Modern CTO

Gartner placed them in the highest corner of their Magic Quadrant. Why is HPE leading their industry? Today, we're talking to Brian Gruttadauria, CTO of Hybrid Cloud at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. We discuss how agentic AI is transforming hybrid cloud infrastructure, why human-in-the-loop will remain critical for enterprise AI adoption, and how HPE went from 20% to 92% GitHub Copilot adoption in just over a year. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To get learn more about HPE, check out their website here.

When will customer service be run entirely by bots? Today, we're talking to Adrian McDermott, CTO at Zendesk, about how AI agents are transforming customer experience. We discuss why automation drives escalation instead of elimination, how Zendesk is moving from seat-based to outcome-based pricing with their resolution platform, and why the future of leadership requires being more like a slot machine than a vending machine. Thank you to Digital Ocean for sponsoring this episode. For simple cloud and powerful AI that’s built to scale, check out Digital Ocean here. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To get learn more about Zendesk, check out their website here.

This is some of the best advice we’ve ever heard on managing teams. Today, we're talking to Mark Porter, CTO at dbt Labs. We discuss why knowing your audience is the foundation of effective communication, how to create psychological safety for escalation without surprises, and why hiring remarkable talent requires unconventional tactics like asking for negative references and spending six hours with final candidates. Thank you to Digital Ocean for sponsoring this episode. For simple cloud and powerful AI that’s built to scale, check out Digital Ocean here. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To get learn more about dbt Labs, check out their website here.

When he went to investors, nobody believed that the internet would be a big deal. Today, we're talking to Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard, the Father of the Cable Modem. We discuss how he invented broadband when no one believed home internet would succeed, why letting your product do the talking beats PowerPoint presentations, and how to distinguish between technology hype and delivery reality in the age of AI. Thank you to Digital Ocean for sponsoring this episode. For simple cloud and powerful AI that’s built to scale, check out Digital Ocean here. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To get a copy of Rouzbeh's book, The Accidental Network, buy it here on Amazon. To check out Rouzbeh's YAS Foundation, visit their website here.

THIS is how you can actually leverage AI to transform your business in a realistic timeframe. Today, we're talking to Rebecca Carr, CEO at SmartRecruiters, about how she led a complete AI transformation of her company in eighteen months without asking the board for permission. We discuss why 58% of job applications are now completed by AI agents, how she threw out her entire product roadmap to build an AI-native recruiting platform, and why traditional jobs won't exist in five years. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To learn more about SmartRecruiters, check out their website here.

It’s lonely at the top. But being lonely is actually a choice. Today, we're talking to Jay Owen, CEO at Business Builders. We discuss how leading in ministry has changed his approach to business leadership, why loneliness at the top is actually a choice, and how AI tools like vibe coding are enabling agencies to build $50,000 solutions in just one week for a few hundred dollars. Thank you to Digital Ocean for sponsoring this episode. For simple cloud and powerful AI that’s built to scale, check out Digital Ocean here. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To learn more about Business Builders, check out their website here.

Web3 crashed and burned when it first rolled out. But now, it’s picking up steam in gaming. Today, we're talking to Chris Hewish, President at Xsolla. We discuss why the first wave of Web3 gaming collapsed into pyramid schemes, how blockchain technology is being reimagined to enhance gameplay instead of replace it, and why creator economies and decentralized ownership could finally solve the cold start problem that's been holding back mass adoption. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To learn more about Xsolla, check out their website here.

He walked away from a cushy job to build products in his garage. Here’s how he made it work. Today, we're talking to Scott Henderson, CTO and Co-founder at Celigo. We discuss why AI needs minimal autonomy instead of maximum freedom, how the future of SaaS is chat-to-validate rather than click-to-execute, and why the most expensive AI mistake is adopting it too slowly rather than spending too much. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To learn more about Celigo, check out their website here.

Everyone is rushing to master AI, but what does that mean for software security? Today, we're talking to Henrik Plate and Amod Gupta from Endor Labs about their State of Dependency Management report. We discuss how AI coding assistants are introducing new security vulnerabilities, why 90% of security issues exist in code you're not even using, and how malware is now hijacking local AI agents to steal credentials. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To read Endor Labs' State of Dependency Management Report, check it out here!

Is journalism being threatened or enhanced by modern technology? Today, we're talking to Dylan Jacques, Chief Product and Technology Officer at The Telegraph. We discuss how AI is transforming news consumption patterns, why maintaining journalistic standards is critical in the age of LLMs, and how publishers can adapt by shipping features faster while preserving the human element of journalism. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! Thank you to Digital Ocean for sponsoring this episode. For simple cloud and powerful AI that’s built to scale, check out Digital Ocean here. To learn more about The Telegraph, check out their website here.

AI is more powerful than ever, but companies are way overhyping this one feature. Today, we're talking to Bryan McCann, CTO and co-founder at You.com. We discuss why CTOs need to start asking deeper questions about meaning, how AI is forcing us to rethink consciousness and intelligence, and why treating AI with respect might actually help you become a better person. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! Thank you to Digital Ocean for sponsoring this episode. For simple cloud and powerful AI that’s built to scale, check out Digital Ocean here. To learn more about You.com, check out their website here.

AI is more powerful than ever, but companies are way overhyping this one feature. Today, we're talking to Yotam Yemini, CEO of Causely. We discuss why AI SREs are getting so much hype right now, how companies can make the benefits of AI in operations tangible, and why understanding the limitations of language models is crucial for effective implementation in SRE work. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To learn more about Causely, check out their website here.

Lenovo has been a global leader in computing for decades. Where are they heading next? Today, we're talking to Art Hu, SVP and CTO at Lenovo. We discuss Lenovo's transformation into a services-led company, the future of personal computing and AI twins, and how CTOs can prepare their organizations for the AI revolution. Thank you to Digital Ocean for sponsoring this episode. For simple cloud and powerful AI that’s built to scale, check out Digital Ocean here. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To learn more about Lenovo, check out their website here.

Yahoo was there in the earliest days of the internet, but what are they up to now? Today, we're talking to Lee Zen, CTO at Yahoo. We discuss Yahoo's continued relevance in the digital age, how they're leveraging AI and cloud technology to navigate the expanding digital wilderness, and why authenticity and transparency are crucial in tech leadership. Thanks to Fin for sponsoring this episode. To learn more about the #1 AI agent for customer support, go to fin.ai/cto. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To learn more about Yahoo, check out their website here.

ChatGPT is the single fastest growing product of all-time, and he was there to launch it. Today, we're talking to Zach Kass, former head of go-to-market at OpenAI. We discuss the story behind launching ChatGPT, how society can responsibly adopt AI, and why societal thresholds are crucial for the integration of new technologies. Thank you to Digital Ocean for sponsoring this episode. For simple cloud and powerful AI that’s built to scale, check out Digital Ocean here. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To learn more about Zack Kass, check out his website here.

AI-generated code is inescapable, and you can’t always trust it. So what do you do? Today, we're talking to Varun Badhwar, CEO of Endor Labs. We discuss how they're solving the developer productivity tax by making code more secure, why 90% of code comes from open source and the risks that entails, and how AI coding agents are introducing new security challenges in software development. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To learn more about Endor Labs, check out their website here.

He talks to his dad every night… but his dad passed away eight years ago. Today, we're talking to Miles Spencer, Founder at Reflekta. We discuss how AI is enabling conversations with deceased loved ones, the emergence of the “Soul Tech" category in tech, and why preserving human stories is crucial for future generations. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! Thank you to Digital Ocean for sponsoring this episode. For simple cloud and powerful AI that’s built to scale, check out Digital Ocean here. To learn more about Reflekta, check out their website here.

Technology is moving faster than it ever has, so how do you actually scale? Today, we're talking to Robert Duffy, CTO at HealthEdge. We discuss how AI is changing traditional scaling strategies, why rapidly bootstrapping trust is crucial in merged organizations, and how assuming positive intent can transform leadership and team dynamics. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To learn more about HealthEdge, check out their website here.

“I don’t trust you either, Steve.” He made a $400m mistake at Apple. Today, we're talking to Guy Kawasaki, Chief Evangelist at Canva and author of "Wiser Guy". We discuss his experiences working with Steve Jobs, how he navigated hearing loss and became a mission-driven leader, and why it's essential to approach life with humor and resilience in the face of challenges. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! Thank you to Digital Ocean for sponsoring this episode. For simple cloud and powerful AI that’s built to scale, check out Digital Ocean here. To learn more about Guy, pick up a copy of "Wiser Guy" here!

He spearheaded a new arm of Comcast to unprecedented success. Today, we're talking to Jeff Buzzelli, Regional SVP at Comcast. We discuss how Comcast Business grew from zero to $10 billion, why employee engagement is crucial for successful leadership, and how the company manages telecommunications during hurricane season in Florida. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To learn more about Comcast, check out their website here.