Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots

Chad 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 on LinkedIn. Your host for this episode has been Chad Pytel. You can find Chad all over social media as @cpytel, or over on LinkedIn. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - YouTube - Bluesky © 2025 thoughtbot, inc.Support Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots

Mads Ulrik Svendsen, CTO and founder of Sheer, shares insights from his journey in influencer marketing. He discusses how Sheer's data-driven platform empowers creators to maximize their authenticity in a landscape increasingly filled with AI content. Mads explores the evolving nature of influencer marketing, the importance of smaller creators, and the challenges of building a two-sided marketplace. He also highlights Sheer's unique features, future developments, and his personal strategies for balancing startup demands with well-being.

Sami, Chad and Will share the projects they’ve been working on at thoughtbot recently and how they adapt to new systems they’re unfamiliar with. Sami shares his recent horror at the animal kingdom and how he might be getting into crypto, Chad reveals how he invests his time into thoughtbot whilst also managing to stay on top trending tech, and the group discuss best practices for dealing with clients. — Against Chad’s wishes you can watch Sami’s spider video here, but we don’t recommend it! You can find Chad all over social media as @cpytel and Sami through his website. You can also connect with the trio via their LinkedIn pages - Chad - Will - Sami. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - YouTube - Bluesky © 2025 thoughtbot, inc.Support Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots

Pablo Curell, a software developer at Recovr and host of the A Junior, A Senior and I podcast, dives into the realities of AI in coding. He explores the critical importance of learning to code, the practical uses of AI today, and the looming questions around the sustainability of AI economics. The duo critiques the notion of fully AI-generated products, and Pablo shares insights on effective AI workflows and the essential elements of successful software development while advocating for a balance between AI assistance and human expertise.

Chad and Sami share some learning moments with one another as they discuss the recent projects they’ve been working on at thoughtbot. The pair question how much time and effort we should be investing into a problem with AI vs the outcome we receive, their work and experimentation with MCP servers, Sami shares his big bid on AI to save some time, while Chad tells the tragic tale of why he stopped playing Diablo IV. — Don’t forget we have a YouTube channel where you can watch all the streams mentioned in this episode along with video versions of the show. You can find Chad all over social media as @cpytel and Sami through his website. You can also connect with the duo via their LinkedIn pages - Chad - Sami. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - YouTube - Bluesky © 2025 thoughtbot, inc.Support Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots

Sami talks with Don Shin, CEO of CrossComm, about which direction humanity is heading as the landscape of AI technology continues to shift and evolve. Together they assess the correlation between language and intelligence, the importance of human connection, as well as the growing responsibility we have in managing AI to prevent a potential dystopia. — You can connect with Don on LinkedIn or stay up to date with the work his does with CrossComm over on his website. Your host for this episode has been Sami Birnbaum. Sami can be found through his website or via LinkedIn. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - YouTube - Bluesky © 2025 thoughtbot, inc.Support Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots

Will talks with Amani Bright, senior program manager at Springboard, and Julia Lasater, consulting senior at Accenture, about the state of women’s health and their efforts to increase visibility for all women who enter the health care system. They cover their recent work on the state of women’s health report, shining a light on the neglected areas within women’s health, the barriers women face when seeking basic medical advice, and the gender bias that persists within medical studies and general healthcare. — Your guests for this episode have been Amani Bright (amani.bright@springboardenterprises.org) and Julia Lasater (julia.lasater@accenture.com). Be sure to check out the other work they do for women across the nation through Springboard, or read some of the other reports they mentioned in this episode - Innovation in Women's Health - Women's Health Gap - WHAM Report Your host for this episode has been Will Larry, you can find and connect with Will over on LinkedIn. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - YouTube - Bluesky © 2025 thoughtbot, inc.Support Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots

Chad 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. Your host for this episode has been Chad Pytel. You can find Chad all over social media as @cpytel, or over on LinkedIn. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - YouTube - Bluesky © 2025 thoughtbot, inc.Support Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots

The hosts dive into their home office setups for remote work. They discuss the importance of ergonomic desk choices and noise-cancelling headphones. Chad reveals a surprising guilty secret about his tech habits. Will shares his love for a high-end monitor and automating his on-air signals. From cable management to custom keyboards, they cover all the essentials for a productive workspace. The conversation is both informative and fun, shedding light on the personal workspace choices that enhance their work lives.

Sami faces his fear of program designers by talking with Jeremy Blaze, Founder & Design Lead at Never Before Seen. Together they ask the question of whether their roles as developer and designer are slowly become one, how to rediscover the challenge of working on code when AI can do so much heavy lifting, as well as grappling with the idea of a therapeutic AI. — Connect with Jeremy over on LinkedIn or through his website to stay up to date with the projects he’s working on. If you’re interested in trying out his new app you can sign up to the early access program here. Your host for this episode has been Sami Birnbaum. Sami can be found through his website or via LinkedIn. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - YouTube - Bluesky © 2025 thoughtbot, inc.Support Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots