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Brittany Ellich
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Brittany Ellich

Software engineer, newsletter writer, and podcast host writing about AI, accessibility, and building a sustainable engineering career without burning out.

@brittanyellich.com15readers10posts2mo ago
LatestRecent writing
Why I'm betting on ATProto (and why you should, too)
Mar 30, 2026
Social media was supposed to connect us, but most of it has turned into ads, division, and loneliness. I'm betting on ATProto as a way to fix that, and not just for developers. Whether you're a scientist, journalist, or just someone who wants the internet to feel human again, I think ATProto matters for you too.
techatproto
AI Has an Image Problem
Jan 13, 2026
I spent 2025 going from skeptical to genuinely excited about AI tools. My non-tech friends and family spent 2025 learning to hate them. The AI industry has fumbled this introduction so badly that we've turned a useful set of tools into a cultural flashpoint - but the damage isn't irreversible.
2
techai
2025 in review
Jan 9, 2026
2025 was my year of doing ALL the things - speaking at 5+ conferences, starting a podcast, shipping side projects, and somehow not completely burning out. I learned that momentum creates more momentum, perfectionism is overrated, and seeing people in real life again after years of isolation is actually really, really good.
3
techlife
Representing groups in ATProto
Dec 20, 2025
I wanted to add book clubs to my GoodReads-like app (Collective), but ATProto doesn't have a standard way to handle shared group resources yet. So I'm building opensocial.community—a separate service that manages groups independently from any single app. This means the same book club could potentially work across multiple apps (imagine your book club having both a reading list in Collective AND a discussion forum in another app), and groups can migrate between providers if needed. It's probably over-engineered for my use case, but might help other ATProto developers building community features.
6
techatproto
A Software Engineer's Guide to Agentic Software Development
Nov 24, 2025
I've cracked the code on breaking the eternal cycle - features win, tech debt piles up, codebase becomes 'legacy', and an eventual rewrite. Using coding agents at GitHub, I now merge multiple tech debt PRs weekly while still delivering features. Tickets open for months get closed. 'Too hard to change' code actually improves. This is the story of the workflow.
8
techai
I finally added Bluesky comments and likes to my blog (and you can too!)
Aug 6, 2025
Learn how to add Bluesky comments and likes to your blog in under an hour using ATProto integration, with copy-paste code for Astro sites.
20
techwriting
2024 in review
Dec 22, 2024
A look back at parental leave, switching teams at GitHub, finding crochet, and starting therapy and an SSRI that changed everything.
3
techlife
Boise Code Camp 2024
May 29, 2024
My experience at BoiseCodeCamp 2024: talks on AI, OpenSCAD, and domain-specific languages, plus my first time speaking at a developer conference.
techspeaking
Book Summary: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
Feb 5, 2022
Atomic Habits by James Clear changed how I think about productivity. Key insights on building systems, habit stacking, and compounding small improvements.
productivity
Book Summary: Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations
Sep 2, 2019
Notes from reading Accelerate by Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim, and the practices that separate high-performing software organizations from the rest.
techdevops
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