Chad Pytel - Podcast Details

Shows

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 597: Say Yes with Nick MerwinChad talks with developer and guitarist Nick Merwin about the challenges of balancing his career in development with his life as a musician. Nick tells of his time delivering code on the road as a guitarist with the band Capital Cities, the pros and cons of working as a solo programmer, what he’s learnt from saying yes for so many years, and Chad asks whether AI is diluting the art of coding. — Nick can be heard playing with his band Capital Cities, alternatively you can follow him on X or connect with him...

2025-11-2046 min

Startup Dad Why Screen Time Limits Are Bullshit | Chad Pytel (Dad of 2, thoughtbot)Chad Pytel is the founder and CEO of thoughtbot, a product development consultancy, and co-founder of 12 Sided Studios, a gaming and production company. He’s also the longtime host of the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots podcast, a husband, and the father of two teenagers.In this episode, Chad and I talk about raising kids while running companies, blending family life with creative projects, and the importance of designing systems at home, just as you would at work. He shares stories about parenting teenagers, shaping company culture around sustainable pace, and why even the smallest ri...

2025-10-2346 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 590: Making AI work for users with Louis GutierrezChad talks with Louis Gutierrez, Director of AI at Constant Contact, about the various challenges of implementing AI into a product or business. Louis discusses his strategy to improve AI integration upon joining Constant Contact, how they address the issue of ethics and AI, as well as providing a technical look at how they evaluate the quality of their products without violating user privacy. — You can connect with Louis over on LinkedIn, or try out Constant Contact’s AI marketing tools for yourself to see how they could help you and your business.

2025-09-0443 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 586: What is your self-age? with Leanne Clark-ShirleyChad discusses the changing world of AgeTech with Leanne Clark-Shirley, President and CEO of the American Society on Aging, as they break down how age really has just become a number. They discuss the growing irrelevancy of the “AgeTech” label and how it’s use case is shifting to benefit everyone, how generational boundaries mean less when it comes to tech knowledge, and the unrealised opportunities aging can offer to us all. — You can connect with Leanne to stay up to date with her work or check out the various resources the ASA has to o...

2025-08-0734 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 582: Product market fit is the hardest thing with Jon GambleChad dives into a different kind of development with Jon Gamble, CTO of Fordje, as they talk all things city code and construction. Jon breakdowns the different types of construction Fordje covers and the clients they aim to serve, the reality of building a new starter business with a such a small team, the value of trust and communication when developing such a business, and how being the only developer on the team drives creativity and a desire to succeed. — Stay up to date with the work that Jon does with Fordje over on...

2025-07-1028 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 578: We need to understand how it works with Luisa HerrmannChad and Luisa Herrmann, founder of AINovva, sit down and attempt to demystify the “magic” of AI. Luisa lays out the ramifications of working with AI on a daily basis, why it’s a tool that shouldn't be utilised just because you can, the bias built into every AI system, as well as the ever expanding AI bubble and what the final outcome of its rapid growth could look like down the road. — If you’re interested in using AI for your project but not sure if it’s the right fit or where to sta...

2025-06-1232 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 576: I never get bored with John NunemakerChad catches up with John Nunemaker, self-employed programer on a plethora of products, about all things technical to gain insight into life as a self-employed developer. The pair share their experiences as rail devs and what keeps them using Ruby, John’s journey to success, his recent acquisition of Fireside (the podcast platform that hosts this very podcast!) and the lessons he learnt along the way. — If you’re interested in any of the projects John mentioned in this episode, you can head to them directly here - Fireside Podcast Hosting - BoxOut - Flip...

2025-05-2943 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 572: Close To Your Customers with Sarah MerlinChad talks with Sarah Merlin of IndiMade about what goes into revitalising an e-commerce platform and how they’re staying true to their customers. Discover the challenges involved with such a big migration and the efforts needed to bring it into the modern day, the importance of communication with your team at all times, as well as well as the core values they work to in order to deliver the best possible experience across their business. — If you would like to work with IndiMade and think your product might be be a good fit...

2025-05-0135 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 569: Automation is king with Karen KingChad talks with Karen King, Found of Gold Star Pro, and her drive to help small business owners reach their full potential. Karen talks about the all-inclusive space Gold Star Pro offers for solopreneurs, the automation behind it all, as well as balancing a life of world travel with running a successful business. — Want to take a step up in your small business and ditch plethora of different platforms you use? See what Gold Star Pro can offer you. Still not sure, try out their 5 day challenge to see how you could benefit! ...

2025-04-1032 min

Future-Proofed Scaling Startups & AI in Product Development | Future-Proofed Podcast w/ Chad Pytel (Thoughtbot)In this episode of Future-Proofed Podcast, host Brent Muller speaks with Chad Pytel, Developer, CEO, & Founder of Thoughtbot, about building successful digital products, leveraging AI in development, and lessons from 20+ years of software innovation. Chad shares his journey from freelancing as a teenager to leading one of the industry's most respected product development firms.Key Topics Discussed:The early days of Thoughtbot and the challenges of bootstrappingThe power of niche positioning and saying no to the wrong clientsHow Thoughtbot scaled from freelance projects to global product developmentThe role of AI...

2025-03-1030 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 562: The evolution of design sprints with Dawn Delatte and Elaina NatarioChad talks with fellow thoughtboters Dawn Delatte and Elaina Natario about the evolution of design sprints within the company. Listen to how design sprints helped shape and streamline the discovery stage of work with clients, how it helps route out what should and shouldn’t be done in a project, as well as the way thoughtbot has tweaked the formula over the years to build their own playbook. — Check out thoughtbot’s Design Sprint Guide! Read through thoughtbot’s AI ethics guide and ask yourself thoughtbot's six key questions when working with AI...

2025-02-2037 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 561: The One with Chad, Will, and Samithoughtbot hosts Chad, Will and Sami shoot the breeze in this laid back episode of Giant Robots as they discuss the ins and outs of being a parent and growing up with tech. The trio discuss how they manage screen-time with their kids as well as themselves, Sami’s internal HTTP coding for his children’s temper tantrums, and other challenges of bringing up their kids in the digital age. — Listen to the ‘Therapy Through Gaming’ episode for a deeper dive into some of the topics mentioned in today’s episode. Your hosts f...

2025-02-1341 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 560: Simplifying the Immigration Journey with Matt GaleChad is joined by Matt Gale, Chief Strategy Officer for Lawfully, as they talk about the immigration process in the US and how Lawfully is helping both individuals and businesses track applications on the road to becoming US citizens. Matt explains the challenges of having an app that sees users leave once their the immigration application is complete, how they’ve expanded to help more than just the individual, and why they chose to make Lawfully a benefit corporation. — If you have an active immigration case that you are tracking or are an atto...

2025-02-0635 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 558: Using AI to Bring Transparency to City Government with Vikram OberoiChad talks with NYC local Vikram Oberoi about how he used AI to breakdown local city meetings into accessible bitesize chunks. Learn how Vikram tamed New York’s public records with AI, the lengthy review process involved to make it all and why his model is so well suited to NYC council proceedings in particular. Vikram also discusses the project’s path to sustainability and the difficulties of expanding his passion project further afield. — If you’re a NY resident wanting to learn more about your local community, or just curious about th...

2025-01-2345 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 556: Connecting Generations with KinsomeChad talks with Eben Pingree and Mike Gerbush, Co-Founders of Kinsome, about the struggles of family connection in the modern world and how they’re bringing generations together again. They discuss the importance of having a close family unit, the difficulties families often face with having relatives being spread out state to state, and how Kinsome works to facilitate daily connections between loved ones no matter how far apart they may be. Learn about they technology behind the idea, the lessons they learned from similar projects in the past and the challenges they face now wi...

2025-01-0941 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 555: AI Meets LEGO® Creativity with Keira CzarnotaChad is joined for a special interview by Keira Czarnota, founder of Emagineer, as they talk all about their recent collaboration on a new AI powered LEGO® app. Listen to Keira’s incredible journey, the challenges they faced with early AI models, why LEGO® was so keen to support their project and how thoughtbot was brought in to help. This episode is a unique crossover event between AI in Focus and Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots. It originally live-streamed over on thoughtbot’s YouTube channel and features some hands on demos with the new ap...

2024-12-2648 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 554: Founding a Life Saving Business from your dorm room with Luká YancopoulosLuká Yancopoulos, Co-Founder and CEO of Grapevine, reveals to Chad how he and his team are working to revolutionise the hospital supply chain system. Luká discusses the difficulties of building such a service and the pushback they’ve received by entering such a large and established sector that’s so resistant to change. Learn how Luká’s concern for his mom’s health at work during the pandemic lead to the unexpected launch of Grapevine, the difficulties of trying to scale up such a service nationwide, and the extreme lengths companies will go to stop you from shopping ar...

2024-12-1930 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 553: The One with Sami and ChadAfter 10 years and 550 episodes of Giant Robots, Chad and Sami are ready to discuss what’s next for the podcast. The pair dive into some podcast role-play as they test out some ideas for iterating the show’s formula. Peek behind the curtain as they discuss the inner workings of the show, the challenges of working on a mature codebase, how thoughtbot tackles impostor syndrome when onboarding new employees and the developing accessibility of AI. — Your hosts for this episode have been Chad Pytel and Sami Birnbaum. You can find Chad all over s...

2024-12-0538 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 552: Scaling an Online Telehealth Experience with Aakash ShahChad talks with Aakash Shah, Founder and CEO of Wyndly, about how he built a new online telehealth experience to expand convenient access to allergy immunotherapy. The pair discuss the mechanics of building an online healthcare operation from scratch, the challenges that arise as you begin to scale your business, and how Aakash utilised his past experience as a software engineer to support his new venture. Discover why this area of medicine has been overlooked for so long, how COVID has shifted our view on healthcare as a whole, as well as the odd rules and quirks...

2024-11-2834 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 551: System Design is a Team Sport with Tom JohnsonIf system design is a team sport, then you need to make sure that your team has the tools they need to work together. In this episode, entrepreneur, CTO, and co-founder Tom Johnson joins us to discuss Multiplayer, a collaborative tool streamlining system design and documentation for developers. Multiplayer is often likened to “Figma for developers,” as it allows teams to map, document, and debug distributed systems visually and collaboratively. Tom shares his experience building this tool, drawing on years of backend development challenges, from debugging to coordinating across teams. We also discuss the business side of startups before lear...

2024-11-2137 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 549: Scaling Startups and AI-Powered Real Estate with Chris FellowsHow do you build a tool that redefines the real estate game for agents and brokers? Today on the show, host Chad Pytel sits down with Chris Fellows, founder and CEO of Bold Street, to explore how his AI-powered platform is reshaping residential investment for real estate professionals. Originally focused on data analytics for big investors, Bold Street pivoted after the Great Recession to meet the needs of agents and brokers. Chris shares how the platform, developed over 18 months, helps agents master investor math and market analysis, boosting efficiency. The conversation dives into current market dynamics, like the rising...

2024-11-0733 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 546: Class Awareness with Dr. Justin KeyWhat happens when competition goes from being a driver of success to a source of division and exclusion? In today’s episode, Chad is joined by Dr. Justin Key, Founder of Black Theorem Consulting, to unpack societal divisions driven by social and economic status. Dr. Key is an accomplished consultant, speaker, and thought leader with expertise in helping organizations achieve growth and innovation through data-driven strategies. He is the founder of Black Theorem Consulting, a firm specializing in harnessing the power of diversity and technology to solve complex business challenges. In our conversation, we unpack today’s topic through the...

2024-10-1741 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 535: AI in Healthcare: How CareTrainer.ai is Changing Elder CareHosts Will Larry and Chad Pytel interview Brock Dubbels, Principal UX and AI Researcher at CareTrainer.ai. Brock discusses how CareTrainer.ai leverages AI to address the current care crisis in elderly populations. He highlights the growing demographic of individuals over 70 and the significant shortage of caregivers, exacerbated by COVID-19. CareTrainer.ai aims to alleviate this by automating routine tasks, allowing caregivers to focus on building meaningful relationships and providing personalized, compassionate care. The platform utilizes AI to manage tasks such as documentation, communication, and monitoring, which helps caregivers spend more time engaging with patients, ultimately enhancing the quality...

2024-07-2548 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 534: How Toma is Transforming Car Dealerships with Voice AI TechnologyHost Chad Pytel interviews Monik Pamecha, the Co-Founder and CEO of Toma, a company specializing in AI for the automotive industry. Monik discusses how Toma automates phone calls for car dealerships, enhancing customer service and streamlining interactions. Despite advancements in digital communication, phone calls remain crucial in the automotive sector, and Toma leverages AI to improve these experiences significantly. Monik shares his journey in the tech industry, detailing Toma's evolution from experimenting with different AI applications to focusing on voice AI. He explains the challenges and successes faced along the way, highlighting how AI technology has matured...

2024-07-1844 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 533: Leveraging Data for Gender Equality with Amy-Willard CrossFounder Amy-Willard Cross discusses the mission and operations of Gender Fair, the first consumer rating system for gender equality. Gender Fair aims to measure and promote gender equality within consumer-facing companies by utilizing data and the UN Women Empowerment Principles. Amy highlights the importance of transparency and data-driven insights to create social change, emphasizing that gender equality in corporate practices benefits not just women but overall fairness in the workplace. Gender Fair evaluates companies across five categories: women in leadership, employee policies, diversity reporting, supplier diversity, and philanthropy for women. Amy also shares how Gender Fair has...

2024-07-1132 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 505: Commsor with Mac ReddinMac Reddin is the CEO of Commsor. He discusses Commsor's evolution from community-led growth software to a go-to-network model, emphasizing the importance of various overlapping networks in a company's ecosystem. He shares his journey from running a Minecraft-based company as a teenager to founding Commsor, which initially began as a newsletter and evolved into a community and then a product. Mac stresses the effectiveness of authentic community building and relationship-based growth over traditional sales and marketing strategies. He criticizes cold calling and email tactics, advocating for genuine interactions and relationship-building. Commsor’s approach, including personal onboarding of ev...

2023-12-2140 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 500: Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 500th Episode!We released episode one of this podcast on June 11, 2012. Now, more than a decade later, we're celebrating the 500th episode of our show. In honor of this milestone, Victoria, Will, and Chad caught up with each of the past hosts of the show: Ben Orenstein, Chris Toomey, and Lindsey Christensen. We chatted about what they’re up to now, what they liked and learned from hosting the show, their time at thoughtbot, and more! Follow thoughtbot on X or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: VICTORIA: This is the Gi...

2023-11-161h 12

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 494: Aigo.ai with Peter VossWe are thrilled to announce the third session of our new Incubator Program. If you have a business idea that involves a web or mobile app, we encourage you to apply to our eight-week program. We'll help you validate your market opportunity, experiment with messaging and product ideas, and move forward with confidence toward an MVP. Learn more and apply at tbot.io/incubator. We look forward to seeing your application in our inbox! Peter Voss is the CEO and Chief Scientist of Aigo.ai, a groundbreaking alternative to conventional chatbots and generative models like...

2023-09-2833 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 481: Oscar Health with Neetu RajpalNeetu Rajpal is the CTO of Oscar Health. Oscar aims to make a healthier life accessible and affordable for all by refactoring healthcare to make great care cost less. Chad talks to Neetu about working for a relatively new insurance company, reorganizing its structure by getting people into the right positions, and how incorporating large language models and generative AI is an inflection point that will help move things forward. Oscar Health Follow Oscar Health on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Follow Neetu Rajpal on LinkedIn, or Twitter. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. ...

2023-06-2931 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 454: The Global Collective with Stacy Kehren IdemaStacy Kehren Idema is the Founder and Managing Director of Global Collective, which is revolutionizing how men and women do business. Chad talks to Stacy about the work Global Collective does, starting a company based in the U.K, and the differences between doing business in the U.S. and the U.K. The Global Collective Follow The Global Collective on LinkedIn. Follow Stacy on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant...

2022-12-2235 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 453: Greenpixie with John RiddJohn Ridd is the Co-Founder and CEO of Greenpixie, which is building solutions to reveal and reduce cloud emissions. Chad and Will talk to John about giving a clearer view of AWS emissions down to the service level, why cloud emissions are a much bigger sustainability issue than most people realize, and how this will be the next big issue of the climate crisis. Greenpixie Follow Greenpixie on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Follow John on LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This...

2022-12-1528 min

Evolving Your Workplace Saying no to business, with thoughtbot’s Chad PytelChad Pytel began freelancing as a developer in high school and continued throughout college to make ends meet. Later he joined a startup that failed quickly and led him to form a new company with the team he built. He founded thoughtbot, an end-to-end product development and design consultancy. thoughtbot aims to bring a company’s idea to life and eventually give them the tools to have their own development team. In this episode, Chad tells us about his journey in zeroing in on a niche and realizing the necessity of saying “no” to certain prospect...

2022-12-1251 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 451: Product Strategy with Jordyn BondsJordyn Bonds is the Director of Product Strategy at thoughtbot. Jordyn helps companies validate new product opportunities and reach that first key milestone, from validating an early adopter market to creating a pitch deck to building a prototype, proof of concept, or an MVP launch. Chad talks to Jordyn about what a Director of Product Strategy does, how Jordyn's career has evolved (She got to build madonna.com for the Confessions on the Dance Floor release and tour!!), and finding practices that keep you motivated and inspired to be working towards long-term, large goals. Follow Jordyn...

2022-12-0139 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 449: Welcome, Will Larry!Will Larry, Software Developer at thoughtbot, joins Giant Robots as host! 🎉 Will talks about how he got into tech, how everything is going so far at thoughtbot, interviewing at thoughtbot previously, but not getting the job, and why he decided to interview again (and snagged the job!) Follow Will on Twitter and LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your hos...

2022-11-1735 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 447: Gembah with Neil MacqueenNeil Macqueen is a leading industrial designer with 78 patents to his name, having previously spent ten years at Dyson and is now the Head of Design at Gembah, the world's first global marketplace for product development. Chad talks to Neil about being focused on industrial design or actual physical products as opposed to interfaces and digital products, working designers and developers, and design to manufacture as a process. Gembah Follow Gembah on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn, or YouTube. Follow Neil on Twitter and LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of...

2022-11-0328 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 446: Plants and Perks with Chloe SwedenChloe Sweden is the Founder and CEO of Plants and Perks, a service for rewarding employees with sustainable perks. Chad talks to Chloe about supporting employees on plant-based sustainability journies by gifting free samples and high-value prizes, choosing a co-founder, and being strategic with the types of businesses they've approached. Plants and Perks Follow Plants and Perks on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn. Follow Chloe on LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast...

2022-10-2743 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 442: Zedosh & The Attention Exchange with Guillaume KendallGuillaume Kendall is the Founder of Zedosh and Attention Exchange, which is working to build a safe place for advertisers, publishers, and consumers to all benefit from fair access to human attention. Chad talks with Guillaume about open banking, changing up who the beneficiaries of consumer attention and data are, and giving companies opportunities to advertise without interrupting consumers with ads. Zedosh The Attention Exchange Follow The Attention Exchange on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow Guillaume on LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD...

2022-09-2936 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 441: Creative Startups with Alice LoyAlice Loy is a Founding Partner at DaVinci Ventures and the Co-Founder and CEO of Creative Startups, the leading global startup accelerator and company builder for design, food, immersive, and creative companies. Victoria and Chad talk with Alice about what she means by creative companies, how much judgment she must pass as an investor with a love for the "weird and wonderful," and some of the challenges faced in bringing diversity to the rest of the accelerator world. DaVinci Ventures Creative Startups Follow Creative Startups on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Substack, YouTube, or LinkedIn. Follow Alice on...

2022-09-2240 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 440: The LGBTQ+ Family Connections Center with Joe BarbJoe Barb is Executive Director and Founder of LGBTQ+ Family Connections Center. They have a mission to strengthen and empower all youth, however they identify, to overcome obstacles by providing housing, supportive counseling, community education, and advocacy. Victoria and Chad talk with Joe about identifying needs for the center, his own lived experience and connection to the LGBTQ+ community, and deciding what services to provide and evaluating which are most impactful. LGBTQ+ Family Connections Center Follow the LGBTQ+ Family Connections Center on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn. Follow Joe on LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or...

2022-09-1520 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 439: LOANHOOD with Lucy HallLucy Hall is the Co-Founder of LOANHOOD, an online fashion rental platform and community that allows users to loan inclusive, diverse, and creative styles for an affordable price. Chad talks with Lucy about being a peer-to-peer fashion rental app, building a community, and reducing the impacts of the fashion industry on the planet and people by helping to create a sustainable future. LOANHOOD Follow LOANHOOD on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, or LinkedIn. Follow Lucy on LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD...

2022-09-0831 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 438: Bright Ventures with Lenore Champagne BeirneLenore Champagne Beirne is Founder and Managing Partner at Bright Ventures, a groundbreaking space for transformation in people, companies, and industries with coaching, capital, and community. Chad talks with Lenore about being at the intersection of all three of those services, providing support for diverse entrepreneurs, and staying intentional about the kind of company and culture they're creating. Bright Ventures Follow Bright Ventures on Twitter, Instagram, Medium, or LinkedIn. Follow Lenore on LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant...

2022-09-0124 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 437: Hello Prenup with Sarabeth JaffeSarabeth Jaffe is CTO and Co-Founder at HelloPrenup, the digital prenup platform designed to get couples on the same page. Chad talks with Sarabeth about dogfooding her own product, completely starting over from a technical perspective using Bubble, a low-code/no-code platform, and appearing on the ABC hit series Shark Tank. Hello Prenup Follow Hello Prenup on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, or LinkedIn. Follow Sarabeth on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other...

2022-08-2530 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 436: Welcoming our new co-host Victoria GuidoVictoria Guido is the new Associate Director of Business Development and DevOps Strategy at thoughtbot, and is joining Chad as co-host of the show! Chad talks with Victoria about getting involved in DevOps work, transitioning to agile, moving away from her old community which was based on geography, and tips for people onboarding into a new role. Follow Victoria on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast, where we explore...

2022-08-1824 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 435: Numerated with Adam KenneyAdam Kenney is Chief Product Officer at Numerated, which helps banks and credit unions transform how they lend to businesses. Chad talks with Adam about what institutional banks and credit unions are like as a market and customers and what sales cycles look like, going from 17 to more than 130 customers quickly, and the scaling challenges they faced, and how the pandemic affected them as a company. Numerated Follow Numerated on Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn. Follow Adam on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript:

2022-08-1134 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 434: SOS with Susanna TwarogSusanna Twarog is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of SOS, which is transforming wellness on the go through a network of smart vending machines that deliver just-in-time necessities where and when you need the most. Chad talks with Susanna about wellness on the go, the unique business that they're building and what SOS can offer brands, and the biggest hurdles to overcome to get 10,000 machines up and running. SOS Follow SOS on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram or LinkedIn. Follow Susanna on LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript:

2022-08-0429 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 433: Techie Staffing with Anna SpearmanAnna Spearman is the Founder of Techie Staffing, which connects high-quality technology talent with high-caliber clients. Chad talks with Anna about founding and growing the company, immediately after graduating college, during a pandemic, reputation building, and facing skepticism around her lack of track record in recruiting, and finding and providing talent for clients as a white-glove service. Techie Staffing Follow Techie Staffing on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. Follow Anna on LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots...

2022-07-2850 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 432: MustWatch with Chelinde EdouardChelinde Edouard is Co-Founder and CEO of MustWatch, which connects people through television. Chad talks with Che about creating a social and user engagement platform that allows people to come back and constantly use an app without interrupting TV-watching experiences, how they use data to improve user experience, and fundraising and giving investors opportunities to help build out the app, increase marketing, and potentially build an Android version. MustWatch Follow MustWatch on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow Che on LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript:

2022-07-2128 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 431: DEI at thoughtbot with Geronda Wollack-SpillerGeronda Wollack-Spiller is the DEI Program Manager at thoughtbot. Chad talks with Geronda about implementing a successful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program at the company by providing a culture of belonging, the challenges, in particular, the tech industry faces, and acknowledging that many of us work in spaces where when we're bringing someone onto a team who has underrepresented identities, they might be the only one. How do we create a space that's as inclusive as possible? Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at thoughtbot Follow Geronda on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. ...

2022-07-1437 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 430: LearnWorlds with Panos SiozosPanos Siozos is Co-Founder and CEO of LearnWorlds, an online course platform for creating, selling, and promoting online courses. Chad talks with Panos about building e-learning platforms dating back to 1999, providing rich feature sets and catering to customers located in lots of different places, and deciding to stop bootstrapping and take investor money. LearnWorlds Follow LearnWorlds on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn. Follow Panos on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giants Robots Smashing Into Other...

2022-07-0737 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 429: 5x with Tarush AggarwalTarush Aggarwal is the Founder and CEO of 5X, the modern data stack as a managed service that enables companies to answer business questions without having to worry about building data infrastructure or bringing in the right data engineering team. Chad talks with Tarush about the modern data stack movement, choosing things that make sense on behalf of their customers, and building a team culture at a company with a fairly large time zone distribution. 5x Follow 5x on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn. Follow Tarush on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or...

2022-06-3031 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 428: LGBT YouthLink of CenterLink with Deborah LevineDeborah Levine is the Director of LGBT YouthLink at CenterLink, which supports, strengthens, and connects LGBT centers. Chad talks with Deborah about working on something new called imi: a free digital research-backed mental health tool intended to support and help LGBTQ+ teens explore and affirm their identity and learn practical ways to cope with their sexual and gender minority stress, founding Q Chat Space, a digital LGBTQ+ center where teens join live-chat, professionally facilitated, online support groups, and how over the time that she's been doing work in LGBTQ+ spaces products and online interaction have changed and...

2022-06-2325 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 426: Marvelous with Jeni BarcelosJeni Barcelos is the Co-Founder and CEO of Marvelous, the world's most beautiful all-in-one teaching platform. Chad talks with Jeni about what makes Marvelous different from other teaching platforms out there, the importance of elevating women to leadership positions, and why applying for and getting accepted into an accelerator program was the right path for the company. Marvelous Follow Marvelous on YouTube, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Follow Jeni on LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other...

2022-06-0940 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 425: SweetProcess with Owen McGab EnaohwoOwen McGab Enaohwo is the CEO and Co-Founder of SweetProcess, a business process management software that helps management teams and employees easily document procedures, implement processes, and manage tasks. Chad talks with Owen about taking specific root issues and building software around them, overcoming resistance to the core idea of documenting processes, and the importance of having the freedom and ability to be empowered to make changes to organizational documents that outline how you do your work. SweetProcess Follow SweetProcess on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. 52 Sample Standard Operating Procedure Templates Follow Owen on Twitter or LinkedIn. ...

2022-06-0232 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 424: Boulevard with Matt DannaMatt Danna is the Co-Founder and CEO of Boulevard, which powers next-gen salons and spas. Its mission is to modernize the technology while improving the daily lives of professionals and the clients they serve. Chad talks with Matt about discovering a problem and then making the jump to working on it, overcoming hurdles in terms of continued growth, and deciding to invest in building their own hardware by creating Boulevard Duo: a point of sale credit card reader. Boulevard Boulevard Duo Follow Boulevard on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube. Follow Matt on Twitter or LinkedIn. ...

2022-05-2634 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 423: Reign Ventures with Monique IdlettMonique Idlett is the Founder of Reign Ventures, a seed-stage investment firm, and previously the Co-Founder and CEO of Mosley Brands and Mosley Music Group, home to a multiplatinum roster of artists. Chad talks with Monique about how the music industry is like the startup venture capital industry, understanding that representation matters, having a data-forward approach, and appearing on the TV show Undercover Billionaire, where entrepreneurs are given 90-days and nothing but 100 dollars to go undercover and build a thriving million-dollar business for a small town in the US. Reign Ventures Follow Reign Ventures on Twitter...

2022-05-1941 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 422: Verge HealthTech Fund with Joseph MocanuJoseph Mocanu is Co-founder and Managing Director of Verge HealthTech Fund, which invests globally in seed-stage healthcare technology startups relevant to emerging Asia that focus on disease prevention and management, digital therapies, and health system efficiency. Chad talks with Joseph about the healthcare landscape in different places of the world, funding criteria for companies, and how the pandemic has changed prospects for the fund and the market in general. Verge HealthTech Fund Follow Verge HealthTech Fund on LinkedIn. Follow Joseph on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant...

2022-05-1236 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 421: Benchmark Labs with Carlos F. Gaitan OspinaCarlos F. Gaitan Ospina is the Founder and CEO of Benchmark Labs, which provides IoT-based weather forecasting solutions for the agriculture, energy, and insurance sectors worldwide using proprietary machine-learning software. Chad talks with Carlos about creating the company, the hardware they're producing and what it is doing, and where the machine learning comes into play. Benchmark Labs Follow Benchmark Labs on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Follow Carlos on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing...

2022-05-0534 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 420: mRelief with Dize HaciogluDize Hacioglu is the CTO of Chicago’s mRelief, which offers an easy-to-use platform that helps families connect to SNAP food benefits. Since it was founded in 2014, the non-profit mRelief has helped 2.8 million Americans unlock $1 billion in food stamp benefits. Chad talks with Dize about how the platform helps people navigate the often complicated food stamp benefits system, what her role as CTO looks like as a CTO who codes, and how she hopes to help facilitate the growth of the mRelief program and team. mRelief Follow mRelief on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Follow Dize on...

2022-04-2844 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 419: The GK Fund with Michael BenezraMichael Benezra is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the GK Fund: a nonprofit social impact fund to support BIPOC-owned companies in Greater Boston. Michael also serves as the COO of Colette Phillips Communications, helping to lead the All Inclusive Boston tourism campaign, among other projects. Chad talks with Michael about being a BIPOC ally, disparities amongst the VC world, and how the GK Fund looks for the same things in BIPOC-owned companies that they look for in other companies because the innovation is there; it's just that the opportunity isn't. The GK Fund Follow The...

2022-04-2126 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 418: Aitomatic with Christopher NguyenChristopher Nguyen is the CEO of Aitomatic, which provides knowledge-first AI for industrial automation. Chad talks with Christopher about why having a physical sciences background matters for this work, if we have artificial intelligence, why we still need people, and working in knowledge-first AI instead of knowledge-second, knowledge-third, or no knowledge at all. Data reflects the world. Aitomatic Follow Aitomatic on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow Christopher on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into...

2022-04-1439 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 417: Hume AI with Alan CowenDr. Alan Cowen is the Executive Director of The Hume Initiative, a non-profit dedicated to the responsible advancement of AI with empathy, and CEO of Hume AI, an AI research lab and empathetic AI company that is hoping to pave the way for AI that improves our emotional well-being. Chad talks with Alan about forming clear ethical guidelines around how this technology should be used because there is a problem in that the public is skeptical about whether technology is used for good or bad. The Hume Initiative is intended to lay out what concrete use cases...

2022-04-0740 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 416: The ParentPreneur Foundation with James Oliver Jr.James Oliver Jr. is the Founder and CEO of The ParentPreneur Foundation, which empowers Black ParentPreneurs so they can leave a legacy for their beautiful Black children. Chad talks with James about inspiring, encouraging, and supporting ParentPreneurs to lobby to try to close wealth inequality gaps, shoot their shot and send cold emails, and engage in a community that supports one another. Parents Making Profits The ParentPreneur Foundation Follow The ParentPreneur Foundation on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram. Follow James on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots!

2022-03-3137 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 415: Promenade with JT LiddellJT Lidell is the Founder of Promenade, which seamlessly matches and connects military veterans to the resources, people, and organizations that matter to them. Chad talks with JT about being a mission-driven, bootstrapped organization, the problems that he's encountered and hopes that Promenade solves, and aggregating people, tools, resources, and funding to make it happen. Promenade Follow JT on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast, where we explore the...

2022-03-2438 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 414: Sagewell Financial with Sam ZimmermanSam Zimmerman is CEO and Co-founder of Sagewell Financial. Sagewell is building a banking platform for the needs of folks who are trying to retire and live off their savings and income as intelligently and as well as possible. Chad talks with Sam about deciding what their first product should be and what they would be bringing to market, finding the right partners, and minimizing risk to make a business and a product that works. Sagewell Financial Follow Sam on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots!

2022-03-1039 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 413: The Takeoff Institute with Brian HollinsBrian Hollins is the Founder of the Takeoff Institute and Founding Managing Partner of Collide Capital. The Takeoff Institute is focused on equipping Black undergrads with the resources and mentorship they need to build a young professional career. Chad talks with Brian about providing students with necessary skills like etiquette and polish to break into Tesla and McKinsey-level companies and facilitating facetime, communication, and mentorship with other Black people within those companies who are at executive levels. The Takeoff Institute Follow Brian on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor...

2022-03-0338 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 412: Diversity-X with Kevin WithaneKevin Withane is the founder of Diversity-X: a community to help underrepresented founders who are trying to make a positive impact in the world thrive, scale, and grow. Chad talks with Kevin about giving underestimated founders connections and access, creating a venture fund, and creating a platform via DiversityX. Follow City DiversityX on Twitter. Follow Kevin on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast, where we explore the design, development...

2022-02-2432 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 411: Civic Innovation with Jay NathJay Nath is the Co-CEO of City Innovate, a govtech company streamlining procurement through enterprise software and innovative frameworks. He talks with Chad about how he focuses on helping governments be more effective, responsive, and zeroed in on helping their constituents whether on a small city or a big state scale. City Innovate Follow City Innovate on Twitter or LinkedIn Follow Jay on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast...

2022-02-1734 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 410: Ada Developers Academy with Alexandra HolienAlexandra Holien is the Vice President of Revenue and Strategy and Deputy Director of Ada Developers Academy. She talks with Chad about working for a nonprofit that prioritizes teaching Black, Brown, Latinx, Indigenous, Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and low-income folks software development for free. Ada Developers Academy Follow Alexandra on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Chad Pytel...

2022-02-1034 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 409: Career Growth and Being a Mindful Dev with Dagna BiedaDagna Bieda is an engineer, career coach, and founder of theMindfulDev.com. She talks with Chad about being a software engineer first and then becoming a career coach who has helped a big range of clients with communication and marketing themselves successfully. theMindfulDev Follow Dagna on Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Chad Pytel. And with me...

2022-02-0334 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 408: Shipyard with Benjie De GrootChad talks to Benjie De Groot, co-founder, and CEO of Shipyard. Shipyard manages, creates, builds, and deploys ephemeral environments. Benjie talks about how Shipyard became a funded company, discovering who their ideal customers are, and building out the core team so Shipyard can accelerate and figure out their next steps in how to bring it to the masses. Ephemeral Environments Shipyard Follow Benjie on LinkedIn. Follow Shipyard on Twitter, LinkedIn, or GitHub. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter, or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots...

2022-01-2738 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Assessment and Performance Metrics with Tiffany Shubert of Relias HealthcareChad talks to Tiffany Shubert, Senior Product Manager at Relias Healthcare. Relias is an online healthcare education company. They develop and create education and clinical content for anything from physicians to nurses, physical therapists, to in-home care aides in multiple healthcare settings. They span the entire range from acute care hospital settings to in-home care to hospice. Tiffany talks about how her clinical skills apply really well to product management, defining who you're solving the problem for, being all about your end-user, and making sure they have an amazing experience with your product. Relias Healthcare Follow...

2022-01-2043 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 406: thoughtbot 2021 Year-in-Review with CEO Diana BaldChad talks to the CEO of thoughtbot, Diana Bald, about 2021 in retrospect. thoughtbot, as a company, has settled into a new structure that contains different teams and committed to becoming a fully remote organization. Last year, Diana successfully transitioned into taking over the company's CEO role. She and Chad talk about the improvements the company made in 2021, including DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) efforts and training sessions, and look ahead to some improvements coming in 2022, such as an expansion of the apprenticeship program. P.S.: thoughtbot is hiring! To see open roles, visit thoughtbot.com/jobs.

2022-01-1348 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 405: RackN Digital Rebar with Rob HirschfeldChad talks to Rob Hirschfeld, the Founder and CEO of RackN, which develops software to help automate data centers, which they call Digital Rebar. RackN is focused on helping customers automate infrastructure. They focus on customer autonomy and self-management, and that's why they're a software company, not a services or as-a-service platform company. Digital Rebar is a platform that helps connect all of the different pieces and tools that people use to manage infrastructure into infrastructure pipelines through the seamless multi-component automation across all of the different pieces and parts that have to be run to bring...

2021-12-2347 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 404: My Goat with Neil Amrhein and Matt EricksonNeal Amrhein is the founder and CEO and Matt Erickson is the CTO of My Goat. My Goat is a subscription mowing service for commercial properties. They use robotic mowers and elegant software tools to make turf care easy, convenient, and affordable. Follow Neal on LinkedIn. Follow Erik on LinkedIn. My Goat Follow MyGoat on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, or Instagram. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter, or LinkedIn. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast, where we explore the design, development, and...

2021-12-1642 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 403: Mission Control with Joe FerrisJoe Ferris is thoughtbot's CTO and Managing Director of the thoughtbot DevOps and maintenance team known as Mission Control. Mission Control is our newest team doing DevOps Support, Maintenance, and SRE (Site Reliability Engineering). The goal of Mission Control, rather than building products or pairing with team members to improve their team like the rest of thoughtbot, is to support those teams and support other client teams in deploying and scaling applications. They have an on-call team and do more complex cloud build-outs with the goal being to empower and educate the teams that we work with so that...

2021-12-0934 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 402: Lift Off with Emily BahnaEmily Bahna a Managing Director at thoughtbot who leads the Lift Off team, where they focus on really leaning into the core of the company. The team works with new founders to launch new products or they work with existing companies that want to build out a new service or open up a new area to generate revenue for their business. But, the thing that ties Lift Off together, is that they start at ground zero to build upon an idea and actually build the first version product to get it out live into the marketplace. Follow Emily...

2021-12-0229 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 401: thoughtbot Ignite with Dawn DelatteDawn Delatte a Designer and Managing Director at thoughtbot who leads the Ignite team, where they focus primarily on validating and launching early-stage products through design-thinking, business and product strategy, and iterative design and development. Dawn works collaboratively with designers and developers to ensure they add value to the people and products thoughtbot works with every day. Follow Dawn on Twitter or LinkedIn. Visit her website at dawndelatte.com. thoughtbot's Ignite team Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into...

2021-11-1835 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 400: Launchpad II with Kirsten HurleyChad interviews Kirsten Hurley, Managing Director of thoughtbot's Launchpad II team. The Launchpad II team covers the EMEA area: that's Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. She talks about working remotely for almost the entire time she's worked with the company, her approach to talking with potential customers when she knows she's never going to meet them in person, and what she sees happening to the different geographies that thoughtbot is selling and expanding into. Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn Follow Kirsten on LinkedIn Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD...

2021-11-0435 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 399: thoughtbot Boost with Joshua ClaytonChad interviews Managing Director at thoughtbot, Joshua Clayton, about what a Managing Director at thoughtbot does, what makes Boost at thoughtbot different than other teams, and the belief in integrated teams of designers and developers company-wide. Empathize with Your Customer by Josh Clayton thoughtbot Boost Follow thoughtbot on Twitter or LinkedIn Follow Josh on LinkedIn or Twitter Check out Josh's website Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is The Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your...

2021-10-2839 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 398: Education 2.0 with Victoria Ransom of PrismaChad interviews Co-Founder and CEO, Victoria Ranson of Prisma. Prisma is a stealth-mode education startup on a mission to reimagine the way children are educated. Their mission is to create a generation capable of solving the world's biggest problems by creating and running a comprehensive virtual learning program for kids in grades 4-8 that is very unlike any other traditional homeschooling program you've ever heard of. Prisma's Website Follow Prisma on Twitter or Facebook Follow Victoria on LinkedIn Follow Co-Founder, President, and Victoria's husband Alan Chuard on Twitter For more info, email info@joinprisma.com Become a...

2021-10-2141 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 397: Driven By Fulfillment with Natalie Nzeyimana of HarbourAt harbour.today, Natalie Nzeyimana and her team are helping people build holistic resilience. On this episode, she and Chad talk about building the app at the beginning of the pandemic when she witnessed herself and others feeling like they were close to drowning and feeling really unmoored. Harbour is a space for people to anchor themselves, find clarity, and set sail. The community offers one-to-one coaching, workshops, a course, and a daily check-in tool. harbour.today Instagram Twitter Lunchclub Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the...

2021-10-1439 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 396: Product Roadmaps Aren’t Dead; They SmellLindsey and Chad talk about product roadmaps. Are they dead? Lindsey and Chad think they just smell. We also say an emotional goodbye to Lindsey as she moves on to new adventures. We miss you! Buffer Transparent Product Roadmap Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: LINDSEY: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Lindsey Christensen. CHAD: And I'm your other host, Chad Pytel. LINDSEY: And today we're going...

2021-10-0745 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 395: Energy, Perspective, Priorities, and Intention with Jen Dary of PluckyChad talks to Leadership Coach and Founder of Plucky, Jen Dary, about working with individuals and companies to create healthy dynamics at work. In fact, Plucky just released a new product that aids in doing just that! Manager Weeklies are notebooks designed to help leaders intentionally set up their weeks and track progress. It includes tips and tricks, including useful 1:1 tools. Each notebook is designed to last one quarter. Follow Jen Dary on Twitter or LinkedIn Plucky Manager Weeklies info & order link Newsletter: beplucky.com/newsletter Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript:

2021-09-3048 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 394: Creating a Remote Culture That ThrivesChad and Lindsey talk about how the pandemic has changed "normal" remote work and how thoughtbot has dealt with the transition from being majoritively in-person to fully remote, plus the impact it's had on both employees and clients. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots podcast, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Chad Pytel. LINDSEY: And I’m your other host, Lindsey Christensen. We’re back. Chad, I've only seen you pixelated for...

2021-05-2748 min

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 393: Reaffirming Values and Taking thoughtbot RemoteChad and Lindsey take listeners behind the scenes and go deep into the nitty-gritty of recent thoughtbot company changes driven by the pandemic and the organization's need (and desire!) to go fully remote – all while reaffirming and revisiting the organization's values, mission, and purpose as part of the process. Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD PYTEL: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots podcast, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Chad Pytel. LINDSEY CHRISTENSEN: And I'm your other ho...

2021-05-201h 05

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 392: Better Together with New CEO of thoughtbot, Diana BaldChad is joined by Diana Bald, the new CEO of thoughtbot, to discuss her background, the organizational changes to the leadership of the company, and the reasoning behind them. Diana on Twitter Become a Sponsor of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD PYTEL: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots podcast, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Chad Pytel. And today, I'm joined by the new CEO of thoughtbot, Diana Bald. Thanks for joining me, Diana. DIANA BALD: Hi, Chad. This is...

2021-05-1337 min

The Best Business Podcast 158: How to Build your Mobile App... Better, Faster, & Cheaper with Chad Pytel of thoughtbot 🤖Chad Pytel is the developer, founder, and CEO of thoughtbot. He leads the day-to-day operations of thoughtbot, including human resources, hiring, and growth, and is responsible for overall strategy for the company. 🔥 Listen to Part II, right now: The Creation of a thoughtbot (a Continuation of EP 158).🔥 This Episode is Sponsored By: Aircall is a call-based phone system that helps thousands of sales and support teams stop wasting their time on the phone. Aircall integrates with popular CRM, HelpDesk, eCommerce, and other business software to help your team understand and log vital customer prospect inform...

2021-01-011h 02

Entrepreneur Stories 4⃣ Inspiration 158: How to Build your Mobile App... Better, Faster, & Cheaper with Chad Pytel of thoughtbot 🤖Chad Pytel is the developer, founder, and CEO of thoughtbot. He leads the day-to-day operations of thoughtbot, including human resources, hiring, and growth, and is responsible for overall strategy for the company. 🔥 Listen to Part II, right now: The Creation of a thoughtbot (a Continuation of EP 158).🔥 This Episode is Sponsored By: Aircall is a call-based phone system that helps thousands of sales and support teams stop wasting their time on the phone. Aircall integrates with popular CRM, HelpDesk, eCommerce, and other business software to help your team understand and log vital customer prospect inform...

2021-01-011h 02

Agencies That Build All About the Agency - Chad Pytel - Agencies That Build #008Chad Pytel is the Founder and COO of thoughtbot, small studios of designers and developers collaborating closely with clients. They are dedicated to pushing the bar by continuously improving for themselves, the company and their clients. Takeaways: To close any productivity and communication gaps, remove the middleman between the founder and project team. “We fundamentally believe in having a small group of people who are really good at what they do working directly with clients to create something.” ~Chad Pytel. Aspire to build successful products AND successful businesses. Training clients to fa...

2020-11-191h 13

Life on Mars - A podcast from MarsBased 006 - How to run one of the best tech podcasts in the universe, with Chad Pytel (CEO @ thoughtbot)As developers, we learn by doing, and this is why we decided to interview one of our favourite podcasters: Chad Pytel, CEO and co-founder of thoughtbot, and host of the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots podcast.Thoughtbot has over 100 employees and was founded in 2003. Their main business is development consulting, and of course they've been a huge inspiration for us in terms of culture and the way they go about work.They launched a bunch of podcasts in 2012, so they know what they're talking about. We discussed with Chad how to start a...

2020-07-071h 02

Code with Jason 048 - Chad Pytel, Developer and CEO at thoughtbotIn this episode, packed with nuggets of wisdom, I talk with thoughtbot CEO Chad Pytel about the meaning of the terms "code quality" and "bad code", the ways in which poor-quality code comes into existence, how to add tests to a codebase that doesn't have much test coverage, and much more.Chad Pytel on Twitterthoughtbot's Code Audit service

2020-06-0949 min

Mission Daily Taking a company from 0 to 100 with Chad Pytel, Developer and CEO of thoughtbot“It was very clear to us that not only was the result better when we were doing test-driven development, but we were more fulfilled in our work.” –Chad Pytel On today’s episode, Albert is joined by Chad Pytel, developer, founder, and CEO of thoughtbot, a design and development consultancy that brings digital product ideas to life. Building a company from the ground up isn't easy, and Chad had hit a lot of roadblocks on his journey — especially losing his original co-founders. But the hardships didn't discourage him. Today, Chad has created immense success for himself by...

2020-02-1441 min

Run With It Payroll and Benefits for Dev and Design Firms with Chad PytelNuggets:Learn what the power is in aiming higher and serving niches that demand better services.Learn how having an audience that emulates your business leads to rapidly scalable revenue opportunities.Love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life? Chad doesn’t buy it. Understand his distinction between caring about what you do and loving it.Action Steps:Do some fact-finding. What are the logistics of providing payroll, benefits, and HR management services? How do these services make money? What are their margins?Pick a niche and...

2019-10-1055 min

Leadership Happy Hour 139 - Work Hard, Collaborate and Have Fun! With Chad Pytel"A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business." -Henry Ford When I think about tech companies, I automatically envision a working environment that has bean bag chairs, ping pong tables, and free snacks in the break room (the last one is especially appealing to me since I love snacks). That is the picture that the media portrays and, although there may be some truth in it, it's not all like that. On this episode, I had the great pleasure to talk with Chad Pytel, CEO of the tech company, ThoughtBot. Chad is a...

2019-08-2550 min

In The Trenches ITT 202: How to Scale an Agency with Chad PytelChad Pytel is a developer, founder and CEO of thoughtbot, a product design development consultancy with six studios across the U.S. and U.K. For over 15 years, thoughtbot has produced top quality web and mobile apps with hundreds of clients from one person startups to Fortune 500 enterprises, universities and nonprofits. Chad co-authored two books, Rails AntiPatterns and Pro Active Record, has spoken at conferences around the world and is the host of the podcast Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots. On today’s episode, I sit down with Chad to talk about how tho...

2019-08-1238 min

Tech Done Right Episode 63: Software Consulting With Chad PytelSoftware Consulting With Chad Pytel Guest Chad Pytel: CEO, Co-Founder, and Developer of thoughtbot. Summary Our guest this week is Chad Pytel. Chad is the CEO of thoughtbot, which is a design and development firm known in the world for its support of open source projects like paperclip and shoulda. Chad and I talk about how to make short consulting projects work, the importance of hiring, why thoughtbot makes their internal guides public, and how they continue to be able to support open source. It's a great conversation about how thoughtbot...

2019-06-0541 min

Indie Hackers #095 – Reaching $20MM/year Building Hundreds of Products with Chad Pytel of thoughtbotThrough his consultancy, thoughtbot, Chad Pytel (@cpytel) might be the only first-time founder who's turned hundreds of ideas into actual SaaS products that people love. In this episode, Chad shares his thoughts on the advantages (and disadvantages) of consulting vs building scalable SaaS products, how he grew thoughtbot from nothing into a 100-person consultancy on track to generate $20MM in revenue this year, and the lessons he's learned from 15 years as a first-time founder.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/095-chad-pytel-of-thoughtbot

2019-05-311h 00

Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots 206: I'm Glad We Talked About This (Chad Pytel)thoughtbot CEO Chad Pytel joins Ben to discuss our recent office closings and reasons necessitating this decision, what this means for the product team, and the future of thoughtbot. Also, a teaser of what to expect next from Giant Robots Podcast. Upcase FormKeep Hound Chad on Giant Robots from last year Chad on Twitter Support Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots

2016-08-2247 min

Founders Talk: Startups, CEOs, Leadership Chad Pytel / thoughtbotAdam talks with Chad Pytel, founder of thoughtbot. Leave us a comment Changelog++ members support our work, get closer to the metal, and make the ads disappear. Join today! Featuring: Chad Pytel – Twitter, GitHub, WebsiteAdam Stacoviak – Mastodon, Twitter, GitHub, LinkedIn, Website Show Notes: Chad Pytel (cpytel) on Twitter cpytel (Chad Pytel) We make web and mobile apps : thoughtbot thoughtbot Learn Community, open source ruby on rails development : thoughtbot About Us : thoughtbot giant robots smashing into other giant robots thoughtbot (thoughtbot, inc.) apprentice.io : thoughtbot Texas Instruments TI-99/4A...

2013-08-201h 37

Cloud Out Loud | Ruby S01E22: Chad PytelChad Pytel of thoughtbot discusses Rails AntiPatterns and thoughtbot. 00:30 – Chad introduces himself and talks about thoughtbot 02:00 – What is an antipattern? 03:15 – Keeping up to date with Rails 06:30 – Changes that have occurred in Rails 07:45 – PHPitis = Combine code with HTML 09:15 – Ways to keep the view code clean 11:45 – Common antipatterns 13:30 – What impact does streamlining your views and controllers have on the models? 16:13 – Creating a culture of sound development practices 18:30 – The AntiPatterns training course Rails AntiPatterns Webinar on Thursday, May 12, 2011 Rails AntiPatterns Training Course in Boston June 6, 2011 and in San Francisco June 13, 2011

2011-05-0500 min