TechPod Talks

Епизоди

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  Career Pivots, Authentic Leadership, and the Agentic Era with Stephen Koza 19.08.2026 44мин

  TechPod Talks producer Lauren Dort turns the mic on host Stephen Koza, CEO of EverOps. Stephen traces his path from electrical engineering student at UT Austin to enterprise sales, through Silicon Valley startups and investing, to acquiring and running EverOps since February 2022. The conversation covers what authentic leadership actually looks like in practice, how to hire for ceiling rather than credentials, why most companies are failing to get ROI from AI, and what it will really take before production systems can run autonomously.Main Topics CoveredWhat the squiggly career path actually teaches you, and why putting too much pressure on early-career planning often works against youHow to maintain credibility with technical teams when you are not the most technical person in the roomWhy caring is a leadership behavior, not a personality trait, and what it looks like when someone actually does it versus just says itThe difference between hard to work with and toxic, and why conflating the two is a costly leadership mistakeThe rising star hiring profile: what to look for in candidates whose ceiling far exceeds their current credentialsWhy most AI initiatives are not making it to production, and what companies need to get right about data and infrastructure before the agentic era delivers real returnsLinks & ResourcesConnect with Stephen Koza: LinkedInConnect with Lauren Hochman Dort: LinkedInConnect with EverOps: Website | LinkedInReferencesRadical Candor by Kim ScottWhat You Do Is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz
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  Security, AI Adoption, and Human Judgment with Patrick McKinney 05.08.2026 45мин

  Patrick McKinney, VP of Security at Invisible Technologies, has spent his career building security and compliance functions from the ground up, from Coinbase to Dropbox to Salesforce. He shares the playbook lessons that carried across each stop, why phase two never adds security, and how he's applying an AI native approach to security at Invisible while still keeping judgment and accountability firmly in human hands.Main Topics Covered:Building compliance functions from scratch at Coinbase, Dropbox, and Salesforce, and the lesson that phase two never adds securityStanding up SOX and GDPR compliance ahead of Dropbox's 2018 IPOEarly FedRAMP work at Salesforce, including a dedicated authorized colo built entirely from scratchInvesting in an agentic SOC platform and running quality bake offs before adopting new AI security toolsKnowing when to shift security ownership from a CTO or head of IT to a dedicated security professionalHow AI is reshaping entry level talent, and why judgment and accountability still belong to humansLinks & Resources: Connect with Patrick McKinney: LinkedIn Connect with Stephen Koza: LinkedIn Connect with EverOps: Website | LinkedIn
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  Prebid, Music Royalties, and Leading Through Transformation with Tom Kershaw 22.07.2026 46мин

  Tom Kershaw, SVP and CTO at BMI, shares how a career spanning telecom, ad tech, travel, and now music rights taught him to learn new industries fast and lead through transformation. He breaks down the massive data challenge of tracking billions of music performances, the open source story behind Prebid that led to Google's antitrust trial, and why trying to stop AI in music is a losing battle.Main Topics Covered:Crossing industries from telecom to ad tech to music rights, and why going deep on one thing (not everything) is the fastest way to learn a new businessThe Prebid open source story: uniting competing ad tech companies against Google's walled gardens, and testifying in the DOJ antitrust trialHow BMI tracks billions of music performances across streaming, live venues, TikTok, and elevators to pay 1.5 million songwritersSolving two data problems at once: high-complexity structured ownership data (SQL) and high-scale streaming counts (Kafka, Databricks, Spark)Why AI in music can't be stopped, how songwriters already use it, and the ethical frameworks BMI is building around opt-in and attributionTransformation leadership: why "focus" literally means "no," and the willingness to fail and course correct is the only way throughLinks:Connect with Tom Kershaw: LinkedInConnect with Stephen Koza: LinkedInConnect with EverOps: Website | LinkedIn
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  From Six Sigma to AI: Turning Discovery Into Revenue with Jose Gonzalez 08.07.2026 37мин

  Jose Gonzalez, VP of Product at Ticketmaster, shares how a career spanning the dot-com bubble, Johnson & Johnson, Yahoo, EA, Amazon, and a Techstars-backed AI startup shaped his approach to product leadership. He breaks down the power law behind media platforms, what it takes to scale teams under pressure, and why trying to put the AI genie back in the bottle is the wrong move.Main Topics Covered:An unconventional path from web dev and Six Sigma process engineering at J&J to VP of Product at TicketmasterHow power law dynamics drive media platforms, and why you can't build your business around hits aloneCo-founding an AI startup (Naria) through Techstars, and what the experience taught him about timing and product-market fitScaling teams fast: hiring for horsepower over perfect fit, and knowing when to lower the bar without dropping itWhy AI adoption mirrors the MP3/Kazaa/Spotify era, and the leaders who stop resisting will define what comes nextUsing AI at Ticketmaster to connect fans with the right event at the right moment through smarter signals and discoveryLinks & ResourcesConnect with Jose Gonzalez: LinkedInConnect with Stephen Koza: LinkedInConnect with EverOps: Website | LinkedIn
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  Systems Thinking, Shark Tank, and AI in Gaming with Chris Harden 24.06.2026 42мин

  Chris Harden, Director of Production Verification and AI Liaison at Unity, shares how a career spanning theme parks, embedded software, EA Sports, and a startup that was featured on Shark Tank shaped his approach to building the systems around software. He breaks down the AI debate in gaming, how he used agents to write his latest book, and why communication is the most underrated leadership skill.Main Topics Covered:A career built on systems thinking, from programming Epcot control systems to shipping NBA Live at EA Sports to co-founding a Shark Tank startupWhy the hardest part of shipping a triple-A game isn't the code, it's coordination and integration across hundreds of peopleHow Chris uses AI agents at Unity, including a jargon remover, a Scrum Master agent, and a multi-agent workflow for writing his latest bookThe AI and gaming debate: where rapid prototyping wins, where human taste still matters, and why engineers are the orchestrators and verifiersCommunication as the most common leadership gap, from IC to executive, and why everyone should work in sales at least onceLinks & ResourcesConnect with Chris Harden: LinkedIn | WebsiteConnect with Stephen Koza: LinkedInConnect with EverOps: Website | LinkedInBooks Referenced:Scale by Geoffrey Moore (systems thinking)Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey MooreLittle Robot, Big Dreams by Chris Harden (Shark Tank memoir)Mastering Commitment by Chris Harden (building trust in teams)The 4 Piece Operating Plan by Chris Harden (operating plans framework)
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  AI-Native Engineering: From Coding to Orchestration with Robert Gonzalez 10.06.2026 46мин

  Robert Gonzalez, VP of Engineering at SugarAI shares how he's transforming a 115-person engineering org into an AI-native operation, from building Scrum Master agents to rethinking how engineering value is measured. He also makes the case that in the age of AI, your product's durable moat isn't the UI, it's the context layer underneath it.Main Topics Covered:A self-taught career path from webmaster to VP of Engineering, and the value of saying yes to risky projectsLeading a globally distributed engineering org across four continents using the "golden window" for collaborationWhy AI acceleration in engineering just moves the bottleneck, and why the whole business needs to keep paceBuilding AI agents to automate Scrum Master duties, sprint metrics, and backward-looking estimation analysisWhy the context layer, not the UI, is the durable moat for SaaS companies in the AI eraLinks & Resources:Connect with Robert Gonzalez: LinkedInConnect with Stephen Koza: LinkedInConnect with EverOps: Website | LinkedIn
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  Balancing Operational Excellence and Innovation in Engineering with Meir Wasserman 27.05.2026 45мин

  Discover how engineering leaders in gaming navigate the constant tension between keeping the lights on and building what's next. Meir Wasserman shares hard-earned lessons from EA Sports, Amazon Games, and 2K Games on driving change, creating urgency, and evolving as a leader, plus his take on how AI is reshaping the engineering workflow.Main Topics Covered:Balancing operational toil with delivering customer value and new featuresDriving organizational change: why the hardest part is people, not technologyA practical heuristic for deciding which operational problems are worth fixingScaling leadership: staying connected to your org as it grows beyond one teamA skip-level meeting format for staying connected without micromanagingWhy leaders must be the source of urgency for their top prioritiesSimplifying complexity as a core leadership skill to rally teams around problemsEvolving views on AI: from skepticism to excitement about agentic workflowsThe shift from writing code to engineering outcomes, and what that means for the professionBridging the gap between vibe coding and production-grade, enterprise-level codeAI economics and the coming shift from flat pricing to consumption or value-based modelsConnect with Meir Wasserman: LinkedIn + BlogConnect with Stephen Koza: LinkedInConnect with EverOpsReferences:Book: Amp It Up by Frank SlootmanTool: NotebookLM by Google
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  FinOps, AI, and the Non-Traditional Path to Tech Leadership with Chris Robertson 13.05.2026 48мин

  Explore how top tech leaders, like Chris Robertson, leverage unconventional career journeys, self-education, and cutting-edge AI strategies to achieve remarkable success in tech industries. Gain insights into building resilient teams, optimizing cloud economics, and fostering innovation through rapid experimentation.Main Topics Covered:The power of self-learning and non-traditional career paths to reach executive levelsKey decision-making factors influencing career moves across fast-growing tech companiesReframing FinOps from just cost management to a company-wide efficiency enablerPractical approaches to implementing reliable platform and service availability upgradesThe importance of chasing small wins for organizational momentum in tech transformationsHow to prioritize AI use cases with measurable ROI and rapid iteration strategiesManaging the rapid evolution of AI tools and the importance of flexible stack planningThe human element in AI adoption: overcoming fear and resistance with training and examplesThe critical role of external expertise and outside teams in accelerating innovation cyclesFuture trends: Industry outlook on AI impact, productivity, and next-gen innovationsLinks & Resources:Connect with Chris Robertson: LinkedInConnect with Stephen Koza: LinkedInConnect with EverOps: LinkedInBook referenced by Chris: TCP/IP IllustratedPoll referenced by Stephen: Poll: Majority of voters say risk of AI outweighs the benefits
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  Building Organizational Clarity to Unlock Growth with Dr. Janet Sherlock 29.04.2026 42мин

  Discover how organizational structure impacts performance, innovation, and growth. Join us as Dr. Janet Sherlock shares insights from her 30-year career, research, and practical experience transforming organizations for the digital age.‍Main Topics Covered:The overlooked importance of organizational structure in leadership successHow overlapping C-suite roles and organizational layering impact performanceThe "great flattening" trend among tech giants and its implicationsStrategies for rationalizing organizational layers to improve decision-makingThe role of AI teams within broader organizational structuresPractical frameworks: the CFD model for AI enablementThe significance of candor and clear communication in leadershipLinks & Resources:Connect with Dr. Janet Sherlock: LinkedInConnect with Stephen Koza: LinkedInConnect with EverOps: LinkedIn‍TEDx Talks: Is your business organized poorly? Here’s what to avoid with Dr. Janet SherlockBook: Radical Candor by Kim Scott
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  Software, Leadership, and the AI Era with Francisco Trindade 17.04.2026 49мин

  In this episode, Francisco Trindade, VP of Product Engineering at Braze, shares his insights on how AI is transforming software development, leadership, and education. We explore the evolving roles of engineers, the importance of understanding the system, and how leaders can create effective, adaptable teams amidst rapid technological change.Main Topics Covered:The impact of AI on coding and software delivery, emphasizing that coding is no longer the bottlenecHow agile principles remain relevant despite the decline of traditional Agile practicesThe changing role of software developers and what skills will stay crucial in AI-driven environmentLessons from entrepreneurship and leadership that endure through evolving tech landscapesThe importance of system management over individual team members for successful leadershiThe shifting landscape of engineering education and whether computer science degrees will remain crucialStrategies for organizations to prepare for AI's long-term implications in coding, testing, and scalingPractical advice for early-career engineers to navigate a future where AI automates many tasksLinks:Connect with Stephen Koza: LinkedInConnect with Francisco Trindade: LinkedInConnect with EverOps: LinkedInBooks and resources mentioned:The Lean Startup by Eric RiesJobs to Be Done frameworkFrancisco's blog on Medium
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  Unlocking Leadership and Cost Optimization in Tech with Mark Sass 15.04.2026 35мин

  Discover how seasoned tech leader Mark Sass navigates the challenges of leadership, cost efficiency, and scaling platform engineering.This episode delves into practical strategies, leadership evolution, and the importance of understanding business context, all from a leader with a rich background across industries.Main Topics Covered:Mark Sass’s career journey and leadership style evolutionThe impact of an MBA on technical decision-making and cross-functional communicationPractical approaches to cost efficiency in cloud infrastructureStrategies for gaining buy-in for infrastructure modernizationBuilding high-performing teams through leadership principles and mentorshipThe role of data and metrics in driving cloud cost savingsOverrated trends in platform engineering, emphasizing value over hypeLinks & Resources:Connect with Stephen Koza: LinkedInConnect with Mark Sass: LinkedInConnect with EverOps on LinkedIn‍Books mentioned by Mark:Extreme Ownership by Jocko WillinkThe 5 Levels of Leadership by John MaxwellThe Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
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  Welcome to Techpod Talks 12.04.2026 2мин

  Are you a tech leader or tech executive struggling with the pressures of digital transformation? We’re talking specifically about things like IT modernization, efficient team scaling with limited resources, and developing a practical AI strategy. These are very real issues we’re all facing in the tech industry right now, and it’s proving difficult to find the advice you actually need.Host Stephen Koza, CEO at EverOps, created the TechPod Talks podcast to bridge the gap between how leadership perceives challenges in this field and the realities on the ground.The show features conversations with proven technical leaders who provide real-world advice on critical tech company operations and challenges. These are the kinds of conversations that you would normally have with your buddies in tech over a beer at the end of a long week. No fluff, just solid advice that’s actually being implemented.We want you to hear from people who aren’t just talking about what we need to be doing in tech, but are actually living it right now. Some of the topics we’re covering include:Scaling engineering teamsModernizing infrastructureSuccessful AI adoption and navigating AI implementationMaking hard operational calls without a defined playbookGet past the generic advice and find actionable tips from those who are actively in the arena.LINKS:Website: https://www.everops.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/everops/