In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo talk with Ariel Ades, former Co-founder and CTO of TBM Labs and previously Senior Engineering Manager at iConnections and Holonic. The conversation explores how culture, hiring philosophy, and resilience shape successful teams from the ground up. Ariel Ades shares lessons from scaling engineering teams across fintech and healthcare, with a focus on nearshore talent, remote leadership, and navigating failure as a core part of innovation.

Ariel Ades is an experienced engineering leader with over 25 years in the tech industry. He has played a pivotal role in building and scaling teams in fintech and healthcare, including serving as the first engineer at a startup where he shaped both the technical architecture and company culture. Ariel specializes in nearshore team building, distributed systems, and leadership strategies that blend technical excellence with human-centered thinking.

-How to build strong engineering culture from day one

-Why understanding the “why” behind a product drives team performance- The real advantages of nearshore teams beyond cost savings

-How to use failure as a strategic learning tool in startups

- Why hiring for mindset and passion beats hiring for resume

[00:00:00] – Teaser

[00:01:20] – Introduction

[00:02:57] – Building Culture as the First Engineer

[00:06:02] – Early Hiring Mistakes & Team Growth

[00:07:48] – Learning Through Failure

[00:10:53] – The Problem with “Routine” Post-Mortems

[00:13:57] – The First User Failure Story

[00:18:38] – Nearshore Teams: Myth vs Reality

[00:24:44] – Trust vs Control in Remote Leadership

[00:37:40] – Common Mistakes in Remote Engineering Management

[00:41:46] – AI vs Human Engineers

[01:00:00] – Closing Thoughts & Where to Find Ariel

📱 Follow the Guest Ariel Ades:

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariel-ades/

👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ariel.ades/

👉Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariel.ades/

👉Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tbm-labs/

👉Company Website: https://tbmlabs.com/

📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:

👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/

👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/

📱 Follow Holonic:

👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/

In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo talk with Sol Nasisi is an Executive Director of Digital Marketing at Bentley University, also Co-founder of Chainletter Labs and Founder of Booksie. He is an entrepreneur who has built several companies with intentionally small engineering teams. Together, they talk about the philosophy behind running lean, agile teams, the challenges of scaling without compromising speed, and how blockchain can help solve the pressing issue of authenticity in the age of AI-generated content.

Sol’s journey spans startups like Bentley Bookie and Chain Letter, where he focused on making sure documents and data are verifiable in a world where everything can be manipulated. If you’re curious about building efficient teams, scaling trust, and exploring blockchain solutions to verify digital assets, this episode is for you. With years of experience working with small, agile teams, Sol shares his insights on optimizing team dynamics and navigating the challenges of growing a business without losing momentum.

What You’ll Learn:

- Building Efficient Teams: Why keeping engineering teams small can lead to faster innovation and more flexibility.

- Challenges of Scaling: How to know when it’s time to grow your team and the factors to consider when expanding.

- Blockchain for Authenticity: How blockchain can ensure that documents and content haven’t been altered, especially in the age of AI manipulation.

- Trust and Transparency: Why trust is crucial in both teams and products, and how it can be scaled through technology.

- Bootstrapping vs. Raising Capital: Sol’s personal philosophy on growing a business without relying on outside investment.

Timestamps:

[00:00] – Teaser

[00:59] – Introduction of Sol Nasisi

[07:24] – The Balance of Scaling the Team

[09:55] – The Decision Not to Raise Venture Capital

[11:53] – The Importance of Dependability in Hiring

[16:04] – Trust and Philosophies in Development

[24:26] – Tackling the Question of Trust in AI-Generated Content

[26:39] – Blockchain’s Role in Establishing Truth

[34:55] – Future Applications & Chain Letter’s Upcoming Developments

[37:01] – Closing Thoughts

📱 Follow the Guest Sol Nasisi:

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/solnasisi/

👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sol.nasisi/

📱 Follow Guest Companies:

👉 Bentley University LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/bentley-university/

👉 Bentley University Website: https://www.bentley.edu/

👉 Bentley University Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bentleyu/?hl=en

👉 Chainletter Labs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chainletter-labs/

👉 Chainletter Labs Website: https://chainletterlabs.com/

👉 Booksie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/booksie-thenextbigwriter-llc/

👉 Booksie Website: https://www.booksie.com/

👉 Booksie Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/booksiewriting/mentions/

📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:

👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/

👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/

📱 Follow Holonic:

👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/

In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo talk with Tom Green, Co-founder and CEO of Verticode where he breaks down how early-stage founders especially non-technical ones, can move from idea to market faster by working backward from value, validating before building, and using tight feedback loops to avoid expensive mistakes.

Verticode, a product studio that helps founders launch MVPs quickly while reducing risk and avoiding the typical sunk-cost trap of early product development. He’s worked hands-on with early-stage startups many led by non-technical founders and draws on experience from corporate product environments and startup building in the Bay Area.

- Why MVP success starts before a single line of code through validation and clarity

- How Verti Code’s two-week sprint model differs from traditional dev agencies

- Where AI helps founders most and where it can quietly hurt them

- What “good vs. bad” scaling looks like after early traction especially with dev teams

- Why Tom believes founders should prioritize sales over fundraising

📱 Follow the Guest Tom Green :

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-green-vtcd/

👉 Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/verticodevb/

👉 Company Website: https://www.verticode.co.uk/

👉 Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_verticode_

👉 Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verticode/mentions/

📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:

👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/

👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/

📱 Follow Holonic:

👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/

In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization Podcast, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo interviews Adam Ahmad the Founder and CEO of Kea, to explore what it really takes to build high-performing teams. From early-stage chaos to scaling with intention, this conversation pulls back the curtain on hiring, culture, ego, and trust in modern startups.

Kea, an AI-powered voice platform helping restaurants automate and improve ordering experiences. Previously, Adam co-founded an early food delivery company that directly competed with what would later become DoorDash, earning him a place on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. His career spans marketplace startups, acquisitions, and leading distributed teams in a fast-moving AI landscape.

1. How early startup experiences shape leadership and hiring philosophy
2. Why hiring “big-name” talent doesn’t always work in early-stage companies
3. How to identify ego vs. true ownership during interviews
4. The shift from in-person to distributed teams and what was gained
5. How Kea maintains speed, culture, and innovation while scaling
6. Why intentional in-person meetups still matter for remote teams

[00:00] Teaser

[01:31] Introduction of Guest

[04:35] The Thiel Fellowship & Silicon Valley exposure

[06:14] The food problem that sparked a startup idea

[08:59] Competing with DoorDash in the early days

[10:13] Early in-person teams & startup lessons

[11:46] Hiring from big tech vs. startup-ready talent

[13:17] Ego, ownership & building the right culture

[14:36] Adam’s go-to interview question (zero to one)

[17:38] Engineering culture & team velocity at Kea

[19:18] Hacker mindset & staying innovative in AI

[20:00] Flat structures & flexibility in early-stage startups

[21:26] Scaling without losing culture

[23:18] Why in-person meetups still matter for remote teams

[29:23] Alignment, trust & long-term team impact

[29:47] Technical interruption & recording wrap-up

📱 Follow our Guest :

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-ahmad

👉 Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/keaai

👉 Company Website: https://kea.ai/

📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:

👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/

👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/

📱 Follow Holonic:

👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/

In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo talk with Asaf Darash, founder and CEO of Regpack, about the evolving dynamics of building and managing remote-first engineering teams. With distributed workforces becoming more common, the episode explores how shifting from presence-based to outcome-based management is transforming software companies. The conversation centers on how to build, retain, and empower high-performing engineering teams in a remote setting while maintaining company culture, productivity, and personal accountability.

Asaf is a serial entrepreneur who turned his Ph.D. research into a thriving SaaS platform. He is known for his unique management philosophy, product-led growth mindset, and ability to foster autonomous, mission-driven teams. With over a decade of experience building distributed organizations, Asaf talks about how to make remote work not only function but thrive.

Expect to Learn

- Why remote work demands a fundamental shift from presence to outcome-focused management.

- How to build trust and autonomy into distributed teams from day one.

- The role of structured onboarding and training in long-term employee success.

- Innovative QA strategies like client story-based testing and its impact on usability.

- Why understanding client psychology is essential for engineering success.

Episode Breakdown with Timestamps

[00:00:00] - Teaser

[00:00:50] - Introduction

[00:01:49] - The Misconceptions of Remote Work

[00:04:46] - Building Trust and Setting Remote Norms

[00:11:03] - Hiring and Retaining Trustworthy Talent

[00:13:06] - Autonomy and Ownership in Long-Term Retention

[00:16:37] - Onboarding and Adapting to a Remote-First Culture

[00:19:26] - Engineering with Client Psychology in Mind

[00:26:16] - Redefining QA with Client Stories

[00:33:10] - Instilling a Product Mindset in Engineers

[00:35:44] - Cultural and Personal Traits of Effective Engineers

[00:39:19] - From PhD Research to Regpack

[00:41:51] - Closing Remarks

📱 Follow our Guest :

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asafdarash/

👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asaf.darash/

👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asafdarash/

👉 Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/regpack/

👉 Company Website: https://www.regpacks.com/

👉Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/regpacks/?hl=en

👉Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Regpack/

📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:

👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/

👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/

📱 Follow Holonic:

👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/

In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo talk with Ry Walker, Founder and CEO of Tembo, Partner at Fireroad, Managing Partner at Cincinnati Ventures and Managing Director at AnotherVenture. This episode digs into the “AI-first” shift in software teams: what it means to be an effective developer, when AI tools can generate code fast, and the bottleneck increasingly becomes evaluation, taste, and decision-making.

Ry Walker is a technologist, founder, and investor based in Cincinnati. An AI engineering teammate designed to help fix bugs and ship features. Ry’s been building software since childhood, started a web design shop in the early internet era, and later founded Astronomer, giving him a long-range view of how tooling revolutions reshape teams and careers.

Expect to Learn

- Why “vibe-coding” is becoming a practical way to interview engineers in 2026

- What “AI optimism” looks like in practice and how even small resistance slows teams

- How AI shifts the work from writing code to evaluating and steering code

- Why AI-era developers may become more “unicorn-like” generalists (not less skilled)

- Predictions on org charts, new specialties and hiring workflows

Episode Breakdown with Timestamps

[00:00:00] – Teaser

[00:01:10] – Introduction to Ry Walker

[00:02:46] – Dropping out to move faster

[00:06:35] – Grit, the Midwest “tech desert,” and learning before Google

[00:09:09] – How to interview engineers in 2026

[00:11:35] – AI as the primary teammate

[00:16:48] – Legacy devs, artisan coding, and offshore leveling

[00:23:54] – AI-led interviews, “cyborg” processes, and what matters in teammates

[00:45:17] – Closing Thoughts

📱 Follow our Guest:

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rywalker/

👉 X: https://x.com/rywalker

👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryandouglaswalker/

👉 Website: https://rywalker.com/

📱 Follow Guest’s Companies:

👉 Tembo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tembo-inc/

👉 Tembo X: https://x.com/tembo

👉 Tembo Website: https://www.tembo.io/

👉 Fireroad LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fireroad/

👉 Fireroad Website: https://www.fireroad.io/

👉 Fireroad X: https://x.com/fireroadbuilds

👉 Cincinnati Ventures LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cincinnati-ventures/

👉 Cincinnati Ventures Website: https://cincinnati.ventures/

👉 AnotherVenture LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/anotherventure/

📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:

👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/

👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/

📱 Follow Holonic:

👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/

In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo interview Ruslan Belkin, Head of Platform Engineering at Inflection AI and Co-founder and CEO of Jelled.AI. The conversation centers around the philosophical and practical shifts that AI is imposing on engineering culture, team structures, and personal productivity. The guest shares deeply reflective insights on hope, fear, responsibility, and the role of process all through the lens of decades of Silicon Valley experience.

Ruslan Belkin is a seasoned engineering leader with three decades of experience at industry titans like LinkedIn, Twitter, Salesforce, NAUTO, and MetaMind. Known for his systems thinking, technical rigor, and philosophical clarity, Ruslan is a unique voice in tech leadership, advocating for accountability, vision-driven development, and radical simplicity in engineering management.

Expect to Learn

- Why "too much hope in that equation" became a viral and cautionary mantra for engineering planning.

- How AI is shifting the center of gravity from code to specifications and evaluations.

- What singular ownership and stack-ranked priorities look like in high-performance teams.

- The role of stoicism in leadership and decision-making under pressure.

- How to hire for undefined problems and cultivate emotionally resilient, adaptable teams.

Episode Breakdown with Timestamps

[00:00:00] – Teaser

[00:00:56] – Meet Ruslan Belkin

[00:02:07] – Engineering Without Illusions

[00:06:24] – AI, Specs, and the Death of Code

[00:10:43] – The Next 24 Months of AI

[00:15:39] – Hiring for Ambiguity

[00:23:52] – Stack-Ranked Priorities: No Peanut Butter Planning

[00:25:31] – The Process Paradox

[00:31:32] – Building Teams Like Legos

[00:34:21] – Stoicism at Work

[00:37:02] – The Equation Blog & Personal Balance

[00:39:10] – Advice to a Younger Self

[00:41:12] – Best Teams & Twitter War Stories

[00:43:10] – Where to Find Ruslan

📱 Follow our Guest Ruslan Belkin:

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rbelkin/

👉 X: https://x.com/ruslansv

👉 Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inflectionai & https://www.linkedin.com/products/jelled/

👉 Company Website: https://inflection.ai & https://jelled.ai/

📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:

👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/

👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/

📱 Follow Holonic:

👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/

In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo interviews Todd Cantalupo, Senior Engineering Manager at KarmaCheck and Director Software Engineering at Meltwater where they talk about what makes engineering leaders truly effective not just in shipping code, but in evolving team dynamics. The conversation centers around agile transformations, why so many fail, and how building trust and psychological safety are essential for long-term success. This episode is for leaders who want to break the mold and actually connect with their teams at a human level.

Todd Cantalupo is an experienced engineering leader with over 25 years in the industry, having worked at organizations like Meltwater and Thunderhead. Known for his people-first approach, Todd has developed a leadership philosophy centered around trust, vulnerability, and psychological safety. He now consults under the brand "Lupo Empowerment," helping teams shift from fear-based to focus-driven work environments.

Expect to Learn:

- How Todd uses emotional intelligence and self-awareness as foundational tools for leadership.

- Why many agile transformations fail and how to prevent that.

- A framework for identifying and transforming fear within engineering teams.

- The power of empathetic listening and how it changes team dynamics.

- Why 50/50 role splits (like coding and scrum mastering) often don't work and what to do instead.

Episode Breakdown with Timestamps:

[00:00:00] - Teaser

[00:01:19] - Introduction of Todd Cantalupo

[00:02:18] - Turning the Mirror Inward: The Role of Self-Awareness

[00:04:58] - The Coaching Breakthrough That Changed Everything

[00:10:59] - Fear to Focus: How to Transform Team Mindsets

[00:28:46] - Why 50/50 Role Splits Don't Work

[00:31:15] - Unpacking Beliefs Through One Simple Exercise

[00:36:36] - The One Takeaway: Empathetic Listening

[00:38:25] - Where to Find Todd & Closing Remarks

📱 Follow our Guest :

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-cantalupo

👉 X: https://x.com/tcantalupo?lang=en

👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toddcantalupo/

👉 Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/karmacheck

👉 Company Website: https://www.karmacheck.com/

📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:

👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/

👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/

📱 Follow Holonic:

👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/

In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo are joined by Brian Berling, Chief Operating Officer at StickerJunkie. Brian brings nearly two decades of leadership experience and shares how empathy, purpose, and trust can transform teams and help businesses thrive. From his early leadership experiences to his current role, Brian explores why protecting your people is the key to long-term success and why traditional, fear-driven leadership is becoming obsolete.

What You'll Learn:

- The importance of leading with empathy and protecting your team

- How leadership styles evolve from authoritarian to collaborative

- Why aligning your team’s values with the company’s core purpose leads to better performance

- The value of hiring people who align with your mission, and how to screen for this in interviews

- Tips for creating a healthy, stress-free work environment that fosters long-term success

Timestamps:

[00:00] – Teaser

[01:24] – Introduction to Brian Birling

[02:22] – Leadership and Mentorship

[09:30] – The Importance of Leading from the Middle

[15:58] – Protecting Your Team

[26:01] – Long-Term Success vs. Short-Term Gains

[21:07] – Intrinsic Motivation and Aligning Team Values

[26:40] – Hiring for Cultural and Psychological Fit

[32:20] – How to Filter for Alignment During Interviews

[33:17] – Wrap-Up and Final Thoughts

📱 Follow our guest Brian Berling:

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianberling

👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianberling/

👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brianberling/

👉 Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stickerjunkie

👉Company Website: https://www.stickerjunkie.com/

👉Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/StickerJunkie-100079877670675/

👉Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stickerjunkie/?hl=en

📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:

👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/

👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/

📱 Follow Holonic:

👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/

In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo interviews Margot Schmorak, Co-Founder and CEO of Hostfully & Co-Founder of VC Backed Moms, about the importance of creating a people-first culture in business. Margot shares her journey of leading a startup for over a decade, focusing on team happiness, effective leadership, and balancing growth with well-being. If you're a leader or founder interested in building a supportive, high-performance team, this episode is packed with valuable insights.

What You'll Learn:

- The power of a people-first culture and how it contributes to long-term success

- Strategies for onboarding and building strong employee relationships from day one

- How to create an environment that supports work-life balance without guilt

- The challenges and rewards of fundraising while maintaining company values

- Tips for navigating difficult leadership decisions and managing team dynamics

Timestamps:

[00:00] – Introduction of Margot Schmorak

[03:20] – Building a People-First Culture

[06:57] – Prioritizing Transparency and Work-Life Balance

[11:56] – Onboarding and Employee Satisfaction

[20:07] – Caretaking and Employee Wellbeing

[30:01] – Navigating Investor Expectations

[26:52] – Maintaining Culture During Growth

[30:24] – The Importance of Open Communication

[32:27] – Conclusion

📱 Follow our Guest Margot Schmorak & her Companies:

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mschmorak

👉Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schmorak_/?hl=en

👉Email address: [email protected]

👉Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vcbackedmoms, https://www.linkedin.com/company/hostfully-inc-/

👉Company Websites: https://www.hostfully.com/ https://www.vcbackedmoms.com/

👉Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hostfully/

📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:

👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/

👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/

📱 Follow Holonic:

👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/