Become Auctoritas

For senior engineers who want to turn technical skills into strategic authority.

In 4 live weeks you'll build systems for accountability, relationship management, and influence that form the foundation of your transition to technology leader or entrepreneur.

"Can you tell exactly how your code influenced the business this week?" — Alex Honchar

Apply to the Founding Cohort →

Auctoritas = Authority + Autonomy + Automation

In Ancient Rome, "auctoritas" meant power through respect, not force. Today it means:

Authority: Your name = your brand. The CEO knows you personally.
Autonomy: You choose projects. Work adapts to you.
Automation: AI and people work FOR you, not INSTEAD of you.

Request an Interview

First cohort: 10 seats · application deadline 15 June 2025

Thank you!

We'll reach out if you're shortlisted for the screening call.

Time to accept — it's not 2020 programmers paradise anymore

AI first, headcount second. Ops get optimised before people get hired.

In 2024, 76% of large companies automating said the goal is to "replace or redeploy" employees; Microsoft's 5,000-person finance team froze hiring after Copilot gains. CFO Dive

Back‑to‑office & deglobalisation. Remote and outsourced roles are vanishing.

Remote job ads dropped from 10.4% (Jan 2023) to 7.8% (Apr 2025); 81% of CEOs now plan to reshore or near-shore supply chains. LinkedIn, Bain

Big‑tech layoffs, higher bars. "Quiet engineers" are first on the list.

150,000 tech jobs cut in 2024, 22,000 more by May 2025; Meta targeted the bottom 5% for layoffs. TechCrunch

Code is commodity. GPT ships features; leadership craves organisational impact.

Copilot users code 55% faster, merge PRs 50% sooner, but only 21% of firms redesign workflows for real impact. GitHub, McKinsey

Influence is leverage. Promotions reward KPI ownership, not commit counts.

44% of companies make engineers own cloud spend; those firms are twice as likely to hit cost targets. CloudZero

Visibility beats velocity. If no one sees it, it never happened.

Remote reps were 40% less likely to be promoted, despite 13% better performance. CTrip RCT

Your network is insurance. In volatile times personal influence is the safety net.

Referrals are just 7% of applicants but 40% of hires. PayScale 2024

Auctoritas 4-Week Program

Barbell diagram: Human Leverage ↔ AI Tech

The Taleb barbell metaphor illustrates the power of combining two extremes: robust human skills and cutting-edge AI technology. In this program, you'll learn to leverage both—developing irreplaceable personal influence and harnessing the latest tools for maximum impact. Just as the barbell strategy avoids mediocrity by focusing on the safest and riskiest assets, our approach helps you build a unique edge in a world where average is automated away. This dual focus is what sets apart future leaders and entrepreneurs.

Week	Topics and Frameworks	Expected Results
0 – Know Your Strengths*	Personal Narrative Energy Audit Data-Driven Profiling	Saved energy thanks to 1-2 things you stop doing for good Visibly better results with AI thanks to personalized prompts library
1 – Productivity & Delegation	Time and Calendar Management Getting Thigs Done 2.0 Second Brain Agentic Engineering	Built a system to process all incoming information from emails to news Locked-in tangible value with AI agents and humans you delegated work to
2 – Relationships & Influence	Personal CRM Cold Outreach Marketing Social Media Management	Structured your relationships with peers, gained followers or protegés and found mentors Initiated public speaking or a blog as a thought leadership strategy
3 – Systems & Organisation	Business Strategy OKR, KPI, AOR, ROI and other abbreviations execs like	Quantified precisely your value and impact at the company or a client Changed the way you report and present your work to emphasize the impact you deliver
4 – Entrepreneurship Basics	Business Model Canvas Lean Change Canvas Product Market Fit Prototyping (not vibe coding)	Tested a new business idea or a product Initiated a corporate change management project Packaged your work as an organizational impact offering
5 – Future-Proof Plan*	Systems Thinking Sovereign Individual Metamodernism Quaternary Economy General Artificial Intelligence	A clear strategy how to become a leader or an entrepreneur working as a system (even if a one-person system) A map of political, economic, social and technological trends that will shape your future

* Bonus asynchronous weeks

Your Mentor

Alex Honchar, Co-Founder and CTO of Neurons Lab

Built a consultancy with 100+ projects including Fortune 500 companies
1.6M+ views in the blog, 600+ academic citations
20+ public speeches and workshops in Europe and Asia
20+ projects as independent AI consultant and tech lead
Taught at 4 European Universities as professor and guest lecturer
Serial tech entrepreneur and serial immigrant

This program is built on Alex's 10+ years of experience as a tech lead, entrepreneur, and consultant, during which he has helped many engineers. Each new cohort is unique, as Alex as an entrepreneur and CTO continuously applies and refines the very system he teaches—constantly updating it with the latest tools, practices, and principles.

Pricing & Refund

$1250 for the full 4-week program.

$1000 if you agree to leave a public video review after the course.

Full refund within 24 hours after Wednesday of Week 1 if you opt out.
AI and software tools are not included in the price, but most of the tools are free or have free tiers.
Note: Pricing will go up after the founding cohort.

FAQ

How much time per week?

A lot. Realistically plan for 3-4 hours per day on the weekdays and some time on the weekends.

What's the format & support?

2 live sessions - Monday and Friday evening CET time, almost unlimited time
Daily async check-ins and peer support (1x day mentor answers to everyone, including the weekends)
Software and tools usage templates and other materials support on demand

Why so expensive compared to Udemy?

Udemy sells information. We sell transformation. How much is your career worth?

I don't have time for 3-4 hours per day

You don't have time to remain a "commodity developer". It's not about time, it's about priorities. What's more important: evening TV shows or $100k+ salary?

I'm an introvert, I don't like networking

>50% of our students are introverts. We teach systematic approach to relationships, not "small talk at events". Use your strengths.

How is Auctoritas different from MBA, Udemy or Taro?

Barbell method: combining human influence and AI tools. No other course trains both poles simultaneously.
10 people in cohort: daily personalized feedback from mentor for your specific case.
Active CTO mentor: Alex shares what works right now in Fortune 500 projects.

Ready to become Auctoritas?

Apply for an Interview →

Only 10 seats available