Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
A senior engineering manager and Twilio Champion shares his #1 rule for building with AI: don't start with the technology — start with your customer's problem.
Steve Popoola is a lead architect at a London fintech who consults with startups, manages multiple engineering teams, and builds real solutions with Twilio. In this conversation filmed at Signal, he breaks down how he uses Twilio SMS for real-time audit trail alerts, how AI fits into his actual workflow (PR reviews, app development, and safe database interfaces for non-technical teams), and why most companies are adopting AI backwards.
Key takeaways:
- How to use Twilio SMS for severity-based operational alerts
- Using AI as a first-pass PR reviewer for engineering teams
- Why "we want AI" is the wrong starting point
- The coming specialization of AI and what it means for developers
📌 Chapters
0:00 Meet Steve — Twilio Champion from London
0:50 Most impactful Twilio build: real-time audit trail alerts via SMS
2:56 How Steve actually uses AI day-to-day
3:15 AI for PR reviews at scale
4:04 Building a journaling app with AI-driven development
5:03 Building a safe database query interface for non-technical teams
6:01 Where AI is overhyped — wrappers vs. real agents
8:12 The coming AI specialization
9:39 Advice: Don't start with AI, start with your customer
🔗 Resources
→ Twilio SMS docs: twilio.com/docs/sms
→ Twilio Champions program: twilio.com/champions
→ Sign up for a Twilio account here: twil.io/trytwilio-yt
→ Subscribe for more TwilioDevs Content: twil.io/sub-twiliodevs
→ Join the Twilio Discord: twil.io/devs-discord
Q: Is this video technical?
This is a conversational interview. There is no live coding, but Steve shares specific architectural patterns and use cases you can apply immediately.
Q: Who is Steve Popoola?
A lead software architect and engineering manager at a London fintech, Twilio Champion, and startup consultant.
#TwilioChampion #AI #DeveloperInterview #Twilio #Signal
A senior engineering manager and Twilio Champion shares his #1 rule for building with AI: don't start with the technology — start with your customer's problem.
Steve Popoola is a lead architect at a London fintech who consults with startups, manages multiple engineering teams, and builds real solutions with Twilio. In this conversation filmed at Signal, he breaks down how he uses Twilio SMS for real-time audit trail alerts, how AI fits into his actual workflow (PR reviews, app development, and safe database interfaces for non-technical teams), and why most companies are adopting AI backwards.
Key takeaways:
- How to use Twilio SMS for severity-based operational alerts
- Using AI as a first-pass PR reviewer for engineering teams
- Why "we want AI" is the wrong starting point
- The coming specialization of AI and what it means for developers
📌 Chapters
0:00 Meet Steve — Twilio Champion from London
0:50 Most impactful Twilio build: real-time audit trail alerts via SMS
2:56 How Steve actually uses AI day-to-day
3:15 AI for PR reviews at scale
4:04 Building a journaling app with AI-driven development
5:03 Building a safe database query interface for non-technical teams
6:01 Where AI is overhyped — wrappers vs. real agents
8:12 The coming AI specialization
9:39 Advice: Don't start with AI, start with your customer
🔗 Resources
→ Twilio SMS docs: twilio.com/docs/sms
→ Twilio Champions program: twilio.com/champions
→ Sign up for a Twilio account here: twil.io/trytwilio-yt
→ Subscribe for more TwilioDevs Content: twil.io/sub-twiliodevs
→ Join the Twilio Discord: twil.io/devs-discord
Q: Is this video technical?
This is a conversational interview. There is no live coding, but Steve shares specific architectural patterns and use cases you can apply immediately.
Q: Who is Steve Popoola?
A lead software architect and engineering manager at a London fintech, Twilio Champion, and startup consultant.
#TwilioChampion #AI #DeveloperInterview #Twilio #Signal
