
TechPod Talks
TechPod Talks is a podcast for tech leaders and executives navigating digital transformation. Host Stephen Koza, CEO of EverOps, interviews proven technical leaders about practical topics like IT modernization, scaling engineering teams, and AI implementation. The show aims to bridge the gap between leadership perception and on-the-ground realities, offering real-world advice without fluff.
Episodes

Career Pivots, Authentic Leadership, and the Agentic Era with Stephen Koza
TechPod Talks producer Lauren Dort turns the mic on host Stephen Koza, CEO of EverOps. Stephen traces his path from electrical engineering student at UT Austin to enterprise sales, through Silicon Valley startups and investing, to acquiring and running EverOps since February 2022. The conversation covers what authentic leadership actually looks like in practice, how to hire for ceiling rather than

Security, AI Adoption, and Human Judgment with Patrick McKinney
Patrick McKinney, VP of Security at Invisible Technologies, has spent his career building security and compliance functions from the ground up, from Coinbase to Dropbox to Salesforce. He shares the playbook lessons that carried across each stop, why phase two never adds security, and how he's applying an AI native approach to security at Invisible while still keeping judgment and accountability fi

Prebid, Music Royalties, and Leading Through Transformation with Tom Kershaw
Tom Kershaw, SVP and CTO at BMI, shares how a career spanning telecom, ad tech, travel, and now music rights taught him to learn new industries fast and lead through transformation. He breaks down the massive data challenge of tracking billions of music performances, the open source story behind Prebid that led to Google's antitrust trial, and why trying to stop AI in music is a losing battle.Main

From Six Sigma to AI: Turning Discovery Into Revenue with Jose Gonzalez
Jose Gonzalez, VP of Product at Ticketmaster, shares how a career spanning the dot-com bubble, Johnson & Johnson, Yahoo, EA, Amazon, and a Techstars-backed AI startup shaped his approach to product leadership. He breaks down the power law behind media platforms, what it takes to scale teams under pressure, and why trying to put the AI genie back in the bottle is the wrong move.Main Topics Cove

Systems Thinking, Shark Tank, and AI in Gaming with Chris Harden
Chris Harden, Director of Production Verification and AI Liaison at Unity, shares how a career spanning theme parks, embedded software, EA Sports, and a startup that was featured on Shark Tank shaped his approach to building the systems around software. He breaks down the AI debate in gaming, how he used agents to write his latest book, and why communication is the most underrated leadership skill

AI-Native Engineering: From Coding to Orchestration with Robert Gonzalez
Robert Gonzalez, VP of Engineering at SugarAI shares how he's transforming a 115-person engineering org into an AI-native operation, from building Scrum Master agents to rethinking how engineering value is measured. He also makes the case that in the age of AI, your product's durable moat isn't the UI, it's the context layer underneath it.Main Topics Covered:A self-taught career path from webmaste

Balancing Operational Excellence and Innovation in Engineering with Meir Wasserman
Discover how engineering leaders in gaming navigate the constant tension between keeping the lights on and building what's next. Meir Wasserman shares hard-earned lessons from EA Sports, Amazon Games, and 2K Games on driving change, creating urgency, and evolving as a leader, plus his take on how AI is reshaping the engineering workflow.Main Topics Covered:Balancing operational toil with deliverin

FinOps, AI, and the Non-Traditional Path to Tech Leadership with Chris Robertson
Explore how top tech leaders, like Chris Robertson, leverage unconventional career journeys, self-education, and cutting-edge AI strategies to achieve remarkable success in tech industries. Gain insights into building resilient teams, optimizing cloud economics, and fostering innovation through rapid experimentation.Main Topics Covered:The power of self-learning and non-traditional career paths to

Building Organizational Clarity to Unlock Growth with Dr. Janet Sherlock
Discover how organizational structure impacts performance, innovation, and growth. Join us as Dr. Janet Sherlock shares insights from her 30-year career, research, and practical experience transforming organizations for the digital age.Main Topics Covered:The overlooked importance of organizational structure in leadership successHow overlapping C-suite roles and organizational layering impact per

Software, Leadership, and the AI Era with Francisco Trindade
In this episode, Francisco Trindade, VP of Product Engineering at Braze, shares his insights on how AI is transforming software development, leadership, and education. We explore the evolving roles of engineers, the importance of understanding the system, and how leaders can create effective, adaptable teams amidst rapid technological change.Main Topics Covered:The impact of AI on coding and softw

Unlocking Leadership and Cost Optimization in Tech with Mark Sass
Discover how seasoned tech leader Mark Sass navigates the challenges of leadership, cost efficiency, and scaling platform engineering.This episode delves into practical strategies, leadership evolution, and the importance of understanding business context, all from a leader with a rich background across industries.Main Topics Covered:Mark Sass’s career journey and leadership style evolutionThe imp

Welcome to Techpod Talks
Are you a tech leader or tech executive struggling with the pressures of digital transformation? We’re talking specifically about things like IT modernization, efficient team scaling with limited resources, and developing a practical AI strategy. These are very real issues we’re all facing in the tech industry right now, and it’s proving difficult to find the advice you actually need.Host Stephen
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