Thoughtworks’ Open Space Events Tackle AI’s Impact on Software Creation

Thoughtworks has hosted two Open Space workshops under the banner “The Future of Software Development,” gathering Thoughtworkers and industry peers to exchange observations on how generative AI and large language models are reshaping the profession. The sessions ran under the Chatham House Rule, so commentary is not attributed to individuals unless explicit permission was granted.

No single narrative was compiled from the events—attendees joined only a fraction of the parallel sessions—so insights were shared across fragment posts and participant write-ups. A consolidated report from Thoughtworks is also available for each gathering.

Deer Valley, Utah, February 2026

The first workshop was conceived as a standalone event, held in the Utah mountains to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. Its success sparked demand for a European counterpart.

Fragments from the event:

[Thoughtworks Report]

Other participant posts:

Engelberg, Switzerland, June 2026

The second workshop followed in Engelberg, Switzerland, with a similar structure and format.

Fragments from the event:

[Thoughtworks Report]

Participant reflections:

The retreat has been referred to by both “Future of Software Development” and “Future of Software Engineering” in various communications—a naming inconsistency that some attendees have noted with mild amusement.