In this episode, Whitney and Coté discuss with Betty Junod, CMO of Heroku, the evolution of growing up without the internet to the present day's AI advancements and its implications for future generations. They explore how AI is changing critical thinking and curiosity, and how it affects children and business use cases. They also delve into workplace dynamics, such as transitioning between large tech companies and startups, leveraging frameworks to drive business goals, and the evolving role of marketers. Additionally, they talk about the nuances of using industry analysts in marketing strategies and the increasing prevalence of AI-generated content.

Check out Betty's homepage on the world wide web.

You can also watch the video version of this episode if you're into that kind of thing.

Header art from Ruben de Rijcke, CC BY 3.0.

Special Guest: Betty Junod.

In this episode, Whitney and Coté discuss Whitney's newfound enthusiasm for AI after a recent stint with the tool Cursor. The conversation covers how AI tools can aid in coding, building engineering journals, and even drafting compelling conference talk abstracts. They highlight the difference between tasks and prompts in AI, personalizing AI interactions, and maximizing efficiency with various MCP servers. Along the way, they delve into practical use cases for AI in professional and personal contexts, exploring its potential and limitations. (This description was generated by AI...of course!)

Check out the video recording of this episode, if you prefer that kind of thing.

Here is how ChatGPT draws Whitney, and here is how it draws Coté.

Mentions:

In this episode, Whitney and Coté talk with Taegan Goddard, founder of Political Wire. They talk about what drives people to go above and beyond in their work, especially journalism like Taegan does. There's some fun conversation about how Taegan runs the business, keeping up his never ending coverage. Having run the site for well over two decades, they also talk about how the back-end stack has evolved over the years. And, some notes on how to make a great cup of coffee.

Check out and subscribe to politicalwire.com, highly recommended. The blog coverage is great and the weekly, members only podcast is one of Coté's favorites.

You can watch the video version of this episode if you're into that kind of thing.

Special Guest: Taegan Goddard.

After an extensive discussion of 7-Eleven pizza cuisine, in this episode, Whitney and Coté talk with Sarah Christoff. They discuss working at startups, the point of startups, working in open source and balancing commercial and community interests, moving to Europe, and more!

Find Sarah in LinkedIn. Also, Coté referenced a talk by Aneel Lakhani at Monktoberfest 2023.

Special Guest: Sarah Christoff.

Whitney and Coté talk with Robert Reeves about startups, catering, the Austin's tech scene, and the business of open source over the past 20 years. A sampling: Robert share some stories of early startup adventures and strategic moves, behind the scenes catering rock festivals, and the importance of geography for starting your career in tech. Check out the video version of this episode if you prefer that kind of thing.

Find Robert in LinkedIn.

Podcast banner art from r/CanadianGraffiti, November, 2015.

Special Guest: Robert Reeves.

Whitney and Coté tour through a couple decades of tech infrastructure history with Melissa Smolensky, whose marketing career spans Rackspace, GitLab, CoreOS, and the CNCF, among other places. They explore the OpenStack/Kubernetes evolution, how "radical transparency" actually functions in corporate settings, and the shifting landscape of tech marketing—from thought leadership to the changing role of industry analysts. Plus, they compare notes on the distinctive flavors of Austin and Portland tech scenes.

Find Melissa in LinkedIn.

You can also watch the video version of this episode if you prefer that kind of thing.

Special Guest: Melissa Smolensky.

In this episode, Whitney and Coté talk with Emily Omier, a consultant specializing in open source strategy and product management for businesses. They discuss the initial reactions and learning curve of new tech entrants to open source, the advantages and potential disadvantages of building a business around open-source software, and the ethical considerations in this space. Emily also goes over her experiences running a conference for open source founders and her insights into the challenges of commercializing open-source projects. They also discuss the importance of security, maintaining a balance between open source ideals and business interests, and practical advice for making open-source business models successful.

You can watch the video of this recording as well, if you prefer that kind of thing.

Find out more about and from Emily: her consultancy; her podcast, The Business of Open Source; LinkedIn; The New Stack writing; and she has a well traveled, IRL-background.

Special Guest: Emily Omier.

In this video, Coté and Whitney talk about tech education and learning with Mumshad Mannambeth. There's talk about certifications, but also how teaching online works and what it's like when it scales up to millions of people. Plus, Coté tries to figure out how to get access to more napkins.

You can also watch the video of this interview form if you prefer that kind of thing.

Check out KodeKloud and Mumshad in LinkedIn.

Special Guest: Mumshad Mannambeth.

In this episode, Whitney and Coté talk with Hazel Weakly about the unexpected success of content, the influence of corporate interests in open source, and the importance of emotional vulnerability in the tech industry. Hazel shares her experiences transitioning as a trans woman in tech, how her interactions changed post-transition, and the need for emotional connections and support. They also get into the Kubernetes ecosystem, corporate capture, and the role of legibility in software development.

Find all of Hazel's stuff on her home page on the World Wide Web.

Special Guest: Hazel Weakly.

In this episode, Whitney and Coté interview Marino Wijay, Coté finally gets to the bottom of why networking has so many layers. Why do we keep adding new layers and frameworks instead of just fixing the ones we have? They also talk about the challenges of platform engineering, the importance of empathy in tech, the difficulties of integrating multiple layers in tech stacks, the essential role of effective communication and prioritization, and Marino's side project, EmpathyOps.

Find Marino in LinkedIn, Bluesky, Twitter, and YouTube.

Special Guest: Marino Wijay.