Jonathan Schneider

The State of Large-Scale Code Modernization: AI, Languages, Security

Jonathan Schneider

Monday, 7:30 PM EDT - COMPASS ROSE WEST BALLROOM

Software keeps moving—and so must we. From end-of-life frameworks to sprawling polyglot stacks and never-ending CVEs, modernizing code at scale is one of the toughest, most necessary problems in engineering today. In this keynote, we’ll take a clear-eyed look at where we are—and what it really takes to move forward.

We’ll unpack the rise of agentic AI, and why the future isn’t just about bigger models but better data and tools. Generative AI may be great at writing new code, but modernizing existing code? That takes precision—and deterministic systems that know when not to guess.

We’ll also dig into the language engineering problem: how do you unify modernization with codebases written in Java, C#, Python, JavaScript, and more? Each language needs a custom model that captures types, formatting, and structure for meaningful, accurate change at scale.

Finally, we’ll confront the security tradeoffs facing modern teams: should you upgrade fast to stay on the latest most secure versions, or leverage back patches to stay secure on what you know? The answer isn't always forward motion—it’s smarter, safer modernization.

We're helping teams navigate all of this with confidence at Moderne, providing AI-driven, multi-language refactoring and modernization at scale. After all, modern software demands more than speed—it demands the ability to evolve, safely and continuously, no matter how complex the codebase or how fast the industry moves.

Join us as we kick off Code Remix Summit—your front-row seat to the future of code.

About Jonathan Schneider

Co-Founder & CEO @ Moderne

Jonathan is co-founder and CEO at Miami-based Moderne which automates software maintenance activities at scale. He founded OpenRewrite at Netflix and went on to found the Micrometer project as a member of the Spring Team. Jonathan is the author of SRE with Java Microservices (OReilly). He is an Army veteran and two time bronze star recipient.