Breaking into tech is one thing—navigating career pivots, leadership roles, and the rise of AI is another. In this episode of Career Labs, we talk with Shea Belsky, an autistic self advocate, Tech Lead at HubSpot and former Chief Technology Officer of Mentra, about his experience building a startup, hiring the right people, and how AI is changing the game for engineers. He also gets real about tough leadership moments, like making hard calls and delivering bad news, and shares practical insights on standing out in today’s job market. Whether you’re an aspiring “techie” or just curious about the behind-the-scenes of growing a career in a fast-changing field, this conversation has something for you.
Episode Highlights
🚀 Taking the Leap In (and Out) of Startups – Shea co-founded Mentra, a hiring platform for neurodivergent professionals, but he’s now back at HubSpot. Why the switch? He breaks down the realities of startup life versus working at Fortune 500 companies—and what he learned from both.
🤖 The Role of AI in Software Engineering – AI is transforming the tech landscape, but it’s not replacing human problem-solving anytime soon. Shea shares how leveraging tools like GitHub Copilot can make you a better engineer—if you know how to use them right.
💡 Hiring Smarter, Not Harder – As a former CTO, Shea had to build an engineering team from the ground up. His biggest takeaway? You shouldn’t always be the smartest person in the room. He shares how to identify top talent, delegate effectively, and build a team that drives real results.
⚡ Handling Tough Conversations at Work – Laying off employees, delivering bad news, making hard calls—none of it is fun. Shea talks about how he learned to navigate uncomfortable conversations as a leader (and why avoiding them just makes things worse).
📌 Beating the Resume Black Hole – Applying for tech jobs and getting ghosted? Shea explains how applicant tracking systems (ATS) filter candidates—and what actually makes a resume stand out.
🎧 Watch now and check out the resources mentioned in the episode!
References & Resources
Autistic Techie Podcast (Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify)
Cursor (AI code editor)
Neurodivergent Careers & Job Hunting (Facebook group)
Neurodiversity In Tech (online Slack community)
Follow Neurodiversity In Tech on Instagram
Out In Tech (an international community of LGBTQ+ tech leaders)
Tiny Improvements (a weekly newsletter for startup founders, indiehackers, and product builders)
Follow Shea Belsky on Bluesky
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