7 podcasts for CTOs you should listen to
If you’re a CTO, chances are that you’re always on the go, and you find yourself left with barely any time to read articles or news.
So, how can you stay up to date with the latest industry trends?
PODCASTS!
Podcasts are a great way to absorb new information while you’re commuting to the office or while working from home.
They can also be an opportunity to learn about the experiences of other CTOs and business leaders, get inspired by them, and take a different approach to tackling challenges in your business.
For example, you can gain insights into how others have successfully built an offshore development centre, the strategies they used, and the benefits they experienced.
If you’re looking for inspiration, motivation, industry news, or just some interesting stories, here are the seven best podcasts for CTOs that you must check out!
What are the best podcasts for CTOs today?
Open your favourite podcast app — whether it’s Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other — and start exploring these must-listen podcasts for CTOs:
1. The CTO Advisor
Host: Keith Townsend
Average episode length: 30 minutes
Frequency of episodes: 1-3 episodes/month
The CTO Advisor is a podcast geared towards organisations navigating the challenges of digital transformation. It focuses on future technologies and the process of building IT infrastructures that meet specific business requirements.
The host, Keith Townsend, is a Chief Technology Advisor with over 20 years of experience in helping organisations build IT infrastructures. For his show, he invites some of the smartest people in the IT industry, including Sanjay Poonan (CEO at Cohesity), Erik Bethke (CTO at Futurum), and Miles Ward (CTO at Sada).
If you enjoy freestyle banter between well-informed, experienced, and tech-savvy people, then this is a great podcast for CTOs to add to your list!
- From Excel to Kubernetes – Super Dope Conversation with Kelsey Hightower — Google Cloud’s Kelsey Hightower discusses the most basic outcomes for understanding Kubernetes.
- AI Meets High-Performance Computing (HPC) — A conversation on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with high-performance computing (HPC).
- Edge to Cloud: This isn’t Your Father’s Tractor — Keith Townsend assembles a panel of experts to define and discuss the future of Edge Computing.
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DOWNLOAD EBOOK2. The Modern CTO
Host: Joel Beasley
Average episode length: 45 minutes
Frequency of episodes: a minimum of 1 episode/week
The Modern CTO podcast features interviews with some of the most famous CTOs of Fortune 500 companies of our time.
The host, Joel Beasley, founded the show while writing Modern CTO, one of the best books for CTOs.
This podcast is for every CTO who is looking for inspiration, leadership, and growth. If you’re interested in learning about growing into your role, tackling coaching, and how you can contribute more to your business, Modern CTO is a must-listen.
- In conversation with Jeremy King — Joey and Jeremy King, CTO at Walmart, discuss building trust with your stakeholders and how to hire over 4000 technologists in under two years.
- In conversation with Parker Harris — CTO of Slack & Co-Founder at Salesforce, Parker Harris discusses the value of real relationships with your customers, key indicators of a successful acquisition, and how to scale your culture as the company grows.
- In conversation with Neil Patel – Marketing mogul Neil Patel talks about how frustration led him to establish a marketing empire, the importance of leveraging in-person relationships, and how experimentation is the most effective product strategy.
3. CXO Talk
Host: Michael Krigsman
Average episode length: 30 minutes
Frequency of episodes: 3-6 episodes/month
CXO Talk is a podcast that feels more like a platform and less like a podcast in the most delightful way.
Hosted by industry analyst and enterprise marketing advisor Michael Krigsman, the podcast offers in-depth discussions about business, technology, and healthcare with some of the most innovative leaders of all time.
Some famous guests who made special appearances in the podcasts include Rob Tarkoff (Executive Vice President at Oracle), Alicia Tillman (CMO at Delta Air Lines), and Martin Powell (Group Sustainability Director at AXA).
The best part about this podcast is that it acts as a window into the minds of company leaders who provide expert opinions on subjects essential to CTOs. Some of the topics covered include AI, digital marketing, IoT, digital transformation, and entrepreneurship.
- Leadership and Communication with Joe Hart, CEO, Dale Carnegie — This episode with Joe Hart talks about transformative leadership and how you can be a good leader too.
- How to Manage Security for Operational Technology (OT), with Palo Alto Networks — Anand Oswal from Palo Alto Networks covers the challenges of securing operational technology (OT) systems, emphasizing visibility, segmentation, and machine learning while sharing best practices for effective OT security.
- CIO Strategy: How IT can Create Great Customer Experiences — Michael Ruttledge, CIO at Citizens Financial Group, discusses the pivotal role of CIO strategy in enhancing customer experiences through innovative IT solutions and digital transformation.
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LEARN MORE4. Refactoring Podcast
Host: Luca Rossi
Average episode length: 50 minutes
Frequency of episodes: 2-4 episodes/month
Refactoring Podcast complements CTO Luca Rossi’s popular publication Refactoring, regarded as one of the best CTO newsletters.
In his podcast, Rossi interviews world-class engineering leaders about software development and team management. He has talked with CTOs and other managers who work (or have worked) in large organizations such as Google, Facebook, and Dropbox.
You’ll love the Refactoring Podcast if you enjoy listening to the first-hand experiences of people in Big Tech regarding strategies and innovative ways of collaborating with engineers.
- Observability & Testing in Production — with Charity Majors — Rossi talks with Charity Majors, CTO at Honeycomb, about observability’s role in complex systems, Intercom’s migration experience, continuous delivery best practices, and the impact of AI on coding.
- The State of Software Engineering — with Kent Beck — Popular programmer Kent Beck discusses the evolving meaning of Agile, the resurgence of Waterfall, the importance of human relationships in Extreme Programming and TDD, and the significance of short feedback loops.
- How to Improve Developer Productivity — with Kathryn Koehler (Netflix) — Kathryn Koehler, Director of Productivity Engineering at Netflix, discusses strategies for enhancing developer productivity, the role of platform teams, and balancing meetings and processes with freedom.
5. Dev Interrupted
Hosts: Dan Lines and Conor Bronsdon
Average episode length: 37 minutes
Frequency of episodes: 2-4 episodes/month
Dev Interrupted features interviews with top engineering leaders and innovators in the software development industry.
Ranked as the best software development podcast in Goodpoods — a popular global community of podcast lovers — the show covers topics such as DevOps, team management, and engineering metrics.
As a CTO, you should consider listening to Dev Interrupted to learn from industry experts and peers facing similar challenges. What better way to get inspired than by hearing about other CTOs’ failures and successes?
- Stupid Things Orgs Do That Kill Productivity | A Conversation With Netflix, FloSports & Refactoring.club — Truong-An Thai, Luca Rossi, and Kathryn Koehler talk about how they promote creativity and increase engineering productivity in their organisations.
- How to Build Influence as an Engineering Leader — Kelly Vaughn, Director of Engineering at Spot AI, shares how to build influence as an engineering leader through trust, communication, and empowerment.
- Have Engineering Leaders Become Too Hands-off? w/ Braze’s Director of Engineering, Francisco Trindade — Francisco Trindade says that companies should focus more on improving team dynamics and productivity rather than just hiring fast and insists on avoiding micromanagement.
6. Behind the Tech with Kevin Scott
Host: Kevin Scott
Average episode length: 60 minutes
Frequency of episodes: 1 episode/month
Behind the Tech with Kevin Scott features Microsoft’s CTO, Kevin Scott, who interviews some of the world’s greatest business leaders monthly.
He has had the chance to interview tech masterminds like Bill Gates and artists and scientists such as Will.i.am and Neil deGrasse Tyson. In his conversations, Scott tries to take the listener behind the scenes, far from where the spotlight shines.
For CTOs interested in seeking fresh perspectives from beyond the typical engineering discussions, Behind the Tech with Kevin Scott is a must-listen.
- Bill Gates, Co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — Scott talks with Bill Gates about AI and the exciting times ahead in computing.
- Mira Murati, Chief Technology Officer, OpenAI — An interesting talk on what it looks like to work and scale products at one of the most innovative companies in the world and the impact of AI on consumers.
- Tobi Lütke: CEO and Founder, Shopify — Shopify’s CEO and Founder talks about how his daily coding, tinkering, and ‘apprentice mindset’ inspire his creative leadership at Shopify.
7. A Geek Leader Podcast
Host: John Rouda
Average episode length: 35 minutes
Frequency of episodes: 2-4 episodes/month
A Geek Leader Podcast is hosted by John Rouda, a technical leader with over 20 years of experience in the industry… and a geek at heart.
His show is meant to inspire and motivate tech leaders (like himself) and creative managers to improve their skills. Unlike other CTO podcasts, he focuses entirely on leadership and not software development or other industry-specific topics.
- AGL 154: Respectful Leadership with Gregg Ward — Gregg Ward, CEO of Gregg Ward Group, shares his insights on respectful leadership, effective feedback, and emotional intelligence in coaching and leadership.
- AGL 361: The Ask Approach, by Jeff Wetzler — Jeff Wetzler, CEO of Transcend, presents his approach to fostering curiosity, learning, and effective questioning in leadership and personal growth.
- AGL 366: Burnout Immunity with Kandi Wiens — Kandi Wiens, Senior Fellow and Director of Penn Med Ed Master’s Program at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School, talks about topics from managing burnout, stress, and emotional intelligence to enhance leadership and well-being.
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DOWNLOAD CASE STUDYFinal thoughts on the best CTO podcasts
The podcasts listed in this article offer fresh perspectives, actionable tips, and inspiring stories from some of the greatest business leaders and tech influencers today.
And the best part is they are all available for free on your favourite streaming platforms or on the podcast’s official websites!
Hit play. Your next big idea or moment of inspiration might be just one episode away…
Although all of these shows feature successful tech leaders, some have suffered from a growing pain in their careers: building a solid team with the right talent.
If that’s also a challenge for you, we’re here to help. At The Scalers, we specialise in building dedicated high-performing tech teams in Bangalore, ‘The Silicon Valley of Asia.’
If you want to know more about how we can help you find, hire and onboard elite engineers to your organisation, fill out this contact form and one of our senior executives will be in touch with you shortly.
