Becoming Agentic: From iOS Engineer to Building AI Agents
How I "Became Agentic" while building our Startup
Leaving Microsoft
Five months ago, I left Microsoft and joined a Silicon Valley founder to build Jobreel. I became the first (and only) hire, working directly alongside the founder.
Jobreel wasn’t entirely new to me—I had been consulting with them for a few months before finally deciding to jump ship and ride the startup roller coaster full-time.
And startups weren’t new either. Back in 2017, I built my own, investing $125,000 and giving it four years of my life. (That story deserves its own post someday.)
The Big Pivot
One week in, we decided to pivot. And not just a simple idea tweak—this was a complete overhaul.
We shifted the concept, the technology, and even the industry we were chasing. The new focus? Agentic AI.
I had a decade of experience building iOS apps, from Microsoft Teams to RBC Mobile Banking and several others from the ground up. But AI? Agents? That was uncharted territory for me.
My first thought was:
“I have ZERO idea what Agents are. Heck, I have ZERO idea about AI. How am I going to do this?”
Well, that’s the perks of startups: Learning. A tons of it. That’s the only guarantee you get while building a startup. So I dove straight in.
How I learned AI and started building Agents
Went deep into basics
What are Agents?
What does Agency actually mean?
How do LLMs process information?
Took structured courses on deeplearning.ai
Learned By Building: I’ve always believed the best way to learn is by building. My first project? A simple agent that could chat and maintain thread memory. From there, I kept stacking my knowledge, one token at a time.
How Will You Become Agentic?
It’s no secret anymore—the future of tech is AI.
For individuals and organizations alike, the smartest move is to adopt AI sooner rather than later. Which brings us to a question worth asking yourself:
👉 How—and when—will you become agentic?
(And yes, as a first step, subscribing to this newsletter is a pretty good start. Pardon the selfish plug. 😅)
About This Newsletter
This is the very first issue of Becoming Agentic.
Here, I’ll share insights on how engineers, startup builders, and technical leaders can make the transition into an agentic world—where software doesn’t just respond, it acts.
Ready to take the first step toward becoming agentic? Let’s connect and design a plan that fits your journey.