Honoring #IconsOfQuality: Andrew Knight, Cycle Labs

To celebrate the relentless passion of testers, BrowserStack is honoring some of the icons in the testing space—those who push the industry forward by sharing their knowledge with the community at large through their thought leadership.

In the world of software quality, few have built a more recognizable and helpful presence than Andrew Knight, also known as the "Automation Panda." As the Senior Director of Product Management at Cycle Labs, an international conference speaker, and author of the popular AutomationPanda.com blog, Andrew has dedicated his career to one central theme: helping others succeed.

His journey from a hands-on automation engineer to a product visionary is a masterclass in leveraging deep technical expertise to build the next generation of testing tools. His passion for sharing his knowledge with the community and his open-source contributions make him a true Icon of Quality.

We spoke with Andrew to learn about his vision for testing tools, his practical take on AI, and the skills he believes are essential for every tester.

What are the most exciting aspects of your role as the Senior Director of Product Management at Cycle Labs?

I love building excellent testing tools. In my leadership role over Product Management, I get to set the vision for the Cycle Testing Platform, the strategy for how to build it, and the roadmap to get there. It's fun to be future-focused, building the next generation of test automation and experimenting with new, exciting technologies.

What’s a testing trend/innovation that’s got you excited these days?

I'm all about AI-assisted coding in both development and testing work. It is such a force multiplier in that it can handle many of the fine details that I just do not know off the top of my head. For example, I know how to build web apps, but I hate wrangling the HTML and CSS to look good. AI coding assistants are great for doing things quickly, like turning a button blue or adding a sidebar to a page. It helps me focus more on problems and innovation while wasting less time looking up precise syntax.

What's your hot take on AI in testing?

AI tooling is the way of the future for testing and for software engineering at large. When used properly, the tools are just too valuable not to use. I know that I've been able to do certain tasks twice as fast with AI's help. As an industry and a community, it's now our job to figure out how to leverage AI in our workflows.

What's one piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting their career in testing?

Testing takes two main skills: common sense and grit. You need to be able to look at things and intuitively know what's right and wrong, and you need to have the tenacity to keep going when everything is broken. Everything else can be learned. Never give up!

How do you keep up with all the new trends and tools in software testing?

I keep up with everything by being very involved in the software testing community. I attend many events and conferences throughout the year, both in person and virtually. I also keep up with my friends who are in the community. My friends live around the world: the US, the UK, Canada, Mexico, Uruguay, Australia, Slovakia, Czechia, and more!

What are the things you wish you knew about testing when you started your career?

I wish I knew about the software testing community when I started. I felt like I was on an island by myself, particularly regarding test automation.

Outside of the tech world, what's a hobby or activity you're really passionate about?

I work on classic cars! I currently drive a 1970 VW Beetle that I restored myself. Earlier this year, I sold a 1974 VW Karmann Ghia convertible. I have a 1979 VW Bus in my driveway waiting for a chance to renovate. I also recently installed a new touch-screen radio unit on a 20-year-old Mercedes after replacing its rusted rear subframe.

(Responses may have been edited for clarity.)