Learning, Hacking, and Shipping ML

Senior Machine Learning Engineer Vyacheslav Efimov discusses his career path, the value of teaching fundamentals, and his approach to continuous learning in the fast-paced AI landscape. He explains that hackathons taught him valuable lessons in project scoping, time management, and focusing on an MVP rather than perfection. Efimov emphasizes the critical importance of software engineering habits, such as creating reproducible pipelines and thorough documentation, for all data scientists. He also reflects on how generative AI tools have changed his daily work by accelerating prototyping while simultaneously raising the expectations for entry-level engineers in the field.