Tech Talks

How do we collaborate effectively? How does that build and inform working culture? How do you mitigate for individuals and help them thrive? Amy Williams, CIO of Barclays UK and the Radbroke site lead joins the podcast to talk about structured hybrid-models, thinking about extra adjustments to promote accessibility, and the wide range of challenges faced by digital leaders in their roles today.

To add your voice to our Digital Leadership Report, and to unlock your own peer bench-marking report click on the following link: https://nashsquared.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4HrZQkkT863RHKK?source=TechTalks

YouMakr cofounder Abbas Moledina revisits 'Tech Talks' having featured on the show almost 2 years ago. Back then they were excited to talk about their new platform which could write original text with a few prompts.

YouMakr then found it's USP swamped by ChatGPT.

So what do you do when a competitor comes along and threatens to become synonymous with the tech? They pivoted and doubled-down on education.

Also on the show we chat about the teaching crisis in the USA leading to technology creeping into the classroom: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/aug/17/us-schools-remote-teaching-educator-shortage

On today's show we talk to AlbionVC Partner Jane Elizabeth Reddin. Having previously worked at Balderton Capital, been a co-founder herself and worked at Harvey Nash, she's an investment and talent expert. So what do founders really need to know to secure investment and grow?

Also on the show we share an article by Unleash's Allie Nawrat. Linkedin have some surprising finds related to AI and skills. https://www.unleash.ai/skills-development/linkedin-people-skills-are-more-valuable-than-ai/

To we’re joined by Hazelcast’s Avtar Raikmo (Head of Platform Engineer) and Fawaz Ghali (Head of Developer Relations). They’re joining us to talk about community building, the need to empower staff and solve real world problems. But that community needs to come on a journey, so how do you do that? How do you take someone from being a developer building solutions, to a commitment to enterprise customers.

Also on the show we ask if AI should summarize articles for us? https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/15/23833045/google-artificial-intelligence-summary-chrome-sge

Dr Cindy Gordon is founder and CEO of SalesChoice, and is working with AI and enterprise firms. Noticing the toll of modern working on the employee, she questioned the role AI plays in work to help us better find our niche. So what skills can we focus on and make sure we’re a contributing member of the world of work?

Also on the show… we know productivity is the key concern of many organisations, so we ask if “Focus Mode” for Windows is likely to help!

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/how-to-use-focus-mode-windows

Plus if you want to check out ‘Life on a Plate’ head to https://wellbeing.nashsquared.com/posts/nash-squared-cookbook-life-on-a-plate

Sumeet Arora, Chief Development Officer at ThoughtSpot, and Benn Stancil, formerly the Chief Technology Officer at Mode (and now ThoughtSpot) join us to discuss the merger of their two businesses. Why is there a match, how has it worked? On top of that what are the founder learnings for Benn, who’s successfully sold his business.

Would you share the digital print of your iris? Kenya thinks you shouldn’t. Find out more here:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/2/23817147/kenya-worldcoin-suspended-sam-altman-eyeball-scanning

Philip Mullen, Managing Director EMEA for TELUS Health, joins the podcast to discuss wellbeing and productivity.

Whilst the employing/employee relationship has changed we still need a healthy balance between the needs of your work and your free time. Productivity is a major concern of many organisations, but it doesn’t mean what we’ve gained in the last few years must be lost.

Do you want to live (digitally) forever, or is it all a bit creepy? You can dive into today’s discussion and read up more here:

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/death-technology-memory

Rahul is founder and CEO of Superhuman, a company offering superfast email. Since moving to the West Coast of the USA 13 years ago Rahul has made plenty of missteps but been hugely successful. What has he learnt, and what would he suggest other founders consider?

To learn more about Rahul and his journey explore these articles:

https://review.firstround.com/how-superhuman-built-an-engine-to-find-product-market-fit

https://blog.superhuman.com/how-we-built-superhuman-ai/

Also in the news, Netflix are looking for AI engineers at staggering cost:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66332876

On today's show we're lucky to quiz Christina, CEO of LogicMonitor on both observability and leadership. Given the rapid expansion of the technology estate in many companies, how are you meant to spot the gremlins in the data?

We also discuss sustainability, both in consumer tech and one way in which technology might save the lives of endangered animals. Check out these two articles:

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/jul/30/say-hello-to-longlife-tech-that-can-challenge-our-throwaway-culture

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/31/can-3d-printed-tiger-teeth-help-save-rare-indian-animals-from-extinction-aoe

Today we're joined by Paul Jackson, most recently the Chief Product and Tech Officer Level, and previously at Structure Flow, Dow Jones, and News UK amongst others. He's talking to us about the health of the startup sector; is it being constricted? Also what is so appealing about working in a business during its early stages?

We're also asking: Minority Report becoming reality (not the future crime part..!)? Members of the public are being invited to have their eyeballs scanned by a silver orb as part of cryptocurrency project that aims to use biometric verification to distinguish humans from AI systems. Also, should smartphones be banned in schools?