Previous Episodes

• Episode 18: Choosing a Tech Stack
  Published:  Tuesday, April 17, 2018

  There are a lot of factors tech managers need to consider when inheriting or choosing a technology stack. We talk about how we chose specific stacks in the past (or didn't) and why we're using a brand new one for a side project.

• Episode 17: Identity Heft
  Published:  Tuesday, April 10, 2018

  With hacking, data security, and privacy as huge issues in the press, we discuss how we approach identity management on both products and across our teams.

• Episode 16: Don't Be Evil-ish?
  Published:  Tuesday, April 3, 2018

  Where do you draw the line on ethics? How do you take a stand when you want to keep your job? This week, we discuss ethical behavior and the responsibility people have regarding it.

• Episode 15: Non-Disclosures, Non-Competes, No Way?
  Published:  Tuesday, March 27, 2018

  Should you sign non-compete or non-disclosure agreements? Are these kinds of contracts binding? Are they even useful for your business? We discuss everything from saying "heck, no," to turning the ask into an initial business agreement test.

• Episode 14: You're so vain, you think in-office work is about you
  Published:  Tuesday, March 20, 2018

  We discuss our history with in-office and remote work, why junior devs might reconsider working outside the office, and how requiring folks to work in your proximity is a trait of managerial vanity.

• Episode 13: Fostering a learning environment with Mark Thompson of Trilogy
  Published:  Wednesday, March 14, 2018

  We speak with our first guest, Mark Thompson of Trilogy Education, about his approach to creating a productive learning environment both on the job and in a classroom setting. Mark is also working on a side project named Totally Strong, which is pushing his own limits about learning to code while building an MVP (and raising a newborn!).

• Episode 12: Communicating on a roller coaster of uptime and downtime
  Published:  Wednesday, March 7, 2018

  Randy and Don found themselves stranded, mid-ride on the Expedition Everest roller coaster at Disney World's Animal Kingdom. Following their rescue, and during an in-person recording from Orlando, they talk about how a tech manager should handle technical downtime, service interruptions, and critical alerts for users, executives, and investors that depend on services.

• Episode 11: Are code challenges a lazy or legitimate method for hiring developers?
  Published:  Sunday, February 25, 2018

  Are code challenges or quizzes a legitimate practice for hiring developers? We debate whether the method of filtering candidates via whiteboarding or code games is plain lazy or a necessary part of the recruiting process for engineers.

• Episode 10: Skills for a career in tech leadership
  Published:  Sunday, February 18, 2018

  If a junior developer is looking at the fork in a technology career path of software engineering or management, what kinds of skills do they need for the leadership side?

• Episode 9: Developer focus is an excuse not to talk, right?
  Published:  Saturday, February 10, 2018

  Is the call for "developer focus" a selfish complaint from precious snowflake employees? What right do developers have to ruin the design trend of great-looking open offices where collaboration magically happens? This week, we discuss how we feel about the need for managers to talk to employees at all times vs the need for folks to get work done without interruption.

• Episode 8: Your hosting strategy - Choosing from self, managed, cloud, or serverless
  Published:  Saturday, February 3, 2018

  How do you choose the best hosting options for your product or firm? This week, we discuss the thinking in a choice between self-hosting, managed hosting, cloud options, and the new buzz word: "serverless".

• Episode 7: Work-life or non-tech balance - Is it worth the hype?
  Published:  Saturday, January 27, 2018

  We discuss the importance of a work-life or non-tech balance for someone building a career in technology. Do folks need to set aside a specific amount of time, or any at all, not working on things related to their job?

• Episode 6: Does a tech manager need to code to be effective?
  Published:  Thursday, January 18, 2018

  Randy is a CTO that codes almost daily. Don has found it difficult to string together multiple days where he's able to code for his current roles. Today, we tackle the topic of whether a CTO or technical manager needs to be able to code to be effective at their job.

• Episode 5: Antifragile and TDD - What's the value?
  Published:  Friday, January 12, 2018

  Don brings up the subject of chaos, based on a book he's been reading, Antifragile, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. We discuss the merits of test driven development, unpredictability, and how technical managers can work towards a more resilient product in the face of inevitable failures.

• Episode 4: Risk and Exploits - Dealing with Meltdown and Spectre
  Published:  Friday, January 5, 2018

  Randy and Don discuss an item ripped from the headlines: What should a technical manager do about the recent Meltdown and Spectre exploits? They move into the CTO modes of research, understanding, translation, preparation, upgrading, monitoring, and, most of all, not freaking out. Randy requests a bobblehead or plush toy of the Spectre logo.

• Episode 3: Managing tech debt - When best to work on it?
  Published:  Tuesday, January 2, 2018

  Don faced an issue at his education tech firm: When should you slow down forward progress on new features in order to spend time on festering technical issues?

• Episode 2: Hiring developers - Who should I hire to build an app?
  Published:  Thursday, December 28, 2017

  Randy was posed a question by a potential client: "I want to build an app. Who should I hire?" and he asks the same question to Don.

• Episode 1: Introducing CTO Think
  Published:  Saturday, December 23, 2017

  Welcome to CTO Think, a podcast about how technology leaders think about business, tech, and people problems. Don VanDemark and Randy Burgess, two current and former Chief Technology Officers will discuss the various challenges managers face in a product development environment. We'll cover topics such as team-building, product management, scaling, and software engineering decisions.