Podcasts about Chief technology officer

In this episode of the Software People Stories, my guest Ben Wilcox is the Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at ProArch. Ben shares his fascinating journey from building a web hosting business as a teenager to his current role as CTO and CISO at ProArch. Ben discusses the evolution of his career, his involvement in various projects, and the ever-changing landscape of security, especially with the advent of AI. He also provides valuable insights into how enterprises should approach security, the complexities of data localization, and the importance of a continuous security model. The conversation also delves into career advice for aspiring IT and security professionals.00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome00:42 Early Career and Web Hosting Business02:49 Transition to Software Development03:51 Joining Advisor Group and Pro05:06 Challenges of Running a Business as a Teenager07:55 Learning and Growth in a Larger Company09:14 Becoming a CISO and Security Focus12:21 Evolving Security Landscape and AI15:01 Data Security and Insider Risk Management20:51 Zero Trust Environments and Legacy Systems23:58 Sleepless Nights and Security Concerns25:50 Balancing Innovation and Security26:11 Finding Joy in Leadership26:54 Navigating the CTO and CISO Roles28:55 Keeping Up with Technology Trends31:27 Hyper-Personalization and Security Risks36:02 The Role of Open Source in Security41:03 Career Advice for Aspiring Security Professionals45:35 The Impact of AI on Security Jobs49:11 Conclusion and Contact InformationThe timestamps are approximate, and after the intro that is about 90 seconds.For more closer timestamps, add 90 seconds to the labels aboveBen Wilcox is the Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at ProArch, where he leads the company's cloud, security, and AI enablement strategy. With more than 20 years of experience spanning software engineering, cybersecurity, and enterprise architecture, Ben helps organizations modernize their technology foundations while navigating the evolving threat landscape.Ben's career began in hands-on development and infrastructure work, giving him a deep technical grounding that informs his leadership today. He has built and led high-performing engineering teams, guided complex cloud migrations, and designed modern security programs that balance innovation with risk management. At ProArch, he works closely with clients to architect AI-ready, scalable systems that drive business transformation.Connect with Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wilcox

Welcome to the Cloud Wars Minute — your daily cloud news and commentary show. Each episode provides insights and perspectives around the “reimagination machine” that is the cloud.In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I discuss why culture, mindset, and leadership matter just as much as technology in driving AI transformation, based off my conversation with Will Grannis, CTO, Google Cloud. Highlights00:30 — Will has been the Chief Technology Officer at Google Cloud, one of the world's most advanced technology companies, for almost a decade. So Will's perspectives on things are pretty powerful, especially in this notion of how corporations unlock the power of AI to drive great outcomes for those companies and their customers or their patients or their stakeholders.01:10 — One of the first things that Will talked about is the big AI unlock. He said you've got to start with thinking about putting the customer at the center of everything, and then build back, build out from there. So reverse-engineer what has to change inside the organization to ensure that the customer outcomes, the customer experience, the customer value, are at the center.AI Agent & Copilot Summit is an AI-first event to define opportunities, impact, and outcomes with Microsoft Copilot and agents. Building on its 2025 success, the 2026 event takes place March 17-19 in San Diego. Get more details. 02:27 — He talked a lot about the mindset. One customer example was recently BNY Mellon. BNY Mellon has added Gemini Enterprise for its Eliza AI platform, and that is being used now. The Chief Data and AI Officer at BNY Mellon said our AI strategy in the company is simple. He said it's AI for everyone, AI everywhere, and AI for everything.03:19 — He said this is something that's enabled them now to do more things for their customers. It allows their internal people to be much more productive, be more expansive in their analysis, so that they can provide greater value to their customers. Will said it's been a huge change at the company.04:06 — So again, I hope you have a chance to check out the whole interview with Will Grannis, the Chief Technology Officer at Google Cloud. You can see it in the links here. Will's a terrific guy. One of the things you'll see here is he offers some pretty honest and candid assessments about challenges he himself has faced as the CTO at Google Cloud, and very candidly explains how he got around those. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

Bob Evans sits down with Will Grannis, Chief Technology Officer at Google Cloud, to unpack how AI is reshaping both technology stacks and corporate culture. They explore Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise platform, the newly upgraded Gemini 3 models, and the rise of agentic AI. Along the way, Will shares customer stories from industries like finance, healthcare, retail, and travel, and even talks about how his own team had to change its habits to benefit from AI.Inside Google Cloud's Agentic AI The Big Themes:Models vs. Platforms in the AI Stack: Grannis draws a sharp distinction between AI models like Gemini and the broader platforms that operationalize them. Models determine how intelligent and capable AI workflows are “out of the box,” across tasks like reasoning, multimodal understanding, and conversation. Platforms, by contrast, are how a business injects its own data, processes, and rules to build differentiated IP, brand experiences, and competitive moats. In practice, that means thinking beyond a single chatbot to agentic workflows composed of models, data, tools, and multiple agents working together.Culture and Discipline: Grannis describes how even his own team initially struggled to build an internal ops agent to automate sprint reviews, status updates, and reminders. It was only after leadership pushed them to be an exemplar that the agent became reliable and valuable. Things as simple as putting status information in the same place on every slide suddenly mattered. The lesson: AI exposes hidden process chaos. To get leverage from agents, organizations must tighten their operating discipline and be willing to change how they work, not just bolt AI onto old habits.Rethinking ROI and Metrics: Traditional, siloed ROI metrics can kill transformational AI efforts before they start. Grannis cites research about AI projects dying at proof-of-concept stage and contrasts that with companies like Verizon, which used AI in the contact center to simultaneously lift revenue, reduce cost, and improve customer satisfaction by turning support calls into sales moments. Instead of chasing a single metric in isolation, he advocates for “bundles” of outcomes anchored in customer experience.The Big Quote: “We had to be more disciplined about how we conducted our own work. And once we did that, AI's effectiveness went way up, and then we got the leverage.”More from Will Grannis and Google Cloud:Connect with Will Grannis on LinkedIn or learn about Gemini Enterprise. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

In this episode, Vivek Desai, Chief Technology Officer for RLDatix, discusses the cost of treating cybersecurity like an IT problem. 

What if drug testing didn't need animals — or risky early-stage human trials?In today's episode, we explore organ-on-a-chip technology, a breakthrough innovation that is transforming how drugs are developed, tested, and brought to market. These micro-sized devices — containing real living human cells — can accurately replicate the function of organs like the liver, lungs, brain, kidney, and intestine.Our guest, Daniel Levner, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Emulate, breaks down how this technology works, why the FDA is recognizing it as an alternative to animal testing, and how it's already being used by leading pharma companies to predict toxicity, reduce failures in clinical trials, and accelerate drug development.What You'll Learn in This EpisodeWhy 90% of new drugs fail in clinical trials — and how organ chips solve that problem.How living human cells inside microfluidic channels behave like real organs.Why organ-on-a-chip is more accurate than traditional cell cultures and animal testing.How pharma companies like Moderna are already using organ chips to avoid costly primate testing.How linking multiple organ chips could create “a human-on-a-chip” system.The impact on rare disease research, CRISPR-based disease modeling, and personalized medicine.How organ chips could save the pharma industry $3B+ annually and lower drug costs for patients.About the PodcastAI for Pharma Growth is a podcast focused on exploring how artificial intelligence can revolutionise healthcare by addressing disparities and creating equitable systems. Join us as we unpack groundbreaking technologies, real-world applications, and expert insights to inspire a healthier, more equitable future.This show brings together leading experts and changemakers to demystify AI and show how it's being used to transform healthcare. Whether you're in the medical field, technology sector, or just curious about AI's role in social good, this podcast offers valuable insights.AI For Pharma Growth is the podcast from pioneering Pharma Artificial Intelligence entrepreneur Dr. Andree Bates created to help organisations understand how the use of AI based technologies can easily save them time and grow their brands and business. This show blends deep experience in the sector with demystifying AI for all pharma people, from start up biotech right through to Big Pharma. In this podcast Dr Andree will teach you the tried and true secrets to building a pharma company using AI that anyone can use, at any budget. As the author of many peer-reviewed journals and having addressed over 500 industry conferences across the globe, Dr Andree Bates uses her obsession with all things AI and futuretech to help you to navigate through the, sometimes confusing but, magical world of AI powered tools to grow pharma businesses. This podcast features many experts who have developed powerful AI powered tools that are the secret behind some time saving and supercharged revenue generating business results. Those who share their stories and expertise show how AI can be applied to sales, marketing, production, social media, psychology, customer insights and so much more. Dr. Andree Bates LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

SEC Announces It Will Not Respond to Most No-Action Requests for Rule 14a-8 Shareholder Proposals.Government shutdown - the staff claimed they COULDN'T respond because after the shutdown, they had too much other work to do: “current resource and timing considerations following the lengthy government shutdown and the large volume of registration statements and other filings requiring prompt staff attention.” It just happens to coincide with Atkins saying there shouldn't be shareholder proposals, that's just a coincidence.John Cheveddan and Jim McRitchie - let's be honest, if it weren't for Cheveddan and McRitchie over 3 decades, we'd have less shareholder rights, and companies would not be such big whiners about “woke” shareholder proposals. Guys, you ruined it for all of us with your attention to democracy.Woke ESG shareholders like As You Sow, Arjuna, Trillium, and nuns - if we're honest, the nuns and SRI crowd might have been the straw, right? I mean they're putting in proposals that MAKE Exxon sue them! How dare they ask for carbon scope 3 emissions data!Antiwoke shareholders like NCPPR and Jesus - excluding Cheveddan/McRitchie, the highest volume of shareholder proposals have actually been the ANTI-woke filers, asking for things like a report on how companies will stop funding trans conversions (or one actual one where they asked about the reputational risk of NOT supporting un-trans-ing). Some of the proposals are so comically stupid, but the companies have to respond using third party lawyers and do the whole thing - maybe National Legal whatever center for whatever is the REAL straw?ISS and Glass Lewis - this was like 90% of what they did, since they certainly didn't suggest voting against any directors unless an activist was involved. So when Ramaswamy and Musk and DeSantis and Texas declared proxy advisors woke activists, it was hard to deny since they didn't do any work to vote out directors - just offer customers whatever voting pablum they wantedBlackRock and investors who never voted anywayOther - Atkins and Manhattan institute - lobbyists, administrationPepsi to cut product offering nearly 20% in deal with $4 billion activist ElliottPepsiCo said it also plans to accelerate the introduction of new offerings with simpler and more functional ingredients, including Doritos Protein and Simply NKD Cheetos and Doritos, which contain no artificial flavors or colors. The company also recently introduced a prebiotic version of its signature cola..WHO DO YOU BLAME?Pepsi CEO Ramon Laguarta - CEO since 2018, 21% influence, 43% connected to the board (so they're basically all known entities), has overseen basically zero shareholder value increase in the last 5 years, overall .513 TSR batting average - what has he been doing? Did he put a sign on the door begging an activist to come hang?Activist Elliott Management - Paul Singer is notorious as a real foodie… wait, no, sorry, he's known as a “vulture capitalist” who helped oust Jack Dorsey from Twitter because he didn't want him to hang in Africa, but was happy to have Elon Musk (who has five jobs) take it over. In 2021, he did take a 3% stake in Ahold Delhaize, a grocery store owner, so he's probably had a protein shake sprinkled on Doritos before?Pepsi's board - first of all, it's 14 people, which is like 7 people too many. Second - 4 finance types? Two pharma/med types? There are more people who know medicine than food - only ONE agribusiness repped on the board (Bunge) with the only other food production from Pepsi or ex-Pepsi execs? There are three directors on the nom committee with 10+ years on the board, and the other two have.. 9 years. Vasella has been there 23 years - time for some turnover.Roberto P. Martínez (International Chief Commercial Officer and CEO of New Revenue Streams) and Tara Glasgow (Executive Vice President and Chief Science Officer) - someone needs to be held responsible for Doritos Protein and Simply NKD CheetosJimmy Kimmel signs ABC extension through 2027Most of Kimmel's recent renewals have been multiyear extensions. There was no immediate word on whose choice it was to extend his current contract by one year.WHO DO YOU BLAME?Bob Iger - he yanked Kimmel to kiss Brendan Carr's ass and the affiliates, then put him back on when subscribers cancelled, then convinced affiliates to re-air, all because Kimmel said conservatives really didn't want Kirk's killer to be conservative? Now Kimmel is EXTENDED? It has to be the dumbest series of events since “Don't Say Gay” bill in Chapek's era, right?Disney's board - these are well known directors in the bag for Iger, and Iger would not even be CEO again if not for them. Susan Arnold, who at the time had more influence on the board than Iger, was chair of the nominating committee, had Mel Lagomasino and Derica Rice on with her, all went with Iger's hand picked choice of Bob Chapek. Arnold left the board, but both Rice and Lagomasino stayed behind to help choose… Bob Iger to return? Then brought on James Gorman, who hand picked HIS successor, to lead succession with Bob Iger again? Is anyone doing a job on this board? ISS - when Nelson Peltz took his Ike Perlmutter borrowed stake in Disney in 2024, ISS sided with Peltz and suggested voting out Mel Lagamasino because she was the longest tenured director and “responsible” for Disney's failed succession. In 2025, after Peltz lost and no one cared, ISS backed Lagamasino. With analysis like that, it's no wonder Disney can bow to the Trump Administration since there's no way ISS will actually suggest changing the board unless an old racist takes a stake.Brendan Carr - is this just a finger in the eye of Carr, the FCC, and the angry conservative affiliates by Iger? Is this Disney's way of being woke now?Other - Baby Doll Dixon, Jimmy Kimmel's agent - should have gotten him a 10 year deal with a player option out. Optically way better, gets bought out if they fire him.Trump says Netflix, WBD deal could be 'problem' as son-in-law Kushner backs Paramount bid“I'll be involved in that decision too,” Trump said days after Netflix agreed to buy WBD's film studiosParamount revealed in a regulatory filing that its hostile bid for WBD bid is being backed by Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who is a former White House advisor - and every Middle Eastern sovereign fund, as well as over $40bn by Larry Ellison (and David Ellison committed to spend more in a text to co-CEO Ted SarandosWHO DO YOU BLAME?Larry Ellison - without daddy's $40bn (and more - what's $40bn when you have $269bn in net worth and own an island in Hawaii), there is no deal - literally no deal, this is pure nepo - THE OLIGARCHYMiddle Eastern sovereign funds - I mean, they're involved in EVERY major deal of a conservative figure (Musk/Twitter, Musk/Grok, Ellison/Paramount, Ellison/TikTok, Trump/Air Force One) and are backing another consolidation. Is this the greatest capitalist manipulation ever? Dictator capitalism?Robby Starbuck - he claimed “victory” in the Skydance acquisition terms for killing DEI at Paramount, used the opportunity to lick the boot of Brendan Carr, who is almost guaranteed to investigate Netflix given their wokeness. Somehow it's all Robby Starbuck's fault, right?WBD chair Sam Di Piazza - a near lifer at PwC as an accountant until he want to Citi as an i-banker for a stint, served on AT&T's board… an ACCOUNTANT is running the show! No one has heard of him, he's not in any of the news, but ostensibly he (and the board) approved the Netflix deal after dealing with Baby Ellison. The board is the only group that gets all the bids, compares them, and ultimately decides what to agree on and send to shareholders. If they chose Baby Ellison to avoid him throwing a temper tantrum to daddy, there's no hostile takeover and conservatives can rejoice in owning all of media, right? Snap appoints Arlo CEO Matthew McRae to board of directorsPrior to his current role as CEO of Arlo Technologies, which he has held since August 2018, McRae served as Senior Vice President of Strategy at NETGEAR and as Chief Technology Officer at VIZIO for over seven yearsWHO DO YOU BLAME?Evan Spiegel - he owns 53.1% of voting power - there is no one else to blameRobert Murphy - he owns 46.4% of voting power - what if he doesn't like Matt McRae? Do they resort to a thumb war? Who are we kidding, it's still Evan Spiegel's faultInvestors, who, for whatever reason, have OK'ed the idea of dual class shares such that Spiegel and Murphy own 99.5% of the voting power and less than 8% of the economic interest - while Fidelity owns 14.6% of the shares that control 0% of the overall vote. It was banned from index inclusion because the shares had NO voting rights - but somehow Meta is ALLOWED on every index because you have voting rights even if you can NEVER EVER WIN as Zuck owns control. What's the fucking difference??Worst CEOs of the Year Evan Spiegel of Snap

Eric is the Chief Technology Officer at GCM Grosvenor, a global leader in alternative investments. Eric's career path has taken him from starting as an ethical hacker at Deloitte, to leading technology and product innovation in fintech before playing a transformative role at GCM Grosvenor.I spent time with Eric unpacking how product management and automation are redefining technology's impact on private markets. We discuss his CTO role, the shift to a product-driven strategy at Grosvenor, and how generative AI and data platforms are reshaping everything from client reporting to investment operations. Eric shares practical lessons on business alignment, trust building, and accelerating change in our industry.We also talk about Grosvenor's approach to team enablement, talent development, and creating an innovative culture, including their firm-wide hackathon. For emerging managers and seasoned professionals alike, Eric offers actionable advice on technical strategy, partner selection, and what it takes to deliver differentiated technology today.Learn MoreFollow Capital Allocators at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tseides⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mailing list⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Access transcript with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Premium Membership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

When an advertising behemoth announces major restructuring plans and impending layoffs, you tend to sit up and listen.  In our latest episode of Lead(er) Generation, Host Tessa Burg talks with Patty Parobek, Mod Op's Senior Vice President of AI Transformation, to discuss the latest Omnicom news and what this means for marketers and marketing technologists. No strangers to change, Tessa and Patty discuss the truths we must all face during difficult times, the opportunities that any change can bring and the skills that will win out in the end.   Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op.  About Patty Parobek: As Senior Vice President of AI Transformation, Patty leads Mod Op's AI practice group, spearheading initiatives to maximize the value and scalability of AI-enabled solutions. Patty collaborates with the executive team to revolutionize creative, advertising and marketing projects for clients, while ensuring responsible AI practices. She also oversees AI training programs, identifies high-value AI use cases and measures implementation impact, providing essential feedback to Mod Op's AI Council for continuous improvement. Patty can be reached on LinkedIn or at Patty.Parobek@ModOp.com. About Tessa Burg: Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at Tessa.Burg@ModOp.com.

Et voici qu'Apple doit faire face à un nouveau départ de taille.Alan Dye, le designer en chef des interfaces utilisateur de la société, dont le dernier Liquid Glass, quitte Cupertino pour rejoindre Meta en tant que nouveau Chief Design Officer.Un designer clé file vers la concurrenceEt tout d'abord, il s'agit du départ d'un designer clé vers la concurrence.Alan Dye, qui était chez Apple depuis 2006, part rejoindre Meta, la maison-mère de Facebook et Instagram, au poste de Chief Design Officer à partir du 31 décembre prochain.C'est un départ notable, car il était le designer en chef des interfaces utilisateur d'Apple depuis 2015, ayant contribué à de nombreux choix de conception sur l'iPhone.Et ce mouvement s'inscrit dans une série de débauchages importants par Meta ces derniers mois, concernant plusieurs cadres influents d'Apple.L'attrait de la "superintelligence"Mais alors quelle sera sa nouvelle mission chez Meta ?Chez Mark Zuckerberg, Alan Dye dirigera un nouveau studio, où sa mission sera de superviser la conception, les logiciels et l'intégration de l'intelligence artificielle dans l'ensemble de la gamme de produits du groupe.Ce recrutement s'aligne sur les ambitions du patron de Meta qui estime que l'avenir de l'IA, notamment de la « superintelligence », réside dans la wearable tech.Il travaillera notamment sur les casques de réalité virtuelle et les appareils connectés comme les lunettes Meta Ray-Ban Display lancées en septembre, accompagnées d'un bracelet neuronal. Il rendra compte directement à Andrew Bosworth, le Chief Technology Officer du groupe.Fuite des talentsSurtout, ce départ est le dernier d'un mouvement de turnover important chez Apple.Car oui Alan Dye n'est pas le seul à faire le saut. Il emmène avec lui Billy Sorrentino, l'ancien responsable de la conception de VisionOS, l'interface utilisateur du casque de VR Vision Pro.Par ailleurs, ce départ s'ajoute à une liste de hauts responsables qui ont quitté Apple récemment, tels que le chef de l'IA, John Giannandrea, en décembre, ou le Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Williams, en novembre.Le ZD Tech est sur toutes les plateformes de podcast ! Abonnez-vous !Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

S6E03: Tip Top Tech TalkThe media industry is in a state of constant reinvention. From cloud technologies, to AI, to story-centric workflows, new production processes and delivery methods and more. In a rapidly changing world, how does a technology CTO set strategies to ensure they stay ahead of the curve? That is the role of Tom Sharma, who is Avid's Chief Technology Officer. In this episode of Making the Media, hosts Craig Wilson and Ray Thompson hear about Tom's background in technology, and the innovations which he is spearheading to drive creative and efficient workflows which take advantage of automation and AI.Tom Sharma, Chief Technology Officer, AvidTom is an experienced leader with a strong background in product and engineering. He has successfully created, developed, and led global product & engineering teams, giving him unique experience spanning Media and Entertainment, Video Streaming (CTV, FAST), and Adtech. He had the opportunity to contribute to Integral Ad Science's transformative high-growth phase, collaborating with a talented leadership team and leading an exceptional group to expand their global product and technology portfolio. Earlier in his career, he was a founding team engineering leader at Hulu, where he was recognized with the Edison Award for developing the Hulu syndication product. He later founded Impex Digital, a video streaming and e-commerce company that was eventually acquired by TCS. Before that, he held various product & technology roles at NBC Universal, focusing on digital media and production automation across News, Entertainment, TV Stations, and the Olympics.More ResourcesFor more on this topic, check outAvid Content Core – Discover more about Avid's coming Content Data Platform for media productionAvid's News Solutions -  Get the latest updates on Avid's storycentric, digital first newsroom solutions. Contact UsQuestions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com. FollowAvid at @avid.CreditsHosts:Craig Wilson and Ray ThompsonProduction team: Matt Diggs, Owen Lynch and Wim van den BroeckTheme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

In this week's episode of Cultural Catalysts, Kris and Banning are joined by Richard Gordon, Bethel's brilliant Chief Technology Officer from South Africa. Richard shares his remarkable journey from engineering to ministry, and together they dive into one of the most challenging tensions leaders face: balancing supernatural faith with practical wisdom. Richard offers a profound insight that "if you build on miracles alone, you'll burn out, and if you build on wisdom alone, you'll dry out," revealing how grace allows us to carry both. The conversation explores how to navigate prophetic words that don't unfold as expected, the importance of accountability in leadership, and why true greatness often comes through pressure and refinement. Join us for this thought-provoking discussion that will challenge you to embrace both the miraculous and the strategic in your own leadership journey! Connect with Kris Vallotton: Website: https://www.krisvallotton.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kvministries/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kvministries/ X: https://x.com/kvministries Additional Resources by Kris Vallotton: https://shop.bethel.com/collections/kris-vallotton About Kris Vallotton: Kris Vallotton is the Senior Associate Leader of Bethel Church, Redding, and is the Co-Founder of Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM) and Spiritual Intelligence Institute. He is also the Founder and President of Moral Revolution and a sought-after international conference speaker. Kris and his wife, Kathy, have trained, developed, and pastored prophetic teams and supernatural schools all over the world.

In this episode of Innovation and Digital Enterprise, Patrick and Shelli talk with Michael Ehlers, the new Chief Technology Officer at PlanSource. Mike outlines his leadership philosophy and career evolution, emphasizing that professional growth is rarely linear. He shares formative experiences at Hewitt and Xerox that taught him the importance of transparency during project setbacks, the value of blameless postmortems, and how to treat failure as a chance to grow.Those experiences inform his current leadership and hiring strategy, which prioritizes candidates with grit, curiosity, and collaborative spirit, over those with rigid technical expertise. He explains that technical skills can be acquired, but behavioral attributes are foundational to a successful dev culture.Mike shares insights earned through his range of experience, from startups to large multinationals, stressing that at any scale, leaders need empathy to understand customer needs, agility to make change, and transparency to build trust.(00:12) Welcome to Michael Ehlers, CTO at PlanSource(03:35) Navigating Leadership Challenges(10:40) The Importance of Career Growth and Culture(23:34) Leveraging Postmortems in Software Engineering(28:31) Cultural Shifts in Organizations(37:32) Empathy in Innovation: Understanding Customer NeedsMichael Ehlers has had a full career leading software and engineering teams, often at SaaS companies in the HR space. Currently, he is the new Chief Technology Officer at PlanSource. Previously, he has held roles at Benefitfocus, Paylocity, Voya Financial, Aon Hewitt (Alight), and Xerox, where he served as Vice President of Front End Development for their HR Outsourcing business. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.Podcast episode production by Dante32.

In this special episode of AI and the Future of Work, host Dan Turchin looks back on what 365 conversations have revealed about how AI is reshaping the way we work.What themes have emerged most consistently? Which ideas connect founders, researchers, and operators across industries? And what have these discussions taught us about the evolving relationship between humans and intelligent systems?Featuring Guests:Mark McCrindle, Founder and Principal at McCrindle  - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/13014260 Pradeep Menon, CTO at Microsoft - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/13034974 Dave Kellogg, EIR at Balderton Capital - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/16665133 Alex Buder Shapiro, Chief People Officer at Jasper AI - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/17522593 Gary F. Bengier, Writer, philosopher, and technologist - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/12934217 Josh Bersin, Founder and CEO at The Josh Bersin Company - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/17863187 Bryan Power, Head of People at Nextdoor - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/16837259 Dave Treat, Chief Technology Officer at Pearson - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/17557154 

Join SADA's CTO, Miles Ward, and Associate CTO of AI & ML, Simon Margolis, for this special and final episode of the Cloud and Clear podcast. They share their biggest, most impactful predictions for 2026 and beyond, focusing on the massive shift required for businesses to get value from AI. Miles and Simon discuss how the conversation around AI investment is changing. Boards will no longer tolerate putting AI in the R&D bucket. The focus is shifting from "what's possible" to "what's profitable," demanding financial returns on a quarterly basis. In this insightful discussion, you will learn: The model choice: Why optimizing your model selection matters, noting that a model like Gemini Pro 2.5 can have output tokens that are 25 times more expensive than Gemini Flash. Service as software: The need to think of your business as a new startup, building "machinery to let you run service as if it's software." Democratization: How "anybody that knows their natural language is able to go and build some type of truly agentic system." The ability to build a prototype with a prompt is replacing lengthy Product Requirement Documents (PRDs). The luxury trap: Why reducing friction will become a required, contractually obligated expectation. This includes developing "user interfaces for an audience of one" to accommodate different customer cohorts. If you are a technology leader, cloud engineer, or executive looking to set your strategy for the next wave of transformation, this episode is packed with valuable knowledge. And even though this is the last Cloud and Clear, the journey continues with InsightON! Connect with SADA & InsightON: Check out all of our experts' 2026 predictions: https://sada.com/blog/2026-technology-trends/  InsightON: insight.com/InsightOn Host: Miles Ward, Chief Technology Officer, SADA, An Insight company Guest: Simon Margolis, Associate CTO of AI & ML, SADA, An Insight company  

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Pete Pizzutillo sits down with Chris Sikora, Chief Revenue Officer, and Tony Thakur, Chief Technology Officer at GPC Fiber, to explore their 165-mile, 400G-capable fiber build across Kentucky and what it means for mission-critical connectivity in the region. The conversation traces Chris and Tony's long careers in fiber, the evolution from Great Plains Communications to the GPC Fiber brand, and why Kentucky's Louisville–Lexington–Cincinnati–Indianapolis corridor is such a powerful hub for economic growth. The episode highlights how GPC approaches market selection, their focus on mission-critical connectivity for hospitals, hyperscalers, logistics companies, and small businesses, and how vertical integration—designing, building, and supporting their own network—creates a differentiated customer experience. Tony breaks down the network architecture behind their 400G backbone, the path to 800G and 1.6T, ring topology for resiliency, and how they think about backbone, middle mile, and last mile design to ensure scalability and low latency. Chris shares how transparency, geographic expertise, and frictionless collaboration have helped GPC win business with hyperscalers and support economic development in rural Kentucky—“not just lighting up fiber, but lighting up opportunity.” The episode wraps with a look ahead at how AI, security, and seamless customer experiences will shape GPC Fiber's next chapter in the Southeast.

Every marketer has asked themselves the same question: Is AI coming for my job?  In this episode of Leader Generation, Host Tessa Burg and David Berkowitz, Founder of High Caliber AI and the AI Marketers Guild, explore how marketers can start viewing AI as a collaborative tool instead of a threat to their careers.   David talks about his latest work, The Non-Obvious Guide to Using AI for Marketing, and some of the unconventional ways companies are using AI to their advantage. He and Tessa delve into how AI can unlock opportunities that are unique to a company and brand, the role of AI results in reputation management and the value of experiential knowledge.  Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op.  About David Berkowitz: David Berkowitz is the Founder of High Caliber AI and AI Marketers Guild, and the author of The Non-Obvious Guide to Using AI for Marketing (Ideapress, 2025). A longtime marketing strategist, David has led marketing and innovation for companies including Mediaocean, Storyhunter, Sysomos, MRY (Publicis), and 360i (Dentsu). He has contributed 600+ columns to outlets like Advertising Age, MediaPost, and VentureBeat, and spoken at 400+ events worldwide. He helps marketers harness AI to work smarter, stay creative, and strengthen customer connections. You can reach him on LinkedIn or at aimarketersguild.com and highcaliberai.com.  About Tessa Burg: Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at Tessa.Burg@ModOp.com.

In this week's episode we're diving into the world of digital ground movement monitoring – a rapidly evolving field that's quietly transforming how we manage, maintain, and future-proof our critical infrastructure.Emerging into this market is Osprey Measurement Systems, a high-tech business spun out of University College London that's using cutting-edge digital tools to bring greater precision, speed, and insight into ground movement – something that affects everything from railways and tunnels to utilities and city infrastructure.To help us understand the technology, the market, and the broader implications, I'm joined by Daniel Scott, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Osprey. Daniel's background is nothing if not broad – he's a former lecturer at UCL in civil and geomatic engineering and has worked on major UK infrastructure projects including Crossrail and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.He's also a serving member of the 507 Specialist Team Royal Engineers focusing on railway infrastructure – more about that later, I'm sure!In this conversation, we explore the journey of OMS as a spin-out company, the power of reality capture and digital measurement to transform infrastructure delivery and monitoring, and what it takes to bring genuinely disruptive technology to a traditionally risk-averse sector – and how technology like this can shift the performance, efficiency, and safety of infrastructure assets.ResourcesOsprey Measurement SystemsDaniel Scott Linked InUniversity College London ground engineeringCrossrail lessons learned Channel Tunnel High Speed Rail 507 Specialist Team Royal Engineers

Join the Goodfellow Innovation Discussed team live on stage at the Vertu Motor Arena in November 2025. Regulars Mark Daniels and Adam Sells are joined by Alan Scholes, Chief Technology Officer at the Materials Processing Institute. A great conversation and plenty of questions from the audience!More information: Hosts: Mark Daniels, Dr Aphrodite Tomou and Adam Sells. Goodfellow Cambridge Ltd: www.goodfellow.com Ask the panel a question: marketing@goodfellow.com

In a special episode of ASUG Talks, we dive into several of clips from ASUG Talks episodes published throughout the year, covering topics ranging from cloud environments to IT professional development. Join us this week to hear clips from some of the podcast's most popular 2025 episodes. Episodes Included: SAP's Thomas Saueressig on Public and Private Cloud, Enterprise Architecture, and AI IntegrationASUG Talks Roundtable: Inside ASUG's SAP S/4HANA Adoption ResearchHow Precision Drilling Drives Improved Asset Maintenance with SAP S/4HANAASUG Talks Customer Success Story: How SA Power Networks Managed a Dual SAP S/4HANA MigrationASUG Talks Executive Interview: Philipp Herzig, Chief Technology Officer at SAPASUG Talks Roundtable: The Changing Role of Enterprise Architects in UtilitiesSAP's Irfan Khan on SAP Business Data Cloud's Impact and Future DevelopmentASUG Talks Roundtable: How Agentic AI is Reshaping the SAP EcosystemAdvice from ASUG Board Members: Building Resilient IT Careers in the Age of AIIf you have any comments (or pitches) for ASUG Talks Senior Producer, Jim Lichtenwalter, please email him at jim.lichtenwalter@asug.com. Related InsightsJoin the ASUG Communities team on Dec. 3 for a break down of the top insights from ASUG Tech Connect

Happy Thanksgiving to all! -The SOFREP Team Thanks again to our sponsor BÆRSkin Get the BÆRSkin Hoodie 4.0 for 60% Off! Click the link: https://baer.skin/rad Anthony Vinci, PhD, is a technology and national-security executive, entrepreneur, and former U.S. intelligence official. He earned his doctorate in International Relations from the London School of Economics, after earlier studies in philosophy at Reed College and the University of Oxford. Vinci served as an intelligence officer in multiple global theaters before being appointed the first Chief Technology Officer and Associate Director for Capabilities at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, where he led major initiatives in artificial intelligence, geospatial intelligence modernization, and public-private technology partnerships. In the private sector, he has founded and led technology companies focused on geospatial analytics and artificial intelligence, and has held senior roles at major firms including Bridgewater Associates. He continues to work at the intersection of emerging technology and national security and serves as an adjunct senior fellow with leading national-security research organizations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Please enjoy this encore of Research Saturday. This week, we are joined by ⁠Michael Gorelik⁠, Chief Technology Officer from ⁠Morphisec⁠, discussing their work on "New Noodlophile Stealer Distributes Via Fake AI Video Generation Platforms." A new threat dubbed Noodlophile Stealer is exploiting the popularity of AI-powered content tools by posing as fake AI video generation platforms, luring users into uploading media in exchange for malware-laced downloads. Distributed through convincing Facebook groups and viral campaigns, the malware steals browser credentials, cryptocurrency wallets, and can deploy a remote access trojan like XWorm. The campaign uses a layered, obfuscated delivery chain disguised as legitimate video editing software, making it both deceptive and difficult to detect. The research can be found here: ⁠⁠⁠New Noodlophile Stealer Distributes Via Fake AI Video Generation Platforms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Please enjoy this encore of Research Saturday. This week, we are joined by ⁠Michael Gorelik⁠, Chief Technology Officer from ⁠Morphisec⁠, discussing their work on "New Noodlophile Stealer Distributes Via Fake AI Video Generation Platforms." A new threat dubbed Noodlophile Stealer is exploiting the popularity of AI-powered content tools by posing as fake AI video generation platforms, luring users into uploading media in exchange for malware-laced downloads. Distributed through convincing Facebook groups and viral campaigns, the malware steals browser credentials, cryptocurrency wallets, and can deploy a remote access trojan like XWorm. The campaign uses a layered, obfuscated delivery chain disguised as legitimate video editing software, making it both deceptive and difficult to detect. The research can be found here: ⁠⁠⁠New Noodlophile Stealer Distributes Via Fake AI Video Generation Platforms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you redesign a newsroom's entire workflow when AI is no longer a single tool, but a collection of agents, voice interfaces, and ambient intelligence changing how journalism gets produced?This week on Newsroom Robots, host Nikita Roy is joined by Markus Franz, Chief Technology Officer at Ippen Digital, one of Germany's largest digital media networks with more than 80 online news and media portals. This episode was recorded live at the Digital Growth Summit in Stuttgart, where Markus shared how his team is building some of the most forward-looking AI experiments in European media.Markus leads Ippen Digital's Incubator Lab, an innovation unit focused on reimagining how publishing and AI-driven experiences will evolve. With 16 years inside the company, Markus has been central to Ippen's digital transformation and now leads efforts around multi-agent architectures and building adaptive workflows for the newsroom.In this conversation, Markus breaks down how his lab is experimenting with multi-agent “virtual teams,” voice-first newsroom interfaces, multimodal content production and an ambient AI-powered newsroom where intelligent systems support journalists in real time. He shares what his team has learned from early prototypes, why the biggest challenges are cultural rather than technical, and how news organizations should think about guardrails, platform dependency, and the rise of self-evolving models.This episode covers: 02:22 – Why Ippen Digital built an Incubator Lab and how it's structured as a future-focused R&D unit04:49 – What multi-agent systems look like inside a newsroom9:42 – The case for voice as the next major interface for both journalists and audiences14:41 – The shift from human-in-the-loop to human-on-the-loop workflows17:40 – Guardrails for agent systems: grounding, bounding, editorial policies19:33 – The vision for an ambient newsroom powered by AI companions and real-time intelligence27:31 – Why vendor lock-in and self-evolving LLMs pose new strategic risks30:08 – Multimodal personalization and rethinking how news is experienced34:27 – Why most AI pilots fail and what experimentation looks like in practice49:19 – Markus's personal AI stack and how he uses these tools day-to-daySign up for the Newsroom Robots newsletter for episode summaries and insights from host Nikita Roy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kati Walcott differentiates simulated will from genuine intent, data sharing from data surrender, and agents from agency in a quest to ensure digital sovereignty for all.Kati and Kimberly discuss her journey from molecular genetics to AI engineering; the evolution of an intention economy built on simulated will; the provider ecosystem and monetization as a motive; capturing genuine intent; non-benign aspects of personalization; how a single bad data point can be a health hazard; the 3 styles of digital data; data sharing vs. data surrender; whether digital society represents reality; restoring authorship over our digital selves; pivoting from convenience to governance; why AI is only accountable when your will is enforced; and the urgent need to disrupt feudal economics in AI. Kati Walcott is the Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Synovient. With over 120 international patents, Kati is a visionary tech inventor, author and leader focused on digital representation, rights and citizenship in the Digital Data Economy.Related ResourcesThe False Intention Economy: How AI Systems are Replacing Human Will with Modeled Behavior (LinkedIn Article)A transcript of this episode is here.   

New episode alert! Episode 111!In this episode of SleepTech Talk, we sit down with Mikael Kågebäck, PhD, Chief Technology Officer at Sleep Cycle, to explore how AI and real-time sleep data are reshaping the way people understand and improve their sleep.With millions of users generating sleep insights daily, Sleep Cycle is one of the world's largest continuous sleep datasets. Mikael explains:How AI analyzes daily sleep data to identify patterns and improvement opportunitiesWhy large-scale population sleep data is uniquely valuable for personalizing sleep solutionsHow Sleep Cycle continues to advance its technology to help people sleep betterWhether you're curious about improving your own sleep or you're a professional in sleep medicine, this conversation reveals where sleep tracking, AI, and human behavior meet.Get more information at https://sleepcycle.com/ABOUT SLEEPTECH TALKSleepTech Talk brings together leaders in sleep medicine, technology, and innovation to explore the tools and trends shaping the future of sleep health.Catch the show on most podcast platforms or on YouTubewww.youtube.com/@sleeptechtalk A huge thanks to our sponsors:Medbridge Healthcare  : For Job Opportunities with MedBridge Healthcare visit: https://medbridgehealthcare.com/careers/Fisher & Paykel Healthcare  Discover how F&P full-face masks have led millions of people to a great night's sleep at https://www.fphcare.com/curiosityhttps://www.fphcare.com/us/homecare/sleep-apnea/React Health  https://www.reacthealth.com/More resources for clinicians can be found at Sleep Review Magazine  https://sleepreviewmag.com/Don't forget to Like, Share, and Comment! Subscribe to SleepTech Talk for more insights into sleep apnea, CPAP therapy, and innovations shaping the future of sleep care.Whether you're a sleep professional or a healthcare innovator, this episode explores the intersection of technology, patient care, and sleep medicine.Learn more about the show at https://www.sleeptechtalk.com/thetechroomCredits:Audio/ Video: Diego R Mannikarote; Music: Pierce G MannikaroteHosts: J. Emerson Kerr, Robert Miller, Gerald George MannikaroteCopyright: ⓒ 2025 SleepTech Talk ProductionsEpisode 111The views and opinions expressed by guests on SleepTech Talk are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the podcast hosts or SleepTech Talk as a whole. This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with a qualified healthcare professional for any medical concerns or questions.Sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea, oral sleep appliance, inspire, surgery, sleep surgery, CPAP, AI, Artificial Intelligence

Michael chats with Parker Phillips, Chief Technology Officer at InStride Health. Together, they discuss InStride's care model and how the company's tech platform is built to support it; how the company's tech and model have evolved in concert; how the technology enhances care team collaboration and coordination; AI's role in InStride's platform and where it could be headed; ensuring behavioral care stays human-centered moving forward; and much more. To learn more about InStride Health, visit InStride.Health.   

In this episode, Bryan and Marco sit down with Matt Chretien, Chief Strategy Officer & Chief Technology Officer at Intellinetics Inc. Matt dives into how builders and regulated industries are transforming document intelligence. Topics Include:Simplifying workflows for efficiencyScaling smarter systems to meet growing demandsAligning technology with real-world builder needsInsights on what's evolving, what's working, and what's next in intelligent document solutions

Torniamo ad occuparci di intelligenza artificiale con Luca Mari, docente all'Università Liuc di Castellanza ed esperto di IA.La Commissione europea ha annunciato un rinvio di 16 mesi per l'applicazione delle norme dell'Ai Act relative ai sistemi ad alto rischio. Vediamo il perché e le implicazioni di questa decisione assieme a Innocenzo Genna, esperto di regolamentazione europea in ambito digitale.Servizi di mobilità urbana basati sulla guida remota, come funzionano, che tecnologie applicano e quali prospettive offrono. Lo spiega Fabrizio Ugo Scelsi, Chief Technology Officer e cofondatore della scaleup Vay che ha recentemente raccolto capitali freschi per un valore di 60 milioni di dollari.E come sempre in Digital News le notizie di innovazione e tecnologia più importanti della settimana.

This episode features Anthony Locascio, Chief Technology Officer for Hospital Patient Monitoring at Philips, and Benjamin Millmann, Lead Clinical Informaticist at M Health Fairview. They discuss how health systems can shift from a prevention mindset to one focused on resilience, strengthen cybersecurity across connected devices, and build partnerships between vendors, clinicians, and IT teams to safeguard patient care amid rising digital threats.This episode is sponsored by Philips.

Celebrations are underway at TMG headquarters, and we gather round to recognize the milestone of reaching 1 million social media ad spend across all of our hotel partners! This achievement would not have been possible without the continued support and trust of our partners, and their unwavering commitment to creating compelling stories and digital content for travelers, as well as fostering genuine connections with hotel guests. In this special celebratory Suite Spot episode, Travel Media Group's Chief Technology Officer, Jason Lee, and Product Manager - Social Media, Brian Ross, both join the podcast to discuss the incredible accomplishment and what it means for TMG and our wonderful hotel partners. nbsp; Ryan Embree: Welcome to Suite Spot, where hoteliers check in and we check out what's trending in hotel marketing. I'm your host, Ryan Embree. Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of The Suite Spot. This is your host, Ryan Embree. We are here back, we've been on the road, we've been visiting and hosting people on the Suite Spot virtually, but we are back here at the Suite Spot Podcast studio with a very familiar guest, Jason Lee, Chief Technology Officer, who we're gonna have on in a second. Then we're gonna be visiting with Brian Ross, our product manager, social media, to celebrate this incredible milestone. Jason, welcome back to the Suite Spot. Thanks. Yeah, glad to finally be back. Yeah, we're excited to have you, celebrating a milestone today. A million dollars in ad spend for our hotel partners. Again, you know, with Travel Media Group, we work exclusively with hotels. Let's first, you know, off the bat, huge accomplishment milestone. What does this mean to hear you kind of hearing this being there since the very beginning of this solution all those years back? Jason Lee: Yeah. It's exciting. Obviously it is when you think about it in the increments that we boost posts at, it's a lot of posts. Yeah. It's a lot of posts for a lot of hotels. A lot of weeks of content. So just extremely proud of what it has produced for our hotels. But also for our amazing social media team that creates such engaging content and makes boost able and ad worthy content. Ryan Embree: Well, and that's the important part because, you know, obviously a million dollars is a big number. But you don't need necessarily a million dollars to run an effective ad campaign, and that's what you were kind of talking about. With the small increments. Talk to us a little bit about that, because I do feel like sometimes hoteliers, rightly so, are intimidated with something like social media ad spend. They don't really know where, you know, 'cause you can boost a post for as low as $5 all the way up to, thousands of dollars. And they're still going to spend your money in one way or another. So kind of talk through that process because effectiveness is really the key to the game there. Jason Lee: No, absolutely. And I think it gets into how you create content. What is the cadence of that content? How often do I do it? But then it also gets into what am I trying to do? So you can create content and not boost it or put ads any kinda ad spend behind it at all. And you're going to have that content on your page. You're gonna reach out, your community is gonna see it if if they have that, you know, alerts or whatever set up for you. But what boosting does is it allows you to reach this audience that is not inside of your sphere. So it allows them to be able to see these posts, but even more importantly, it allows them to engage with these posts. So if they engage with them, now you kind of have them in the algorithm. Now, now you've got 'em a little bit. Right. There's future state with these, uh, guests. But, but we're talking about $5 increments. So for this very small amount of money, you're talking about 10 to 30 x on reach and engagement. And, and that is incredible. Uh, and especially because it's sort of like builds on its...

Today's guest is Michael Finley, Chief Technology Officer at AnswerRocket. Founded in 2013, AnswerRocket builds enterprise AI agents delivering measurable outcomes for Fortune 2000 clients across consumer goods, financial services, construction, real estate, and beyond. Finley joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello to discuss how enterprises can move beyond AI experimentation toward scalable, agent-driven systems that deliver measurable business value. Finley also explores what makes AI agents truly enterprise-ready — from data governance and tool integration to deployment and iteration. This episode is sponsored by AnswerRocket. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/expert2 for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast!

John Polis is the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer at Star Mountain Capital.  John's career path has led him to play a pivotal role in transforming Star Mountain in private credit in the lower middle market. I spent time with John unpacking how data and technology can meaningfully shape investment management operations. We discuss his dual role, the build over buy approach of Star Mountain's tech stack, and how AI is transforming their investment and portfolio management processes. John shares lessons learned on team enablement, upskilling with AI, and designing platforms to scale. We also talk about Star Mountain's approach to training, talent development, and maintaining that edge. For emerging managers and seasoned professionals alike, John offers practical advice on technical strategy, data readiness, and staying true to your business plan in a competitive landscape. Learn MoreFollow Capital Allocators at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tseides⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mailing list⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Access transcript with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Premium Membership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

By Adam Turteltaub The rise of generative AI has brought transformative potential to healthcare—from streamlining administrative tasks to supporting clinical decision-making. But alongside these benefits comes a growing concern: Shadow AI. Alex Tyrrell, Chief Technology Officer, Health at Wolters Kluwer explains in this podcast that this term refers to the use of unauthorized, unmonitored AI tools within organizations. In healthcare, where data privacy and patient safety are paramount, Shadow AI presents a unique and urgent challenge both now and in the future. Healthcare professionals often turn to generative AI tools with good intentions—hoping to reduce documentation burdens, improve workflows, or gain insights from complex data. However, many of these tools are unproven large language models (LLMs) that operate as black boxes. They're prone to hallucinations, lack transparency in decision-making, and may inadvertently expose Protected Health Information (PHI) to the open internet. This isn't just a theoretical risk. The use of public AI tools on personal devices or in clinical settings can lead to serious consequences, including: Privacy violations Legal and regulatory non-compliance Patient harm due to inaccurate or misleading outputs Despite these risks, many healthcare organizations lack visibility into how and when these tools are being used. According to recent data, only 18% of organizations have a formal policy governing the use of generative AI in the workplace, and just 20% require formal training for employees using these tools. It's important to recognize that most employees aren't using Shadow AI to be reckless—they're trying to solve real problems. The lack of clear guidance, approved tools, and education creates a vacuum that Shadow AI fills. Without a structured approach, organizations end up playing a game of whack-a-mole, reacting to issues rather than proactively managing them. So, what can healthcare organizations do to address Shadow AI without stifling innovation? Audit and Monitor Usage Start with what you can control. For organization-issued devices, conduct periodic audits to identify unauthorized AI usage. While personal devices are harder to monitor, you can still gather feedback from employees about where they see value in generative AI. This helps surface use cases that can be addressed through approved tools and structured programs. Procure Trusted AI Tools Use procurement processes to source AI tools from vetted vendors. Look for solutions with: Transparent decision-making processes Clear documentation of training data sources No use of patient data or other confidential information for model training Avoid tools that lack explainability or accountability—especially those that cannot guarantee data privacy. Establish Structured Governance Governance isn't just about rules—it's about clarity and oversight. Develop a well-articulated framework that includes: Defined roles and responsibilities for AI oversight Risk assessment protocols Integration with existing compliance and IT governance structures Make sure AI governance is not siloed. Those managing AI tools should be at the table during strategic planning and implementation. Educate and Engage Education is the cornerstone of responsible AI use. Employees need to understand not just the risks, but also the right way to use AI tools. Offer formal training, create open forums for discussion, and build a culture of transparency. When people feel informed and supported, they're more likely to choose safe, approved tools. Protect PHI with Precision In clinical workflows, PHI is often unavoidable. That's why it's critical to: Deidentify patient data whenever possible Ensure only authorized systems, processes, and personnel have access to PHI Maintain up-to-date business associate agreements and data processing contracts

Send us a textAlexis sits down with Will Goodman, Chief Technology Officer for the Boise School District and a central voice in Idaho's statewide conversations on AI in K–12 education. Will and Alexis serve together on an AI in K-12 Education Workgroup in Idaho, and in this episode, they dig into the real questions Idaho is navigating right now.Together they explore:With 94% of Idaho students in public schools, what does “getting AI right” actually mean for an entire system?How schools can maintain academic integrity while using AI as a learning partner.What “Human → AI → Human” looks like in a real classroom?How to communicate clearly with parents about what AI is, and isn't, doing in Idaho classrooms.What conversations parents should be having at home?How AI fits alongside Digital Literacy and digital citizenship.How Idaho's approach compares to states like Colorado, Utah, and Georgia.How we'll measure success: learning outcomes, efficiency, and equity.The cultural challenge of moving from fear to curiosity.Safeguarding human dignity and agency in an AI-driven world.What responsible AI in Idaho education could look like in 3–5 years.If this conversation sparks a thought, concern, or idea—reach out. Idaho's framework is a living document, and community voices matter.Find Alexis on Instagram and JOIN in the conversation: https://www.instagram.com/the_idaho_lady/ JOIN the convo on Substack & STAY up-to-date with emails and posts https://substack.com/@theidaholady?r=5katbx&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page Send Alexis an email with guest requests, ideas, or potential collaboration.email@thealexismorgan.comFind great resources, info on school communities, and other current projects regarding public policy:https://www.thealexismorgan.com

If you've been watching AI tools race into marketing and tech, but aren't sure what's hype and what's actually useful, this episode is for you.  Mod Op's Head of Technology in Calgary, Derek McBurney, unpacks how generative AI, code assistants and “vibe coding” are really changing the way digital experiences get built. He explains in plain language what AI code assistants actually do, when they genuinely speed teams up and when they quietly introduce bugs, tech debt or just plain slop. You'll hear concrete examples of using AI to handle tedious work—like transforming messy spreadsheets—so developers can spend more time on the creative, pixel-perfect experiences that matter most to customers. Derek also digs into how no-code and vibe-code tools are empowering marketers, designers and non-dev teammates to prototype real concepts quickly, without replacing the need for strong engineering fundamentals. Throughout the conversation, Derek keeps coming back to two big themes: ambition and responsibility. He shares practical guidance for CMOs and marketing leaders on setting guardrails, protecting proprietary code, avoiding skill erosion and deciding when to build vs buy in an AI-driven world. Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op.  About Derek McBurney: Derek is the Head of Technology at Evans Hunt, focusing on delivering meaningful digital experiences and sharing his knowledge about building the web for humans. He's been building websites ever since he first got online. At the age of 12, it was a fan site for the game Quake, with nothing more than a text editor to create some HTML. Now? Clients like Travel Alberta, Calgary Stampede, and Brookfield Residential, which compose builds using best-in-class technologies for performance, accessibility, and intuitive authoring to power beautiful and rich experiences.  About Tessa Burg: Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at Tessa.Burg@ModOp.com.

En este episodio de Life on Mars hablamos con Elisenda Bou-Balust, fundadora de Cala, sobre cómo se pasa de hacer un doctorado y montar pequeñas empresas a convertirse en CTO, vender una startup a Apple y acabar construyendo una compañía de IA para luchar contra la desinformación.Eli comparte cómo vivió el síndrome de la impostora y los sesgos de género en puestos técnicos de liderazgo, cómo pasó de ser proveedora externa a cofundadora y CTO de una startup, qué implica estar en procesos de fundraising y de venta a una big tech y, finalmente, por qué decide dejar la comodidad de Apple para montar Cala, una empresa que convierte Internet en conocimiento verificable.Si te interesa la carrera de CTO, el rol real de la parte técnica en fundraising, M&A, due diligence, y cómo usar la IA para combatir la desinformación, este episodio te va a encantar.Support the show

Concern has emerged that the digital health records of most Clare patients won't be available for at least another five years. It follows confirmation from the HSE's Chief Technology Officer that the Dublin North East Region will be the first to go live under the Digital for Care Plan 2030, and will not be operational until around 2029. At present, electronic health records are available in the MidWest for maternity, neonatology, and gynaecology services. Clare Sinn Féin TD Donna McGettigan says much more progress is needed.

Today on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we talk to Daniel Peter, Chief Technology Officer at Petaluma Creamery. Join us as we chat about how he manages cheese wheels with custom objects and how Salesforce and AI can level the playing field for SMBs. You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few […] The post Why Agentforce Is a Game Changer for Small Businesses appeared first on Salesforce Admins.

Today's episode of the Punk CX podcast features a discussion I recently had with Jonathan Rosenberg, who is the Chief Technology Officer and head of AI at Five9. Jonathan and I talk about why he believes CX is reaching a tipping point and what's driving that, how things are likely to change for customers, agents, and businesses, what he's seeing companies do well/right, as well as what to avoid in order to better harness the obvious potential of AI. This interview follows on from my recent interview – How Vodafone, Rabobank and others are driving meaningful results with AI – Interview with Matt Healy of Pega – and is number 562 in the series of interviews with authors and business leaders who are doing great things, providing valuable insights, helping businesses innovate and delivering great service and experience to both their customers and their employees.

Jennings Anderson, a Software Engineer with Meta Platforms, and Amy Rose, the Chief Technology Officer at Overture Maps Foundation, speak with host Gregory M. Kapfhammer about the Overture Maps project, which creates reliable, easy-to-use, and interoperable open map data. After exploring the foundations of geospatial information systems, Gregory and his guests dive deep into the implementation of Overture Maps through features like the Global Entity Reference System (GERS). In addition to discussing the organizational structure of the Overture Maps Foundation and the need for a unified database of geospatial data, Jennings and Amy explain how to implement applications using data from Overture Maps. Brought to you by IEEE Computer Society and IEEE Software magazine.

James Reggio (CTO @ Brex) shares the story of "Brex 3.0", an 18-month journey behind their operational evolution. We explore how they rewound their org from a Series E to a Series C mindset, and replaced siloed OKRs with seasonal "marquee initiatives." James deconstructs the “Brex Hacker House”, an AI-focused startup within a startup experiment aimed to disrupt their core business. This conversation is all about evolving operational rhythms, layers of management, product building, and culture change! ABOUT JAMES REGGIOJames Reggio is Brex's Chief Technology Officer. James is a forward thinking technology leader who currently oversees Brex's entire Engineering org. James joined Brex in 2020 as Principal Engineer and has played a vital role in building the company's mobile app and AI capabilities. Prior to Brex, James had an extensive career as a Software Engineer at leading companies such as Microsoft, Salesforce, AirBnB, Stripe and more. Additionally, James founded two companies: Altair Management and Banter, a social discovery platform for podcasts that was later acquired by Convoy in 2018. James received his B.A. of Science from The University of Texas Austin. SHOW NOTES:The birth of Brex 3.0: Using a layoff as a "moment to refound the company" (3:38)Moving from a Series E to a Series C operational mindset (5:28)The problem with a GM model: How siloed OKRs and roadmaps created "deadlock" (6:07)New rituals: Why the CEO became "chief editor of the roadmap" (8:16)The impact on morale: "Folks just knew how their work fit into the bigger picture" (11:16)The challenge of the new model: Who do you hold accountable when you "win and lose as a team"? (13:43)The lesson for reintroducing systems: "Less is more" (15:43)The "Startup within a Startup": Launching an internal team to disrupt Brex (16:49)“What if we were founding Brex again today?” The 4 constraints for the "Hacker House" experiment (17:58)Questions eng leaders should ask when running a similar experiment to Brex (21:02)Aha moment: "With agentic coating, code is so cheap" (22:35)Managing the two narratives: "compounding" the core biz vs. “innovating" with AI (26:01)A surprising dynamic: Why the AI team struggled to see their impact (while the core team didn't) (29:38)Building alongside your customer to iterate / experiment faster (36:06)The turnaround is over: Brex hits 50% YoY growth and cash-flow positive (38:45)Rapid fire questions (42:10) This episode wouldn't have been possible without the help of our incredible production team:Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-HostJerry Li - Co-HostNoah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan's also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Uber moves more than 36 million trips a day, a scale that would overwhelm most systems. But as AI reshapes every corner of business, even a tech giant like Uber must evolve faster than ever. The real question is, how do you lead an organization this massive through an AI revolution without losing reliability, human connection, or trust? In this episode, I sit down with Praveen Neppalli Naga, Uber's Chief Technology Officer for Mobility and Delivery, to explore the leadership blueprint driving Uber's AI-powered transformation. He shares how Uber is transforming its software engineering systems using tools like Cursor and agentic AI workflows, integrating machine learning into real-time marketplace technology, and balancing automation with human oversight to avoid what he calls "AI slop." We also dive into how his teams are preparing for autonomous vehicles, managing global scale across 36 million daily trips, and rethinking the engineering culture to adopt AI responsibly and sustainably. For CHROs, this episode reveals how to lead large-scale transformation by aligning people, technology, and purpose, and how to build a culture where AI doesn't replace human capability, but amplifies it.   ________________ Start your day with the world's top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/ Future-ready organizations are built, not hoped for. My latest book, -The 8 Laws of Employee Experience shows how. Preorder here: 8EXLaws.com

What if filing your taxes was as effortless as asking your AI assistant a question? For millions of people, the annual ritual of gathering receipts, logging into confusing portals, and racing against deadlines remains one of life's most dreaded tasks. But what if that stress could disappear completely, replaced by a real-time financial ally working quietly in the background? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, Neil sits down with Snir Yarom, Chief Technology Officer at Taxfix, to explore how the Berlin-based fintech is redefining the relationship between people and their money. Snir shares how Taxfix has become truly AI native, embedding intelligence into every layer of its product, technology, and culture. This transformation is not about adding AI features, but about rethinking how products are designed, developed, and delivered in an era where customer expectations evolve faster than most companies can keep up. Snir explains how his teams are using AI to supercharge productivity, accelerate discovery, and even code 40 percent faster while maintaining human oversight and trust at the core. The conversation also dives into Snir's vision for the future of tax and personal finance, an always-on AI assistant that continuously optimizes your finances rather than showing up once a year to tally the damage. He discusses the concept of product market fit collapse in the age of AI and how legacy companies risk falling behind when they fail to adapt at the same pace that technology evolves. From governance and transparency to human in the loop systems, Snir outlines how Taxfix is balancing innovation with accountability in one of the world's most regulated industries. As AI reshapes finance, the question isn't whether it will change how we manage money, but how far that change can go while keeping human trust intact. Could your next tax return be filed without you even noticing? Listen in, then share your thoughts, would you trust an AI to manage your taxes from start to finish? Useful Links: Connect With Snir Yarom on LinkedIn Learn more about us Taxfix here https://medium.com/taxfix https://www.instagram.com/teamtaxfix/ https://www.facebook.com/taxfix.de/ https://github.com/taxfix     Tech Talks Daily is Sponsored by NordLayer: Get the exclusive Black Friday offer: 28% off NordLayer yearly plans with the coupon code: techdaily-28. Valid until December 10th, 2025. Try it risk-free with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Brantley Pearce, Chief Technology Officer at RJ Young, discussed the integration of IT services, workflow automation, and workplace technology within the managed services sector. RJ Young, a 70-year-old organization with approximately 700 employees, has been providing managed services since 2012 and has seen significant growth, now generating $12 billion in revenue. The company emphasizes a collaborative approach, utilizing account managers as liaisons who work alongside specialists to deliver tailored solutions that meet client needs while maintaining operational efficiency.The conversation highlighted the growing importance of compliance, particularly in relation to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) for Department of Defense contractors. RJ Young is actively engaging in this area, recognizing the demand for compliance services among small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that often lack adequate security measures. Additionally, the firm is focusing on enhancing clients' security postures through network segmentation and the implementation of Security Operations Center (SOC) and Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services.Pearce also addressed the challenges of workflow automation, noting that many organizations struggle to implement these solutions due to their day-to-day operational demands. While there is interest in AI and automation, the most effective solutions are those that are already integrated into existing platforms. The need for human involvement in understanding and optimizing business processes remains critical, as many clients are too occupied with immediate tasks to focus on long-term improvements.For Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and IT service leaders, the discussion underscores the necessity of evolving service offerings to include compliance and security solutions while maintaining a human-centric approach. As automation technologies advance, the ability to provide strategic guidance and personalized service will differentiate successful MSPs in a competitive landscape. Engaging clients in meaningful conversations about their business goals and challenges will be essential for fostering long-term partnerships and driving growth.

Luxury hospitality isn't just about marble lobbies anymore — it's about creating seamless, hyper-personalized experiences powered by the right technology. I spoke with Matt Schwartz, Chief Technology Officer at Sage Hospitality, about how his team is merging design, comfort, and digital expectations to deliver the kind of experience guests now expect at home — from streaming and smart controls to ultra-fast connectivity. We break it all down on #NoVacancyNews, including why bandwidth is the unsung hero of guest satisfaction, how AI and facial recognition could reshape the arrival experience, and why training is as critical as technology when it comes to creating genuine hospitality.

What if business intelligence didn't stop at answering what happened, but could finally explain why? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sit back down with Alberto Pan, Chief Technology Officer at Denodo, to unpack how Deep Query is redefining enterprise AI through reasoning, transparency, and context. We explore how Deep Query functions as an AI reasoning agent capable of performing open-ended research across live, governed enterprise data. Instead of relying on pre-built dashboards or static reports, it builds and executes multi-step analyses through Denodo's logical data layer, unifying fragmented data sources in real time. Alberto explains how this semantic layer provides the business meaning and governance that traditional GenAI tools lack, transforming AI from a surface-level Q&A system into a trusted analytical partner. Our conversation also digs into the bigger picture of explainable AI. Deep Query reports include a full appendix of executed queries, allowing users to trace every insight back to its source. Alberto breaks down why this level of auditability matters for enterprise trust and how Denodo's support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP) opens the door to more interoperable, agentic AI systems. As we discuss how Deep Query compares with RAG models and data lakehouses, Alberto offers a glimpse into the future of business intelligence—one where analysts become guides for AI-driven research assistants, and decision-makers gain faster, deeper, and more transparent insights than ever before. So what does the rise of reasoning agents like Deep Query mean for the next generation of enterprise AI? And how close are we to a world where AI truly understands the why behind the data? Tune in and share your thoughts after listening.   Tech Talks Daily is Sponsored by NordLayer: Get the exclusive Black Friday offer: 28% off NordLayer yearly plans with the coupon code: techdaily-28. Valid until December 10th, 2025. Try it risk-free with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Front desks are evolving fast. Search behavior is changing even faster. Hospitality is staring at a major technology turning point — and those who move now will own the next era of bookings. I connected with Bill Ryan, Chief Technology Officer at BWH Hotels, to talk about how the company is modernizing its tech stack, reducing training time, simplifying payments, and preparing for a future where travelers begin planning inside AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity. We break it all down on #NoVacancyNews, including how intuitive systems free staff to focus on guests, why one-day onboarding matters for retention, and what it takes for hotel brands to become discoverable in AI-driven search. This is a moment to use technology to amplify hospitality, not replace it.

A former senior intelligence officer explains how espionage is evolving in the age of AI and amid rising global tensions with China, and why the mass harvesting of data affects not just nation-states, but all of us. The discussion also explores the history of spying, what life is really like for intelligence officers, and major intelligence failures and scandals, including 9/11 and Edward Snowden's unauthorized disclosures about the NSA. Anthony Vinci served as the first Chief Technology Officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Earlier in his career he served in Iraq, Africa, and Asia. He is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and received his PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics. His new book is The Fourth Intelligence Revolution: The Future of Espionage and the Battle to Save America.

There was a time when a computer science degree almost guaranteed a fast track into a well-paid career. But that promise is slipping. In today's Tech Talks Daily episode, I reconnect with Hans de Visser, Chief Technology Officer at Mendix, to discuss why recent graduates are finding it more challenging than ever to secure their first role in technology, and what they can do about it. Hans brings decades of experience in software engineering and low-code innovation, and his perspective on today's market is both sobering and optimistic. We discuss new research indicating a sharp decline in junior developer openings since 2024 and explore how the rapid rise of AI has altered the hiring equation.  The expectation now is that young developers arrive fluent in automation, generative AI, and multidisciplinary tools —skills that few university programs can thoroughly teach. Yet, as Hans points out, this doesn't mean opportunity has vanished. It just looks different. Our conversation unpacks what this new reality means for aspiring developers. Hans explains how Mendix evaluates candidates by testing their ability to think critically about AI-assisted code rather than generate it.  He explains why graduates must master both traditional software foundations and modern tools, such as low-code platforms and agile applications. And he offers advice on building a mindset of lifelong learning, staying curious, experimenting with new tools, and understanding how AI can amplify rather than replace human creativity. For anyone feeling disheartened by the tightening job market, Hans offers balance and hope. He believes that as the definition of software developer evolves, new hybrid roles will emerge at the intersection of business, creativity, and technology. The graduates who will thrive are those who treat AI as a collaborator, not a competitor. Listen to this episode to hear how Mendix is helping redefine what it means to build software in the age of AI, and why today's tech graduates may need to think less about securing a single job title and more about creating a career that never stops learning. Tech Talks Daily is Sponsored by NordLayer: Get the exclusive Black Friday offer: 28% off NordLayer yearly plans with the coupon code: techdaily-28. Valid until December 10th, 2025. Try it risk-free with a 14-day money-back guarantee.