Марія Бровінська Work 7 April 2026, 09:00

"If a middle school doesn't use AI, it's already a junior." CEO of Skywell, which launched an alternative to MBA, on business education, AI, and the IT market where "selling people doesn't work anymore"

What happens to the IT market when AI changes the rules of the game? Why does classic business education no longer work? And most importantly, how can technical specialists not lose their value in a world where a team of 10 people can do the work of a hundred?

The answers to these questions were given to dev.ua by Serhiy Bondarenko, CEO of Skywell, a serial IT entrepreneur and investor. Over 18 years in business, he has launched and developed companies, invested in startups, and is now building an educational project for entrepreneurs, Scale Academy. We talked to him about the transformation of the IT market, the new role of AI for developers, the end of the «Jun era,» and why classical business education is no longer keeping up with reality.

«I didn’t grow up in IT as a developer»

— You grew up in IT, are now the CEO of Skywell, and are launching an educational project. How do these three roles combine?

I wouldn’t say I «grew up in IT» as a developer and I don’t consider myself a technical founder. Even while studying at NAU, when I had to write code, I realized that I wanted to develop in entrepreneurship.

I was interested in creating companies, developing them, scaling them, and building systemic businesses. The focus remained on technology and service companies, but the roles were different: from founder and CEO to co-owner of outsourcing companies and investor. These roles do not conflict with each other — on the contrary, they complement each other.

The idea of an educational project emerged as a continuation of this path — to create an environment for the development of owners and CEOs, where you can not only gain knowledge, but also work with real management challenges.

— What experience has had the greatest impact on your approach to business?

I have been developing an entrepreneurial mindset from the beginning. Therefore, the approach does not depend on the industry: it is always a system — processes, a team, checkpoints, reporting.

A business should not operate manually, but as a system that does not fall apart without the constant participation of the founder.

— Technical founders often want to control everything. How do you deal with that?

Controlling everything is a dead end. An entrepreneur must build a system and trust people who are stronger in certain areas.

If the founder tries to control every decision, the business will not scale.

— Why don’t developer skills work at the CEO level?

Because CEO is not about tasks. It’s about people and solutions.

A developer works with logic. A CEO works with uncertainty and is forced to make decisions without complete information.

«The threshold for entry into IT will no longer be as low as it used to be»

— IT has taught us to grow quickly. Does this harm entrepreneurs?

The problem is not IT, but that it was a growing market. The same was true of banking at one time. People went there because there was rapid growth and money.

The question is not the industry, but whether the market is growing. Right now, for example, it is energy, AI, defense tech. Growing markets forgive many mistakes and give more chances.

— They hardly hire Junes anymore — is this temporary?

This is a structural change. There is less work for developers, and Junis are the first to feel it.

AI is already taking over some of their tasks. The threshold for entry into IT will no longer be as low as it used to be.

— If the middle doesn’t work with AI, is it already a junk?

In fact, yes. Working with AI is a basic skill. It’s not an advantage, but a new standard. Without it, a developer is simply less effective. Yes, mids definitely need to be able to work with AI tools or juniors need to master this skill so well that they can show themselves in the best possible way, increase their value.

By and large, any developer now needs to work with AI tools, because it significantly speeds up their work, and sometimes even makes it better.

— Are Vibe coding and AI agents a threat to the IT business?

Faster is possible. Some tasks, such as creating an MVP, can now be done faster. But this does not mean that outsourcing will disappear. Not all customers are ready to immerse themselves in the tools. Plus, there is always the issue of responsibility for the result.

In a corporate environment, a separate question is who will do this internally. Therefore, IT companies can use these tools as an advantage: speed and lower cost.

— Will small teams replace large ones in a few years?

This looks realistic. A team of 10 people will be able to do what 100 people used to do.

But the problem is not technology, but people. We need specialists with a wide range of skills who can work with different tools. They are hard to find, so companies will have to cultivate them.

— Should developers think about their own business?

Yes, but you need to understand that the model has changed. Outsourcing will not disappear, but it will transform. Instead of selling hours, you need to sell results. Companies should become solution providers, work in niches and offer ready-made solutions.

Selling watches no longer makes sense. Selling «people» no longer works.

«MBA is turning into an archive»

— What happened to classical business education?

It used to provide access to knowledge. Now knowledge is available to everyone. The problem is that knowledge quickly becomes outdated. Cases from three years ago are no longer relevant.

The world is changing faster than educational programs. As a result, education often functions as an archive rather than a tool for real time.

— Why doesn’t the IT self-study model work in business?

Because in business, it’s not enough to just know. You need to change your thinking, make decisions, and implement them.

And here the main problem arises — the lack of responsibility. Without it, knowledge does not translate into action.

— Has business education become a form of procrastination?

Often, yes. People create a sense of progress without real change.

— What is more important — knowledge or environment?

Environment. It creates pressure and responsibility. A person begins to change not when he reads a book, but when he faces a real problem and sees examples of those who have already gone through it.

Why Scale Academy doesn’t focus on knowledge

— Is mentoring a myth or does it really work?

Mentoring works if the mentors are practitioners who face the same challenges every day. The greatest value is not in universal advice, but in understanding the context and learning from mistakes — what exactly should not be done.

A separate point is that mentoring requires learning. It’s not just about experience, but also about the ability to work with people, groups, and give feedback. The community format enhances the effect: isolated advice often doesn’t work, and sharing experience between entrepreneurs works much better.

— What skills do technical founders most often «fail»?

Most often, this is working with people: hiring, motivation, management.

The second problem is systematicity. Lack of processes, clear reporting, and management approaches. Up to a certain point, a business can grow without this, but at the scaling stage, this becomes a critical point.

— What happens to a company without a management system?

As long as the founder is inside, the business is supported by him. But when he leaves the operating room, chaos begins.

There are no described processes, clear rules, or control points. The team works asynchronously, decisions are made situationally. As a result, it is not the business that scales, but chaos.

— Who wouldn’t benefit from such an education?

For those who expect quick results without action. For those who want to get «motivation» instead of work.

It also won’t work for those who are not ready to implement solutions immediately, but perceive learning as a passive process.

— What is the key idea of Scale Academy?

The focus is not on knowledge, but on its implementation. The foundation is an environment of entrepreneurs working with their real business goals. This creates responsibility and stimulates action.

Learning is built around practice, sharing experiences, and working with current challenges, rather than around theoretical cases.

— Why is this an alternative to an MBA?

Classical business education works like an archive: it systematizes experience and stores it for years.

But business changes faster than programs can be updated. Cases become outdated, knowledge loses relevance.

Therefore, another approach is emerging — learning in an environment of practitioners, where knowledge is immediately applied, tested, and adapted to real conditions.

«Business scales either system or chaos»

— What happens in companies without a management system?

As long as the founder is inside, the business is still holding up. But if there are no processes, control points, and a clear system, chaos begins. As soon as the founder leaves the operating room, everything falls apart.

In this case, business does not scale itself, but chaos. «Those who seek opportunities grow in crisis»

— You launched a new project during the war. How dare you do that?

There will be no perfect moment. It simply does not exist. You need to move, test, and adapt quickly. The key is to understand what value you provide and whether it is needed now.

— What businesses have a chance to grow now?

Those that meet new needs: defense technologies, energy, logistics, security, export IT solutions. We need to look at markets where there is demand, not those that are already overheated.

— What distinguishes those who grow in a crisis?

Focus on opportunities, not limitations. Flexibility, willingness to change strategy, enter new markets and invest even in unstable times.

— What mistake cost you the most?

I launched two large projects at the same time and overestimated my capabilities. One of them had to be shut down, which resulted in financial losses.

It was a lesson about focus: it’s better to invest in one project and see it through to completion.

«Business should be taught by those who do it»

— What will business education be like in a few years?

Less theory, more practice. Companies are already creating their own education systems because the speed of business is much higher than the speed of academic institutions. Learning will shift towards communities and practitioners.