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The CTO Podcast

Insights & Strategies for Chief Technology Officers Navigating the C-Suite while Balancing Technical Strategy, Team Management, & Innovationwww.ctopod.com
The CTO Podcast explores the worlds of Chief Technical officers as they manage the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of technologists in the C-suite. Hosted by Etienne de Bruin, founder of 7CTOs and author of CTO Excellence in 100 Days: Becoming the leader your company deserves.

www.ctopod.com

Episodes

How to Apply AI at Your Company -- Ksenia Palke // Airspace

As the CTO of your company, it is almost impossible to onlook or resist the urge to deploy AI in some form in your company. But before you make that move, is your company in the gray zone? Are you aware of ethical considerations and AI bias? Who should you hire first a data scientist or a data engineer? Listen to Ksenia Palke, Director of AI at Airspace, as she discusses applying AI in your company. Show Notes Connect With: Ksenia Palke: Website // LinkedIn The CTO Podcast: Website // Speaker Ap...

Jul 03, 202322 min

Solo Projects // Reddit // Imaginary Problems // Estimation // GPT-4 Pitch Decks

Etienne and Stephan are at it again. 00:00 Intro and Puppies! 00:40 Andreas Kling Receives $100,000 To Build His Ladybird Browser 08:55 Reddit CEO Steve Huffman praises Elon Musk's cost-curring methods amid widespread protest 19:44 Imaginary Problems Are The Root Of All Bad Software 29:36 Estimation Isn't For Everyone 44:08 GPT-4 Out Performs Humans In Pitch Deck Success Check out 7ctos.com Check out www.amazingcto.com And for more episodes check out ctopod.com See Privacy Policy at https://art1...

Jun 23, 202357 min

How CTO's Should Rely on Automation Infrastructure -- Rob Hirschfeld // RackN

People should be automating as much as they can, but they don't have a lot of ground rules, benefits, or even KPIs that they can use to start knowing if they're automating well. Want to know more? Listen to Rob Hirschfeld, CEO and Founder of RackN, as he discusses how CTOs should rely on automation infrastructure. Show Notes Connect With: Rob Hirschfeld: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter The CTO Podcast: Website // Speaker Application Etienne de Bruin: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter See Privacy Pol...

Jun 21, 202330 min

The Role of DevOps in Building Startups -- Rob Hirschfeld // RackN

When you're building something that needs to run people's production data centers, or people start depending on your product, they don't want it to be an MVP; they want that DevOps discipline of building CI and CD systems, testing, security checks, and all those pieces. Want to know more? Listen to Rob Hirschfeld, CEO and Founder of RackN, as he discusses the role of DevOps in building startups. Show Notes Connect With: Rob Hirschfeld: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter The CTO Podcast: Website // S...

Jun 20, 202319 min

Industry-Specific Applications of AI -- Sanjay Sehgal // MSys

The authentic use of AI in any industry is turning complexity into clarity. Many Ai tools are available, but not many takers because many people can't figure out how to use them in their environment. How should you be thinking about deploying AI in your industry? Listen to Sanjay Sehgal, CEO of MSys Technologies, as he discusses industry-specific applications of AI. Show Notes Connect With: Sanjay Sehgal: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter The CTO Podcast: Website // Speaker Application Etienne de B...

Jun 16, 202319 min

Ethics & Human-AI Partnerships -- Sanjay Sehgal // MSys

With AI development moving at a fast pace, there are concerns that people are at risk of crossing ethical lines. Some are wary that AI could even replace human connections. How exposed are you to AI, and what can you do to keep pace with such an inequitable partner? Listen to Sanjay Sehgal, CEO of MSys Technologies as he discusses ethics and human AI partnerships. Show Notes Connect With: Sanjay Sehgal: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter The CTO Podcast: Website // Speaker Application Etienne de Bru...

Jun 15, 202318 min

Focusing on Revenue Goals with Cross Functional Teams -- Ole Dallerup // Dreamdata.io

How do you focus on revenue when scaling and developing cross-functional teams? It starts by being able to measure and link your product's functionality, features, and usage to real revenue impact. And sharing that with the team who built them to give them accountability. When you do that and get your product usage data under control, each team understands well how to impact it. How do you do it? Listen to Ole Dallerup, CTO and Co-founder of Dreamdata.io , as he discusses how to focus on revenue...

Jun 09, 202316 min

Becoming a Tech Leader of a Fast-Growing Startup -- Ole Dallerup // Dreamdata.io

The path to becoming a tech leader at a fast-growing startup is multifaceted, so you have to be hands-on from the onset: from coding your product to raising and developing a team. As a CTO, you have your work laid out for you. How do you handle it all and become the CTO of your dreams? Listen to Ole Dallerup, CTO and Co-founder of Dreamdata.io , as he discusses becoming a tech leader at a fast-growing startup. Show Notes Connect With: Ole Dallerup: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter The CTO Podcast:...

Jun 08, 202319 min

The Performance Boosting Power of Feedback -- Darva Satcher // GitLab Inc.

Feedback can be scary to give and receive, but it doesn't have to be because everyone needs it to improve and grow the company. See feedback as data and not a judgment about who or what is right or wrong. How do you deal with the emotions that come with feedback? How do you ask for feedback to get the data you need to boost performance? Listen to Darva Satcher, Director of Engineering of GitLab Inc., as she discusses the performance-boosting power of feedback. Show Notes Connect With: Darva Satc...

Jun 06, 202322 min

Unlocking the Power of the Skip Level Meetings -- Darva Satcher // GitLab Inc.

There's always some hierarchy in every organization, no matter how flat they try to keep things flat. The farther away people are from the center point, the harder it is to keep them glued. Skip levels are a way to keep people connected to the vision. What is it, and how does it work? Listen to Darva Satcher, Director of Engineering of GitLab Inc., as she discusses how to unlock the power of skip-level meetings. Show Notes Connect With: Darva Satcher: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter The CTO Podca...

Jun 05, 202318 min

Work on Your Reputation Inside and Outside Your Company! -- Kevin Goldsmith // DistroKid

Brittany Cotton and Etienne de Bruin talk to Kevin Goldsmith and Claudius Mbemba about the importance of building your reputation as CTO/VPE or technical executive. Connect With: Kevin Goldsmith: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter The CTO Podcast: Website // Speaker Application Etienne de Bruin: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to The CTO Podcast at www.ctopo...

Jun 01, 202340 min

Grooming Engineering Managers -- Dalia Havens // Replicated

Dalia Havens, VPE of Replicated, discusses about grooming engineering managers. Connect With: Dalia Havens: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter The CTO Podcast: Website // Speaker Application Etienne de Bruin: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to The CTO Podcast at www.ctopod.com/subscribe...

May 29, 202334 min

Architecture to Manage Data Costs & Complexity -- Adrian Estala // Starburst

The era of hoarding access to data is fast passing because access to data is driving incredible value. But how do you manage the costs and complexity? As a CTO, when do you bring on a CDO to help your company leverage all the data you've been gathering? Listen to Adrian Estala, VP, Field Chief Data Officer of Starburst, as he discusses architectures and ways to manage data costs and complexity. Show Notes Connect With: Adrian Estala: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter The CTO Podcast: Website // Spe...

May 26, 202317 min

The Evolution of the CDO Role -- Adrian Estala // Starburst

The Chief Data Officer role is relatively new but has quickly evolved from governance and data capabilities to thinking about the business, specific use cases, and the projects that will deliver those use cases. However, the biggest issue for a CDO, especially in a big company, is every one of your business consumers has a different ask. They want to use the same data, but they want to use it differently. How do you cope with that? Listen to Adrian Estala, VP, Field Chief Data Officer of Starbur...

May 25, 202320 min

Coaching Your Engineers vs. Giving Them Feedback -- Etienne de Bruin // 7CTOs

Etienne spends a bit of one on one time with you talking about the differences between coaching our people vs. giving them feedback. Connect With: Etienne de Bruin: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter The CTO Podcast: Website // Speaker Application Etienne de Bruin: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to The CTO Podcast at www.ctopod.com/subscribe...

May 22, 202319 min

The Power of Stillness for the CTO -- Brittany Cotton // 7CTOs

We had a discussion about how the role of CTO is actually fundamentally changing where we have to consider the fact that the tools we're using processes we have in place are actually not in service anymore to this globalized workforce. One of the things, I think why we're here in the workforce is that. Everything we did the last two years has been reactionary. Etienne de Bruin and Brittany Cotton discuss the power of stillness and reflection for the CTO in this time. Connect With: Brittany Cotto...

May 18, 202314 min

How to Stop Juggling & Start Shipping Product -- Surya Oruganti // Argonaut

So many small teams start by configuring the bare necessities to get their product going. Then they want to scale and realize a DevOps component is missing at your company. Hiring a DevOps person to get them up to speed and then working with them will be a few months off. How do you stop juggling and focus on product improvement from day one? Find out more as Surya Oruganti, Founder & CEO at Argonaut, discusses how to stop juggling and start shipping products. Show Notes Connect With: Surya ...

May 16, 202312 min

No DevOps? No Problem -- Surya Oruganti // Argonaut

Some CTOs want their developers to be well-versed in DevOps others want their SREs to handle that; what if you don't have any of those? Do you hire a DevOps or take the no-Ops option? What if you could have a happy middle ground that brings the benefits of no-ops to a platform such as AWS or GCP? Find out more as Surya Oruganti, Founder & CEO at Argonaut, discusses DevOps, no-Ops, and what you can do without either. Show Notes Connect With: Surya Oruganti: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter The ...

May 15, 202316 min

Struggles in Buy-vs-Build Land -- Blake Messer // Cratejoy

The buy vs. build question is a recurring one engineering leaders have to deal with. You are often worried that by taking an off-the-shelf solution, they will only have 80% of the functionality you want. Do you still go ahead to buy or build internally? How does doing either help you compete in the market? Find out more in this episode of the CTO podcast as Blake Messer, VP of Engineering at Cratejoy, discusses answering the buy vs. build question and how to avoid struggles down the road. Show N...

May 12, 202317 min

How to use ChatGPT to write code -- Blake Messer // Cratejoy

Are you one of those CTOs scared of adopting ChatGPT because of privacy, security, and copyright concerns? Your team members are already using it. The earlier you drive adoption and expertise with how to use and what the pitfalls are, the more elaborate your work will be. Find out more in this episode of the CTO podcast as Blake Messer, VP of Engineering at Cratejoy, discusses how to use ChatGPT to write code and more. Show Notes Connect With: Blake Messer: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter The CTO...

May 11, 202319 min

Contribution Analysis for Your Dev Team -- Hezheng Yin // Merico

Development is a continuum, with team after team continuing to improve the code base. How do you handle inherited code base and technical debt? How does a new team measure and value its contribution to the product against the inherited code base? Listen to this episode of the CTO Podcast as Hezheng Yin, Cofounder & CTO at Merico, discusses contribution analysis for dev teams. Show Notes Connect With: Hezheng Yin: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter The CTO Podcast: Website // Speaker Application ...

May 10, 202319 min

Managing International Engineering Teams -- Hezheng Yin // Merico

Leveraging global engineering talent is increasingly impossible to pass off. But how do you manage such a team with diverse cultural backgrounds? How do you ensure everyone is in sync when a scrum is impossible to schedule? And how do you foster collaboration among teams to move your company forward? Tune in to this episode of the CTO Podcast as Hezheng Yin, Cofounder & CTO at Merico, discusses strategies to manage international engineering teams. Show Notes Connect With: Hezheng Yin: Websit...

May 09, 202321 min

Impact of AI on a Digital Company's Carbon Footprint -- Richard Whitehead // Moogsoft Inc.

Digital companies generate tons of data. The problem is no longer the cost of storing extensive data but the carbon footprint it generates. With new regulations coming for companies to report their carbon footprint and financial reports, what's the smart way to save on data storage? How can AI and machine learning help? Listen to Richard Whitehead, CTO at Moogsoft Inc., talk about the impact of AI on digital companies' carbon footprints. Show Notes Connect With: Richard Whitehead: Website // Lin...

May 05, 202320 min

Application of AI Techniques to IT Ops -- Richard Whitehead // Moogsoft Inc.

What is the world of artificial intelligence inside IT operations? There is the creation of models based on event data, log data, and whatever interests machines and DevOps. And then there is the ability to simplify or automate some, whether it's an alert or seeing something in the data that the operator might not see. What more? Listen to Richard Whitehead, CTO at Moogsoft Inc., talk about how artificial intelligence will transform the IT industry by applying AI techniques to IT ops. Show Notes...

May 04, 202324 min

Optimize Development with Automation -- Calvin Hendryx-Parker // Six Feet Up

As you lay the foundation for software development, it's essential to consider the best framework for achieving excellence and effectiveness. In stage one, you must focus on team-building strategies, and stage two is environment setup, documentation, and coding standards. By stage three, you must automate processes to improve efficiency and reduce errors. Finally, stage four is about fostering a culture of continuous improvement and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Want all the details...

Apr 28, 202322 min

Build Resilient Systems -- Calvin Hendryx-Parker // Six Feet Up

What is the best framework for laying an excellent and effective Software Development Foundation? How do you build a resilient system where security isn't a chore but a part of your team's culture? There are four stages, and stage one concerns your strategies for a team-building environment, setup, documentation, and coding standards. What's in stage two? Listen to Calvin Hendryx-Parker, CTO and Co-Founder at Six Feet Up, discussing the execute and iterate stage of building resilient systems. Sh...

Apr 27, 202313 min

Solidifying Software Development Foundations -- Calvin Hendryx-Parker // Six Feet Up

What is your team doing to cross-pollinate knowledge or innovate, or keep up to date with the current standards? How do you leverage the strengths of your teams? What is foundational to the software development process, and how do you make the case to other C-suites for buy-in? Listen to Calvin Hendryx-Parker, CTO and Co-Founder at Six Feet Up, talk about solidifying software development foundations and more. Show Notes Connect With: Calvin Hendryx-Parker: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter The CTO ...

Apr 26, 202316 min

IOT For The Hot Tub Part 2 -- Jonathan LaCour // Mission

Check out the latest CTO Studio featuring Jonathan LaCour. Jonathan LaCour is the CTO of Mission. Mission is a AWS Premier Consulting Partner. Show Notes Connect With: Jonathan LaCour: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter The CTO Podcast: Website // Speaker Application Etienne de Bruin: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to The CTO Podcast at www.ctopod.com/subsc...

Apr 21, 202311 min

Designing IOT For The Hot Tub -- Jonathan LaCour // Mission

Check out the latest CTO Studio featuring Jonathan LaCour. Jonathan LaCour is the CTO of Mission. Mission is a AWS Premier Consulting Partner. Show Notes Connect With: Jonathan LaCour: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter The CTO Podcast: Website // Speaker Application Etienne de Bruin: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to The CTO Podcast at www.ctopod.com/subsc...

Apr 20, 202313 min

Invest In Serverless -- Jonathan LaCour // Mission

Check out the latest CTO Studio featuring Jonathan LaCour. Jonathan LaCour is the CTO of Mission. Mission is a AWS Premier Consulting Partner. Show Notes Connect With: Jonathan LaCour: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter The CTO Podcast: Website // Speaker Application Etienne de Bruin: Website // LinkedIn // Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to The CTO Podcast at www.ctopod.com/subsc...

Apr 19, 202312 min