​What's Next for Software Engineering and the People Behind It

​Expert

​Arkadiy Dobkin, principal founder, longtime CEO (1993–2025) and now Executive Chairman of EPAM Systems, global provider of digital engineering and IT consulting services. He led a company from a small cross-border startup into a global tech company with 62,000+ employees across 55 countries, $5.4 billion in revenue, and a place in the S&P 500. Born in Minsk, he emigrated to the US in 1991, at one point working as a dishwasher while sending out hundreds of resumes before landing his first tech job. He co-founded EPAM in 1993 with a vision to connect Eastern European engineering talent with the global market — and basically shaped an entirely new industry category in the process.

​As of mid 2025, he was one of only 24 founders in the entire S&P 500 — and one of just nine in tech — who had led their company all the way from day one to inclusion in the index.

​Why it matters

​There's a lot of fear in the tech world right now. AI tools are getting scary good at writing code. Tech giants are laying people off while reporting record productivity. The model that built thousands of careers across Eastern Europe is being questioned like never before. And every week there's a new headline saying software engineers won't be needed in 5 years.

​But is that actually true?

​Arkadiy Dobkin is one of the very few people who can answer that. He spent 30+ years building one of the largest tech employers of Belarusians and Eastern Europeans in the world. He's navigated the dot-com crash, the 2008 crisis, COVID, the war in the region, and now the AI shift. He's seen "the end of programming" predicted multiple times in his career.

​What they're saying

​"The opportunities ahead of you are usually much larger than you initially anticipated, but the level of effort you have to put in to realize those is always much bigger than originally expected. So be persistent, patient, and do not stop in the middle of the road." — Arkadiy Dobkin

​"As soon as GenAI and AI start to drive real transformation, we must be ready to take advantage of this." — Arkadiy Dobkin, EPAM Q4 2024 earnings call

​In this #5 DZ CLUB event, Arkadiy will share his perspective on

​→ AI: Threat or Opportunity?

​Is AI actually going to replace software engineers, or is this just another panic cycle like "no-code will kill programming"?

​→ The Future of Software Development as a Profession

​If AI can write code, what's left for humans to do? Which skills actually matter now, and is it still worth going into tech in 2026?

​→ The End of Software Services as We Knew It?

​The traditional model is under pressure like never before. The cost of code is dropping. Where does competitive advantage come from now, and who has it harder — product companies or services companies?

​→ Eastern European Tech — Identity and Direction

​Relocation experiences, global ambition, and the balance between integration and identity. Do you adapt to fit in or bring your background forward?

​→ Navigating Uncertainty

​Practical advice from someone who's steered through multiple crises. How do you make decisions when the ground keeps shifting? How do you invest in yourself when the rules are being rewritten?

​→ Education in the Age of AI

​What should professionals be learning? What about their kids? And the question almost nobody is willing to answer honestly: if everyone stops hiring juniors, who becomes the senior engineer in 2035?

​This event is ideal for

​Tech executives, founders, engineers and decision-makers who are tired of hot takes and want to hear a grounded, experienced perspective on what's actually happening — and what to do about it.

​Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and engage directly with Arkadiy in a Q&A session, making this not just a talk but a real conversation about the things keeping all of us up at night.

​Event host

​DZ Club host Artiom Kontsevoi is a journalist and tech entrepreneur who founded dev.by, one of the main tech media outlets in Belarus. As co-founder of SPACE, a community hub in Minsk, he helped build a place that not only hosted but actively organized hundreds of meetups and events. Known for focusing on practical insights rather than promotional talks, he brings this experience to his interviews with tech leaders and founders at DZ Club.