groCTO Podcast

How do engineering leaders stay relevant in the age of Generative AI?With the rise of GenAI, engineering teams are rethinking productivity, prototyping, and scalability. But AI is only as powerful as the engineering practices behind it.In this episode of the groCTO by Typo Podcast, host Kovid Batra speaks with Suresh Bysani, Director of Engineering at Eightfold, about the real-world impact of AI on engineering leadership. From writing boilerplate code to scaling enterprise platforms, Suresh shares practical insights and hard-earned lessons from the frontlines of tech.💡 Highlights🧠 GenAI in Engineering: Boosting productivity without compromising quality.🛠️ Tech Depth Still Matters: Strong fundamentals are key—even with AI.⚙️ AI for Legacy Systems: Practical ways to integrate GenAI with existing code.🚫 Avoiding Pitfalls: Common mistakes in AI adoption and how to dodge them.📏 Evaluating AI: Frameworks for measuring real impact in engineering teams.🎧 Full EpisodeListen on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.Read the Episode Transcript.Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋1) Subscribe to groCTO by typo — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & helps build groCTO. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grocto.substack.com

How do you build a culture of engineering metrics that drives real impact? Engineering teams often struggle with inefficiencies—high work-in-progress, unpredictable cycle times, and slow shipping. But what if the right metrics could change that?In this episode of the groCTO by Typo Podcast, host Kovid Batra speaks with Mario Viktorov Mechoulam, Senior Engineering Manager at Contentsquare, about how to establish a data-driven engineering culture using effective metrics. From overcoming cultural resistance to getting executive buy-in, Mario shares his insights on making metrics work for your team.💡 Highlights🔥 Why Metrics Matter: Fixing inefficiencies & improving predictability.🏗️ Building a Metrics-First Culture: Key steps to drive adoption.📊 Observability & Accountability: The foundation of effective metrics.🎯 Overcoming Resistance: Tackling biases & cultural pushback.🚀 Getting Leadership Buy-In: Aligning executives on engineering success.🎧 Full EpisodeListen on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.Read the Episode Transcript.Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋1) Subscribe to groCTO by typo — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & helps build groCTO. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grocto.substack.com

In this episode of the groCTO Podcast, host Kovid Batra speaks with C S Sriram, VP of Engineering at Betterworks, about his journey from an Engineering Manager to a VP of Engineering, navigating leadership challenges, and scaling engineering teams effectively.Sriram shares insights into the critical mindset shifts required to transition from managing execution to driving strategy at an executive level. He highlights the importance of mentorship, coaching, and building a high-performing engineering culture, while balancing business objectives with technical excellence.The conversation also covers the challenges of leadership at scale, including how to set the right expectations, enforce quality standards, and use dashboards & skip-level 1:1s for effective communication. The episode concludes with an inspiring poem from Sriram on vision, resilience, and leadership.💡 Highlights🚀 From IC to VP: Navigating early management struggles and leadership growth.🏗️ Culture & Quality: Building a productive engineering team while maintaining technical excellence.📊 Scaling Leadership: Dashboards, policies, and structured communication for effective management.🎯 Coaching & Mentorship: Developing future leaders within the organization.✨ The Leadership Mindset: Sriram’s reflections on resilience, shared through an inspiring poem.🎧 Full EpisodeListen on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.Read the Episode Transcript.Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋1) Subscribe to groCTO by typo — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & helps build groCTO. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grocto.substack.com

In this episode of the groCTO Podcast, host Kovid Batra speaks with Sheeya Gem, Director of Engineering and Product Strategy at Progress ShareFile, about her experiences leading dev teams through mergers and acquisitions.Sheeya discusses the importance of building collaborative relationships with stakeholders, maintaining effective communication, and fostering a shared purpose among teams. She emphasizes the significance of continuous learning, adaptability, and leveraging tools and processes to keep projects on track. The conversation also touches on managing cultural transitions, supporting teams through change, and ensuring successful integration post-acquisition. Finally, Sheeya shares valuable parting advice for engineering leaders, promoting trust, shared purpose & continuous learning.💡 Highlights🔄 Leading Through Change: Steering dev teams in mergers & acquisitions.🌍 One Goal, One Team: Stakeholder alignment through a shared purpose.🤝 Show, Tell, Align: Sheeya’s key framework for engineering management.🎯 Trust & Verify: How tech leaders can balance trust & metrics.🎧 Full EpisodeListen on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.Read the Episode Transcript.Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋1) Subscribe to groCTO by typo — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & helps build groCTO. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grocto.substack.com

In this episode of the groCTO Podcast, host Kovid Batra interviews Anton Zaides, the Director of Engineering at Taranis and author of the Leading Developers newsletter. The focus of their discussion is on the challenges and strategies involved in leading development teams versus platform teams. Anton explores the distinctions between overseeing development teams and platform teams, emphasizing the necessity for product engineers to grasp platform operations. He shares his experience in fostering collaboration and understanding by role-swapping between product and platform engineers for short periods, which has proven to be enlightening and beneficial for both sides. He also touches on the need for better communication and alignment between platform teams' efforts and business outcomes, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and appreciating the unsung heroes of platform engineering. The conversation wraps up with practical advice for product engineering managers to strengthen empathy and improve collaboration, ultimately leading to more cohesive and effective tech teams.💡 Highlights🔄 Switching Sides: How engineers learn to think like each other.📊 Tech Meets Business: Platform teams’ role in achieving company goals.🏆 The Unsung Champions: Spotlight on the impact of platform engineers.🌍 Bridging the Gap: The crucial role of PMs in aligning product & platform visions.🛠️ Leading with Empathy: Transform your team with these leadership hacks.🎧 Full EpisodeListen on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.Read the Episode Transcript.Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋1) Subscribe to groCTO by typo — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & helps build groCTO. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grocto.substack.com

In this episode of the groCTO Podcast, host Kovid Batra welcomes Maher Hanafi, VP of Engineering at Betterworks, to discuss engineering productivity hacks. Maher shares insights from his 16+ years of engineering and leadership experience, emphasizing the importance of passion and individualized growth paths for team members.He recounts how his early interest in gaming and experiences as a guild master in World of Warcraft shaped his leadership style, teaching him valuable lessons in social intelligence and teamwork. Maher outlines his proprietary framework for peak performance focusing on shared understanding, trust, and competence, and highlights the significant benefits of leveraging generative AI tools like GitHub Copilot for improving productivity. The episode also delves into the complexities of implementing new technologies and managing distributed teams, underscoring Maher's strategies for overcoming these challenges through continuous learning and fostering a collaborative culture.💡 Highlights💬 A framework built on trust, competence & shared understanding🎮 How gaming shaped Maher's leadership style🤖 The role of GenAI tools like GitHub Copilot in boosting productivity🌍 Tackling the challenges of distributed teams and new tech adoption🎧 Full EpisodeListen on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.Read the Episode Transcript.Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋1) Subscribe to groCTO by typo — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & helps build groCTO. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grocto.substack.com

In this episode of the groCTO Podcast, host Kovid Batra interviews David Archer, the Director of Software Engineering at Imagine Learning, with over 12 years of experience in engineering and leadership, including a tenure at Amazon. The discussion centers on successfully integrating acquired teams, a critical issue following company mergers and acquisitions. David shares his approach to onboarding new team members, implementing a buddy system, and fostering a growth mindset and no-blame culture to mitigate high attrition rates. He further discusses the importance of having clear documentation, pairing sessions, and promoting collaboration across international teams. Additionally, David touches on his personal interests, emphasizing the impact of his time in Japan and his love for Formula 1 and rugby. The episode provides insights into the challenges and strategies for creating stable and cohesive engineering teams in a dynamic corporate landscape.💡 Highlightsa) Getting Candid🚀 Journey from Amazon to Software Director at Imagine Learning🎮 Gamer, F1 enthusiast, and rugby fan🤝 Builder of trust and culture-first teamsb) Key Takeaways📌 The secret to preventing knowledge loss in acquired teams🛡️ How a no-blame culture transforms team dynamics📚 The unexpected power of buddy systems in tech integration🔧 Why aligning cultures is the key to seamless transitions💬 Leadership hacks for retaining top talent after acquisitions🎧 Full EpisodeThis episode is also available on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋1) Subscribe to groCTO — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & builds our groCTO community. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grocto.substack.com

In this episode of the groCTO Podcast, host Kovid Batra is joined by Ben Matthews, Senior Director of Engineering at Stack Overflow, with over 20 years of experience in engineering and leadership. Ben shares his career journey from QA to engineering leadership, shedding light on the importance of creating organizations that function collaboratively rather than just executing tasks independently. He underscores the need for cross-functional teamwork and reducing friction points to build cohesive and successful teams. Ben also addresses the challenges and opportunities presented by the AI revolution, emphasizing Stack Overflow’s strategy to embrace and leverage AI innovations. Additionally, he offers valuable advice for onboarding junior developers, such as involving them in code reviews and emphasizing documentation. Throughout the discussion, Ben highlights essential leadership principles like advocating for oneself and one’s team, managing team dynamics, and setting clear expectations. He provides practical tips for engineering managers on creating value, addressing organizational weaknesses, and fostering a supportive environment for continuous growth and learning. The episode wraps up with Ben sharing his thoughts on maintaining a vision and connecting it with new technological developments.💡 Highlightsa) Getting Candid📈 Journey from QA to Senior Director at Stack Overflow🎿 Snowboarding enthusiast, calzone lover, and movie buff🤝 Advocates for collaboration, emphasizing that tech is a “team sport”b) Key Takeaways💡 Crafting cohesive teams by reducing friction🤖 Staying ahead by embracing AI at Stack Overflow📘 Effective onboarding & mentoring of junior developers🔑 Ben’s top 3 leadership principles for success📊 Unmissable advice for Engineering Managers🎧 Full EpisodeThis episode is also available on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋1) Subscribe to groCTO — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & builds our groCTO community. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grocto.substack.com

In this episode of the groCTO Originals podcast, host Kovid Batra engages in a comprehensive discussion with Geoffrey Teale, the Principal Product Engineer at Upvest, who brings over 25 years of engineering and leadership experience.The episode begins with Geoffrey's role at Upvest, where he has transitioned from Head of DevEx to Principal Product Engineer, emphasizing a holistic approach to improving both developer experience and engineering standards across the organization. The discussion further delves into the significance of product thinking for internal teams, highlighting the challenges and strategies of building platforms that resonate with developers' needs while competing with external solutions.Furthermore, Geoffrey offers valuable insights into the decision-making processes, the importance of simplicity in early-phase startups, and the crucial role of documentation in fostering team cohesion and efficient communication.💡 Highlightsa) Getting Candid📈 Journey from Head of DevEx to Principal Engineer🏦 Inside Upvest’s API-powered financial infrastructure model🎶 Geoffrey’s passions: music, open-source, and eco-friendly techb) Key Takeaways💡 Crafting internal platforms that developers love🔒 Balancing security, speed, and strict regulations✍️ Importance of simplicity and clear documentation🧩 Adapting product thinking to complex engineering challenges🌍 Weighing platform options: Internal vs External🛠 Frameworks for better decision-making in engineering🎧 Full EpisodeThis episode is also available on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋1) Subscribe to groCTO — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & builds our groCTO community. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grocto.substack.com

In this episode of the groCTO Originals podcast, host Kovid Batra engages in an insightful conversation with Christopher Zotter, the Head of Digital Engineering at Sky, Germany. Christopher brings a wealth of experience, including a decade of leading engineering teams and founding a software development agency.Known for his unique leadership philosophy, Christopher believes in the power of building trust, embracing failures, and fostering a transparent culture. He shares his journey from an apprentice in Germany to a leadership role, emphasizing the importance of hands-on experience and continuous learning. The discussion delves into the challenges and strategies of managing culturally diverse remote teams, effective communication, and transitioning from legacy systems to cutting-edge technologies. Christopher also highlights the significance of being a role model and integrating community involvement into one's career. This episode offers a deep dive into the principles and practices that can guide leaders in nurturing successful global development teams.💡 Highlightsa) Getting Candid📈 Christopher’s journey from apprentice to a global leader💼 Balancing leadership with running a side businessb) Key Takeaways🔑 How to build trust and foster a transparent team culture?📣 Embracing failure as a tool for growth and encouraging open dialogue🌐 Navigating the complexities of remote leadership to drive effective team collaboration👥 Integrating community involvement as a leader to stay connected and groundedLooking for top tech mentors like Christopher who can help you take up your new tech leadership role with confidence or guide you with your next career move? Sign up with groCTO Connect for 1:1 mentorship from top CTOs & tech leaders.Accelerate your journey towards success🚀🎧 Full EpisodeThis episode is also available on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋1) Subscribe to groCTO — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & builds our groCTO community. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grocto.substack.com