Lauren Darcey

Have you ever heard a rant from a developer and felt like you could have said or written it? Have you ever watched a talk, checked out an open source repo, read an engineering blog or listened to a podcast, and had it fundamentally change how you work? This talk is for every developer who's struggled with an invisible problem, thinking we were the only ones, only to have an answer (or key advancement in the right direction) emerge from the community. We'll explore why information sharing—the insights and wins, the misses and flops, and the surprises learned along the way—is the single most powerful force we have to keep our work relevant. I'll make the case for why embracing radical openness-especially in the face of AI-is the best strategy for individual developers and for keeping the Android ecosystem innovative, and show you concrete examples of how you can participate to influence your professional trajectory and the platform's future at large. The Takeaway This session is designed for mobile developers who want to build a career, not just write code, and influence the future of the Android platform. Attendees will leave with a new perspective on their place in the Android community and key learnings on how to leverage the power of shared knowledge. We'll explore why vocalizing pain points, celebrating small wins, and mentoring the next generation of developers are essential for both professional job security and personal satisfaction with real Android community examples of influence. By the end of this talk, you'll feel inspired to interact more with fellow engineers in the developer community and take agency in shaping your professional future and the future of Android yourself.