI deeply into mobile has its unique challenges, from privacy constraints and device limitations to model optimization. Unlike cloud-based AI, mobile AI must balance intelligence and efficiency while keeping user trust at the center.

Which makes me wonder: Is that why progress sometimes feels slow? Could this be the true blocker?

One of the most transformative steps forward for developers is Gemini inside Android Studio. Traditional coding assistance tools are helpful but limited in their ability to offer syntax suggestions or code completion. Gemini, however, changes the game. It understands context, intent, and structure, helping developers think, debug, and build smarter. I have to say I have been enjoying writing Journeys.

Imagine describing what you want your app to do and having an assistant that understands your project’s architecture, libraries, and best practices, generating thoughtful, optimized code suggestions. That’s not the future. That’s now.

Gemini in the IDE is more than a productivity boost; it’s a creative catalyst. It empowers developers to focus on logic, design, and user experience, the things that make apps meaningful, while offloading repetitive tasks to AI.

AI on mobile isn’t about replacing developers. It’s about amplifying creativity, enabling personalization, and transforming our devices into companions that understand us.

I left Google’s campus thinking: We’re closer than we think. When AI, hardware, and human creativity converge, mobile as we know it will evolve into something extraordinary.

As a developer, it’s thrilling. As a technologist, it’s humbling. As a lifelong learner, it’s just the beginning.

But as I progress through the semester, I’ve realized something profound: the principles that govern these disciplines are remarkably similar to those that drive technology organizations. In fact, understanding these connections is essential for any technical leader navigating modern product development.

Throughout my career, I’ve witnessed firsthand how tech debt, those expedient shortcuts, suboptimal architectural choices, and deferred maintenance decisions can quietly accumulate, eventually becoming a drag on innovation and a significant drain on resources. It’s not just a technical problem; it’s a business problem, with tangible financial and economic consequences.

Understanding these connections has been both humbling and empowering, especially as a technical leader navigating the evolving relationship between engineering and business strategy. My hats off to every accountant out there, as every assignment challenged me and made me appreciate accountants more.

In financial accounting, we track assets, liabilities, equity, revenues, and expenses to paint a clear picture of an organization’s health. Tech debt doesn’t show up on a traditional balance sheet, but it behaves exactly like an unrecorded liability that compounds over time.

In Microeconomics is all about choices how individuals and organizations allocate limited resources. The principles of opportunity cost, diminishing returns, and marginal cost apply beautifully to engineering decisions.

In an ideal world (low tech debt), you can achieve both a broad and expansive curve. But as tech debt accumulates, your Production Possibility Frontier (PPF) curve shifts inward, limiting what’s possible. Each additional feature now “costs” more reliability, and each stability improvement delays innovation. It’s an economic model of technological inefficiency.

Over the years, I’ve also observed a fascinating shift in product that now shapes most of engineering. And rightly so. Aligning engineering decisions with customer outcomes is essential for growth.

But this shift should come with a delicate balance. When product pushes relentlessly for speed without accounting for technical sustainability, tech debt grows silently beneath the surface. It’s like chasing quarterly profits at the expense of long-term enterprise value.

Here’s what I have observed and what might help

1. When product and engineering operate as one team, there’s mutual understanding of trade-offs. Product leaders begin to see the cost of technical shortcuts, and engineers understand how their work directly drives customer outcomes.

2. Investing in refactoring, CI/CD, and infrastructure isn’t just “engineering work.” It’s a product that works as an investment in faster innovation, happier users, and a stronger market position. Smart teams now include tech debt reduction explicitly in their product roadmaps.

3. By tying tech debt to customer impact like frequent outages, slow load times, or missed features, teams build a stronger business case for technical excellence. Addressing tech debt becomes a path to delivering better customer value, not a back-office chore.

Taking Financial Accounting and Microeconomics has reshaped how I think about leadership in technology for sure. It’s easy to get caught up in sprint cycles, product deadlines, or that next big release. But stepping back and viewing our work through economic and financial frameworks reminds me that sustainable innovation isn’t just about creativity, it’s about disciplined resource management.

“The true measure of innovation isn’t how fast you can build it’s how long what you build continues to create value.”

As I continue my Executive MBA journey, I’m even more convinced that bridging the gap between technical excellence and business is where lasting impact lives.

By embracing a product-led engineering culture, we can ensure that engineering isn’t just building what the product asks for, but actively shaping why and how we create, advocating for sustainability, maintainability, and scalability.

Because in the end, success isn’t defined by how quickly we ship, it’s defined by how long our systems, our products, and our teams can thrive.

It’s a fair question and one that reflects a real, troubling shift in our industry.

In 2025, the entry-level job landscape looks very different from what it did five years ago. According to LinkedIn’s Emerging Jobs Report (2025) and Stack Overflow’s Developer Survey, roles for junior or entry-level developers have dropped by nearly 35% in postings compared to 2021. Many companies are seeking engineers who can “hit the ground running,” often meaning three to five years of experience, even for positions once labeled “junior.”

Part of this change is due to AI integration and automation. GitHub’s latest State of the Octoverse report shows that developers using AI tools like Copilot or Gemini write code up to 55% faster, reducing the need for large junior teams handling boilerplate tasks. While this is great for productivity, it also means fewer learning opportunities for new graduates trying to get their start.

For mentors like me, this trend poses a difficult dilemma. I can encourage students to study computer science, to build projects, to attend meetups, but what happens when the jobs simply aren’t there?

This concern comes up frequently at our New York Android Engineers Meetup, where I serve as organizer. We often discuss whether young people should still pursue careers becoming, Android Developers or pivot toward fields like data science, machine learning, or AI infrastructure. The answer isn’t simple, but it starts with adaptability.

In today’s market, junior and entry-level developer opportunities have become increasingly scarce. According to a 2025 LinkedIn Workforce Report, postings for entry-level software roles dropped by nearly 35% since 2023, while mid-level and AI-related roles surged. The rise of automation, AI-assisted coding tools like GitHub Copilot, and economic shifts have led many companies to reduce early career hiring in favor of “job-ready” developers who can deliver quickly with minimal onboarding.

This has made it harder to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in computer science, particularly in specialized areas like Android, where the ecosystem continues to evolve rapidly. As someone who has lived through multiple technology shifts from Java to Kotlin and now Jetpack Compose, I know firsthand how tough adaptation can be, yet how essential it is. The truth is, curiosity and flexibility remain a developer’s greatest strengths.

However, it’s not all discouraging news. Many companies are still investing in early-career talent through college partnerships and structured rotational programs like Technology Development Programs (TDPs) and graduate engineering fellowships. These programs are designed to equip junior developers with the foundational experience they need, proving that while the path may be narrower, it’s not closed.

I believe there’s an opportunity for universities to step up and better prepare students for the realities of modern tech. A conversation I had with a colleague at Cornell Executive MBA Programs. Today’s curriculum still often stops at algorithms and data structures, essential, yes, but not enough.

Schools should:

• Integrate system design and architecture early so students understand how large-scale systems work.

• Teach collaboration with AI tools not as a novelty, but as a core competency.

• Encourage open-source contributions to simulate real-world teamwork and code review.

• Partner with industry mentors so students get a bridge between theory and practice.

The future developer is not just a coder; they’re a problem solver who can adapt to emerging technologies and new workflows.

For junior developers and students entering tech today, here’s my advice:

1. Stay curious. The tools will change, but curiosity will always keep you ahead.

2. Build a portfolio. Don’t wait for permission; showcase your skills with open-source projects or apps. This is debatable, but it helps.

3. Learn AI-assisted development. Tools like Copilot, Gemini, and Tabnine are now part of the daily workflow.

4. Invest in community. Attend meetups, hackathons, and networking events. Most opportunities come from relationships, not job boards.

5. Be patient, but strategic. Sometimes your first job won’t be your dream job, but every role builds your story.

The tech industry has constantly evolved from mainframes to mobile, and now to machine intelligence. What matters most is not what changes, but how we choose to grow with it.

To every aspiring developer out there: your journey matters. The title “junior” may be disappearing, but your value, creativity, and drive are not. You are the future of technology, and the world needs your perspective now more than ever.

But none of this impact happened alone. I had the privilege of collaborating with incredible women leaders and ambassadors across the globe, women who volunteered their time, expertise, and passion to make these events successful. Together, we built platforms that empowered others to share knowledge, tell their stories, and pursue careers in technology. These collaborations reminded me that when women support women, transformation happens in individuals, in communities, and in the industry at large.

The Women Techmakers (WTM) community provided us with the space to connect and lead. It wasn’t just a program; it was a global sisterhood that fostered mentorship, innovation, and courage. It was where countless women discovered their voices and realized that their ideas and leadership matter.

That’s why the recent announcement that Women Techmakers would transition under Technovation came as such a shock. Many of us, the ambassadors who have built and nurtured these communities for years, received no advance communication. We were told, “Here is your new home.” No discussion. No clarity. No collaboration. No last call to say goodbye!

This isn’t just a matter of logistics; it’s a matter of trust and respect. Communication matters, especially in communities built on inclusion and empowerment. When transitions happen without transparency, we risk undermining the very sense of belonging we’ve worked so hard to create.

Beyond the change itself lies a bigger concern: what does this mean for the future of women and girls in STEM?

As AI transforms the future of work, we cannot afford to let women fall behind. We need more organizations, not fewer, advocating for women in technology, building mentorship pipelines, teaching essential digital skills, and ensuring equitable access to innovation. When foundational programs like Women Techmakers are disrupted without clarity, we risk losing momentum at a time when inclusion is most critical.

The transition to Technovation could become a positive opportunity, but only if it honors the legacy that ambassadors, collaborators, and advocates have built over the years. That requires transparency, communication, and a shared commitment to the mission that has always guided us: empowering women through technology and community.

As a mother, engineer, and advocate, I often reflect on the message we’re sending to our daughters. Are we showing them that women’s voices in tech are replaceable? Or that they are essential to shaping the future?

We must choose the latter.

Because the fight for equity in tech is not over, it’s evolving. And now, more than ever, we must continue creating spaces where women can learn, lead, and thrive in the AI era.

Women Techmakers changed my life. I only hope we honor its spirit by ensuring it continues to change others.

 Rachelle's journey began in the U.S. Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic, followed by roles at the U.N. World Food Programme in Liberia and World Vision International in Latin America. She later joined the Clinton Foundation, the Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, tackling social issues and advancing equity. 

With an MBA from Duke University, Rachelle transitioned to Microsoft, managing global industry partnerships. In 2023, she was honored as Puget Sound's 40 under 40 and included in ESSENCE magazine's inaugural Power 40 list. 

 Rachelle's journey began in the U.S. Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic, followed by roles at the U.N. World Food Programme in Liberia and World Vision International in Latin America. She later joined the Clinton Foundation, the Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, tackling social issues and advancing equity. 

With an MBA from Duke University, Rachelle transitioned to Microsoft, managing global industry partnerships. In 2023, she was honored as Puget Sound's 40 under 40 and included in ESSENCE magazine's inaugural Power 40 list. 

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Dive into the inspiring world of STEM empowerment with Chioma Aso, the visionary behind STEAMDivas.

Join us as we explore the transformative leadership and diverse expertise of Chioma, spanning Electrical, Software, Robotics, and Test Engineering. Discover how her innovative approach is reshaping industries like Space, Gaming, and Manufacturing. Gain invaluable insights into team dynamics and productivity from her published book, "Unlocking the Team Puzzle."

Learn how Chioma masterfully melds technical prowess with an unbridled passion for empowering women in STEM fields through STEAMDivas, fusing hands-on engineering experiences with the expressive power of art. Tune in to be inspired by Chioma's journey as a luminary in the world of STEM, championing diversity and inclusion.

Kendi J brings three years of dedicated experience to the table, specializing in designing and building cross-platform mobile applications using the Flutter Framework. With a diverse portfolio that includes fintech Apps, AR with Flutter, event scheduling apps, and even a Floral app.

Beyond coding prowess, Kendi J is a driving force in tech communities, serving as the co-organizer for Android254, Flutter Developers Kenya, and Droidcon KE. Tune in as Kendi shares insights into the challenges and triumphs of leading these communities, facilitating technical talks, code labs, and networking events for developers and enthusiasts.

As a committed mentor, Kendi J is actively involved in guiding aspiring Flutter developers through the Google Africa Developer Scholarship program.

This episode explores Kendi's dedication to education, including the completion of a one-year program at KamiLimu, a mentorship and professional development initiative for computer science students in Kenya.