Austin Tech Connect: The Podcast For The Austin Technology Ecosystem, Business Leaders, and Tech Entrepreneurs!

Heather Brunner, CEO of WP Engine, returns to Austin Tech Connect following her keynote address at the "2026 State of Tech Luncheon", presented by the Austin Technology Council and the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.

For those who missed Heather's keynote, this episode revisits the ideas, stories, and observations that made her presentation such an important look at where Austin tech has been and where it is going.

Heather shares her own Austin story, from arriving in the city in 1994 to her time at Trilogy and the network of leaders and entrepreneurs who helped shape Austin's technology ecosystem. She talks about the influence of people including Joe Liemandt, Chris Hyams, Brett Hurt, Josh Baer, Bill Wood, and Jason Cohen, and how relationships, mentorship, risk-taking, and a willingness to bet on people have played a major role in Austin's growth.

The conversation then turns to what may be Austin's next great chapter.

Heather believes Austin now sits at the center of five industries that could help define the next 50 years: space, quantum, defense, robotics, and biomedicine.

More importantly, these industries are not developing in isolation. Austin's long-standing strengths in software, semiconductors, hardware, research, entrepreneurship, and talent create the opportunity for these sectors to intersect and converge.

Heather and Thom discuss the role of the University of Texas, Austin's growing deep-tech companies, the importance of collaboration across industries, and why bringing leaders together remains essential as the ecosystem becomes larger and more complex.

They also discuss something that has always differentiated Austin: people being willing to show up, help one another, take risks, and participate in building the community.

Heather sums up her outlook for Austin simply: the state of Austin tech is strong, getting stronger, and we are just getting started.

And her challenge for the city?

Keep Austin Weird. Keep Austin Bold. And bring back Drive Friendly.

• Heather Brunner's journey from fifth-generation Texan to Austin technology CEO

• How Trilogy helped develop a generation of Austin tech leaders

• The importance of mentors, relationships, and people willing to bet on others

• Heather's path to becoming CEO of WP Engine

• Why space, quantum, defense, robotics, and biomedicine could define the next 50 years

• Austin's opportunity to become a center for the convergence of deep technologies

• The role of UT, talent, capital, research, and commercialization

• Why Austin's future still depends on community and collaboration

• Creating more visibility and opportunity for women in technology leadership

• Why Austin needs to remain both weird and bold

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Thank you to the sponsor of AUSTIN TECH CONNECT: Calavista Software

The episode of Austin Tech Connect featured Siobhan Hanley, Territory Director for the US Midwest and South at IDA Ireland, discussing the organization's role in supporting global companies investing in Ireland.

Siobhan explains IDA Ireland's 80-year history and its evolution from attracting low-cost manufacturing to supporting high-tech industries like AI, cybersecurity, and cloud computing. She highlights the strong synergy between Texas and Ireland, citing similarities in their pro-business environments and community spirit.

Siobhan discusses the benefits of Ireland's talent pool, its EU membership, and the support IDA provides to companies looking to expand into Europe, including facilitating visits and sharing learnings from other companies. The conversation also touched on the growing tech ecosystem in Austin and the mutual benefits of the economic relationship between Texas and Ireland.

She and Thom Singer also reflect on Austin's growth as an international tech hub and invited other economic development agencies to participate in future episodes.

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If other economic development groups with offices in Austin would like to appear on Austin Tech Connect, please reach out. Austin is a global city, and we are looking forward to more international companies growting from Ausitn and opening offices in Austin.

What happens when AI makes a team dramatically more productive? Do companies simply get more done, or do they begin rethinking how many people it actually takes to do the work?

In this episode of Austin Tech Connect, Thom Singer talks with Robyn Fuentes, President of Improving South Texas, about what companies are actually seeing as they implement AI, and what it could mean for teams, jobs, productivity, and the future of the Texas technology ecosystem.

Robyn has spent years working with companies on technology implementation and organizational change. She shares examples of organizations experiencing significant productivity gains from AI, including some reporting improvements of several times their previous output. But she also points out that AI is not automatically a cost saver. In some cases, the expense of implementing and operating AI can exceed the value it creates.

One of the biggest changes Robyn sees coming is the structure of teams themselves. Instead of traditional larger teams, she expects more organizations to operate with small groups of two or three people supported by AI agents and other technology.

That raises an obvious question: What happens to the people whose jobs change or disappear?

Robyn argues that companies need to address this directly rather than avoiding the conversation. Technology has eliminated jobs throughout history, but it has also created entirely new careers. The responsibility falls on both employers and employees to prepare for what comes next.

For business leaders, that means being transparent about how AI may change roles while investing in training and upskilling. For employees, it means actively learning new tools and developing capabilities that will remain valuable as the workplace evolves.

The conversation also explores the risks surrounding AI adoption, including overreliance on AI-generated information, data privacy, and organizations implementing technology without fully understanding the implications.

Thom and Robyn also look at Texas as a growing technology ecosystem. Austin remains a major hub, but Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and other Texas cities are developing increasingly important technology communities. With AI infrastructure, data centers, startups, and established technology companies expanding across the state, Robyn believes Texas is well positioned for the next phase of innovation, although she would like to see more attention and investment directed toward emerging companies and entrepreneurs.

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Thank you to the sponsor of Austin Tech Connect - Calavista Software.

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Austin Tech Connect is the official podcast of the Austin Technology Council, and a leading show about the Austin Tech Ecosystem. Hosted by ATC CEO, Thom Singer, this show looks at the changing face of Austin and Texas through the eyes of technology industry leaders.

Fresh off the annual Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) conference, where the people running tech councils across the US and Canada compare notes, Austin Technology Council CEO, Thom Singer, looks at where Austin sits now. The city spent decades proving it belonged. That phase is over. But a mature ecosystem has a problem the scrappy one never had: momentum starts to feel automatic, and good people quietly assume somebody else has it handled. Nobody has it handled. Thom talks through what Austin's next phase actually requires, and makes a direct ask for engagement from companies and leaders across the community.

In this episode of Austin Tech Connect, Thom Singer sits down with Brett Hurt, one of Austin's most recognized entrepreneurs, investors, and technology leaders... and a recent inductee into the Austin Tech Hall of Fame.

Brett has founded and led companies, had major exits, invested in more than 150 startups, and helped shape the Austin tech ecosystem for decades. But this conversation is not just about startups, venture capital, or the next wave of technology. It is about what happens when a successful entrepreneur begins asking bigger questions about meaning, purpose, consciousness, leadership, and the future of humanity.

Brett shares the story behind his new book, Love Conquers Fear, and talks openly about the spiritual awakening and divine calling that changed the direction of his life. He discusses the role psychedelics played in that journey, while also making it clear that this is not about promoting one path for everyone. For Brett, psychedelics were a technology, a tool that helped him go deeper into questions about God, consciousness, love, fear, and the responsibility leaders have in a rapidly changing world.

The conversation moves across a wide range of topics, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics, brain-computer interfaces, conscious capitalism, religion, meditation, prayer, psychedelics, leadership, abundance, and the dangers of worshiping money as the ultimate scorecard.

Thom and Brett also talk about Austin, the importance of community, and the loss of Josh Baer, whose impact on the Austin tech scene continues to ripple through the lives of thousands of people. Brett reflects on what really matters in the end, not the exits, the houses, the cars, or the yachts, but how we show up for others.

This is a different kind of Austin Tech Connect episode. It is a conversation about technology, but also about humanity. It asks whether the future we are building will be driven by fear, comparison, and profit at all costs, or by love, service, and a deeper sense of responsibility.

Brett Hurt has been on Austin Tech Connect before, but this conversation captures a very different chapter of his life and work. It is honest, personal, wide-ranging, and at times challenging.

If you care about Austin tech, AI, entrepreneurship, spirituality, psychedelics, conscious capitalism, or the question of what kind of future we are actually trying to build, this episode is worth your time.

In this episode of Austin Tech Connect, Thom Singer (CEO of the Austin Technology Council) sits down with Ben Barnes, the former Texas Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House, for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, public service, Texas history, resilience, and staying engaged in life at every age.

Ben's political career began when he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives at just 22 years old. He went on to become the youngest Speaker of the House and the youngest Lieutenant Governor in Texas history. In the conversation, he shares stories from those early years, including how he had to earn credibility as a young leader and why he felt a responsibility to open doors for others who would come after him.

The conversation also explores Ben's role in helping establish the University of Texas at Dallas. He recalls being invited by Texas Instruments leaders to visit Boston and study the relationship between great universities and the technology industry. That experience helped shape the vision for a major new university in North Texas, ultimately backed by a significant contribution from the founders of Texas Instruments.

Ben and Thom also discuss how Texas evolved from an agriculture-focused economy into one of the most important technology hubs in the country. Ben reflects on the decisions made in the 1960s that helped set the stage for Austin's later growth, including investments in higher education, research, and business leadership. He also talks about the importance of continuing to support universities and talent development if Texas wants to remain competitive.

The episode includes a candid look at Ben's life after politics, including his public bankruptcy during the real estate collapse of the 1980s. He shares how that difficult chapter shaped him, what he learned from failure, and how lessons from his father and from Theodore Roosevelt helped him rebuild his life and career.

At 88, Ben continues to stay active, curious, and engaged. He offers advice for people thinking about retirement, emphasizing the importance of preparation, lifelong learning, physical activity, and friendships across generations. His message is clear: staying involved with people, ideas, and new opportunities is part of living a full life.

Ben also talks about his new book, Get It Done: Seven Decades of Lessons from a Political Legend, which will be released on July 14. He explains why he wanted to write the book now and shares the deeply personal story of his recent kidney transplant.

This episode is a conversation about leadership, history, second chances, and the power of staying connected to people and purpose.

Peter Zandan has been part of Austin's technology story since 1977... long before anyone was calling this city a tech hub. In this episode of Austin Tech Connect, Thom Singer sits down with the long-time entrepreneur and community leader (and recent inductee into the Austin Tech Hall of Fame) to trace that journey from the beginning. Peter shares what brought him to Austin, what kept him here, and how he went on to found multiple companies including IntelliQuest and Zilliant, guided throughout by a philosophy of following his heart over his head in business.

The conversation covers Peter's creation of the Zandan Report, which provided objective, data-driven insight into Austin's tech ecosystem at a time when no one else was tracking it... and the role that kind of community infrastructure plays in helping a city understand and grow its own identity. Peter also reflects on his decade as a board member at Meow Wolf, and what sitting at the intersection of art, experience, and technology has taught him about what communities actually need to thrive.

On AI, Peter is optimistic in a way that feels grounded rather than naive: he sees artificial intelligence as a tool that enhances human capabilities rather than one that displaces them. That view shapes his broader point about Austin's future... that as the city has evolved from a place that had to recruit tech talent to one that attracts it naturally, what it must protect is precisely the quality of life and community spirit that made it worth moving to in the first place. Human relationships and lived experience, Peter argues, matter more in an AI-driven world, not less.

Thom Singer sits down with Kathleen Lucente, founder and CEO of Red Fan Communications, for a conversation about how AI is rewriting the rules of brand visibility. Kathleen has spent nearly two decades advising B2B tech CMOs and founders on messaging, M&A communications, and crisis response.... and she's now watching AI answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini replace the click-through search results that used to drive brand discovery.

She walks through her "Brand Authority Index," a seven-factor framework she built to measure and improve how a company's brand shows up when AI tools generate answers, covering everything from third-party endorsements and review-site recency to executive thought leadership and why LinkedIn has become an outsized signal of credibility for AI systems.

The conversation also covers the case for getting communications teams involved early in mergers and acquisitions (months before announcement, not days), and closes with Kathleen's read on Austin's three-decade evolution as a tech hub and the case for a unified "Texas Technology Triangle" connecting Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and the Brazos Valley.

Austin Tech Connect is sponsored by Calavista Software, software development without the drama.

In this episode of Austin Tech Connect, Thom Singer talks with Stephen Straus, co-founder and CEO of KungFu.AI, about what it really means to lead in the age of artificial intelligence. Stephen started KungFu.AI in 2017, years before ChatGPT made AI the topic everyone was talking about, and his perspective is shaped by seeing the early internet boom in Austin and now watching AI reshape every industry. The conversation explores why companies need to think beyond simple automation and start asking how they can use AI to disrupt their own industries before someone else does. Stephen also shares the story behind his upcoming book, "Wayfinding: A Business Fable About Leading in the Age of AI" , about a CEO who has 90 days to build an AI strategy or lose her job. Along the way, Thom and Stephen talk about leadership, vulnerability, proprietary data, the difference between real AI strategy and AI hype, and why Austin's tech ecosystem continues to evolve in powerful ways.

In this episode of Austin Tech Connect, Thom Singer talks with Jess Lowry, Laura Timmis, and Rachael DiGiovine of Mindful Collective about career transitions, layoffs, and the very real human impact of uncertainty in today's tech-enabled economy.

Mindful Collective is a community of practice that helps people stay active and connected while they explore what comes next, linking members to mentorship, collaborative projects, volunteer opportunities, and client engagements. The conversation looks at some of the common myths around layoffs, including the idea that layoffs only happen to underperformers, and explores how AI-driven hiring tools, ageism, and changing job market dynamics can make it harder for experienced professionals to be seen. Jess, Laura, and Rachael also share how small project-based engagements can help people build current experience, strengthen portfolios, maintain confidence, and continue creating value.

This is a timely conversation about talent, resilience, community, and why Austin's tech ecosystem is stronger when we support people through transition instead of letting them navigate it alone.