Nerding Out With Viktor (audio only)

In this episode of "Nerding Out with Viktor," Viktor Petersson is joined by Sean Rhodes from Star Labs for a deep dive into coreboot and Linux hardware. The discussion explores how Star Labs builds Linux-first laptops and mini PCs that prioritize open firmware, long-term support, and user trust.

Sean shares the company's journey from its early days as a small team wanting a reliable Linux laptop, through the challenges of manufacturing, supply chain crises, and the decision to move away from AMI BIOS in favor of coreboot. He explains how firmware updates, LVFS integration, and careful hardware choices shape devices that remain usable years after release.

The conversation delves into the technical complexities of building hardware that truly works out of the box with Linux distributions, from driver compatibility to power management optimization. Sean discusses the realities of competing with mass-market manufacturers while maintaining commitment to open-source principles and transparent development practices.

This episode is essential listening for technical founders, engineers, and open-source contributors who care about building secure, sustainable, and Linux-first hardware in a market dominated by mass-produced PCs. Whether you're interested in coreboot development, hardware manufacturing challenges, or the future of open firmware, this conversation offers valuable insights into creating hardware that respects user freedom and privacy.

In this episode of Nerding Out with Viktor, host Viktor Petersson sits down with Marcus Taylor, co-founder at Planet Computers and veteran of IBM, Logica, and the GSM Association. Marcus brings decades of experience across telecom, hardware, and secure systems.

The conversation traces his early work on natural language systems at IBM, his role in pioneering mobile commerce and ticketless travel in the 1990s, and his time advancing telco standards at the GSM Association. Taylor also shares how Erlang became the backbone of resilient systems powering WhatsApp, financial exchanges, and mission-critical infrastructure.

The episode dives into the creation of Planet Computers smartphones - niche, keyboard-first devices designed for journalists, engineers, and security professionals. Marcus discusses their unique multi-boot Android/Linux capability, industrial use cases, and how the company is expanding into network appliances and Industry 4.0 solutions.

For builders and product teams, this is a look at why specialized devices and resilient networks still matter in a consumer-driven world.

In this crossover episode, Viktor Petersson sits down with Sean Martin, co-founder of ITSPmagazine, to unpack how software supply chain security is evolving under regulatory pressure, real-world incidents, and a fast-changing tooling landscape.

They explore how SBOMs are moving from static artifacts to operational assets, why transparency beats blanket claims of being "secure," and how teams can build systems that hold up in production, not just audits. Sean shares insights from decades in the field, from shipping products at Symantec to speaking with security leaders on his podcast.

With topics ranging from AI tooling guardrails to IoT failures and compliance gaps, this episode is for anyone building or securing modern software systems.

In this episode, Viktor Petersson sits down with Niklas Düster, co-lead of OWASP DependencyTrack and contributor to CycloneDX, to explore the realities of managing software bill of materials (SBOMs) at scale. Drawing on real-world experience, Niklas explains how DependencyTrack helps engineering teams analyze, monitor, and act on risks buried deep in their dependency trees.

The conversation covers how teams integrate SBOM workflows into CI/CD pipelines, why gating deployments on vulnerability scans can backfire, and how the platform's evolving architecture is built to handle massive, multi-project setups. Niklas also unpacks how VEX files fit into the equation, and why context-aware suppression logic is key to reducing alert fatigue without missing critical issues.

For anyone responsible for securing large-scale software systems, this episode provides a grounded look at how DependencyTrack works under the hood and what's ahead. It's a practical, engineering-focused conversation that highlights what it takes to operationalize SBOMs across modern infrastructure.

In this episode, Viktor Petersson sits down with Thorbjørn Rønje, founder of Bifrost Studios, to unpack the venture studio model and why he believes it’s a smarter, faster way to build startups.

Thorbjørn explains how Bifrost applies a playbook-driven approach to validate product ideas quickly, reduce risk, and bring businesses to life without wasting time or capital. He shares how they’ve used frameworks like Purple Ocean and Apollo to launch companies such as Scaleup Finance, and why separating the early build team from the long-term operators makes their model scalable.

They also explore how this model applies to acquiring legacy businesses, turning them around with tech and brand upgrades. If you're thinking about startups, product-market fit, or the future of micro private equity, this one is worth your time.

In this episode of Nerding Out with Viktor, Viktor Petersson sits down with Carl Richell, founder and CEO of System76, to unpack how a small Linux-focused hardware company grew into a full-stack open source innovator.

In this episode of Nerding Out with Viktor, host Viktor Petersson welcomes back Jon Seager, VP of Engineering at Canonical, for a candid conversation about managing remote teams.

In this episode of Nerding Out with Viktor, host Viktor Petersson sits down with Vlad Trifa, founder of Zimt and co-founder of EVRYTHNG, to explore why Web3, crypto, and blockchain often fail to deliver on their promises in the real world.

In this episode of Nerding Out with Viktor, host Viktor Petersson speaks with Joshua Watt of Garmin and Ross Burton of ARM to explore how the Yocto Project is evolving to meet the growing demands of software supply chain security, embedded Linux customization, and long-term product maintenance.

In this episode of Nerding Out with Viktor, host Viktor Petersson is joined by Kevin Henrikson, an experienced engineering leader who's worked with Zimbra, Microsoft, and Instacart, to share real startup founder lessons on how to scale engineering teams, build resilient systems, and manage growth through acquisitions.