Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots

thoughtbot
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Oct 23, 2025 • 44min

595: Projects in Progress and Nature’s Ultimate Sacrifice

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
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Oct 9, 2025 • 46min

594: AI is Draining with Pablo Curell

Sami assesses the long term viability of AI with Pablo Curell, software developer at Recovr, as they break down the hype and logistics that surround the popular tool. The pair examine why it’s still important you learn to code, what AI’s best use cases are now and what they could be in the future, what a successful AI product actually looks like on the back end, as well as the ever growing and unsustainable economics behind AI tokens. — Read the article mentioned in this week’s episode - The Case Against Generative AI Check out Pablo’s podcast A Junior, A Senior and I for similar discussions and perspectives on the world of tech, or follow him on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - 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
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Sep 25, 2025 • 43min

593: Recent Discoveries: From MCP servers to video game heartbreak

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
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Sep 18, 2025 • 45min

592: Utopia or Dystopia: Why the Future of AI and XR Is Still Ours to Shape with Don Shin

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
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Sep 11, 2025 • 36min

591: Redefining Women's Health: Beyond the Traditional View with Amani Bright and Julia Lasater

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
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Sep 4, 2025 • 43min

590: Making AI work for users with Louis Gutierrez

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
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Aug 28, 2025 • 47min

589: Behind the Scenes at thoughtbot - Our work setups

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.
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Aug 21, 2025 • 44min

588: When a designer meets a developer with Jeremy Blaze

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
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Aug 14, 2025 • 50min

587: How to go viral with Michael Praetorius

Sami looks to go viral as he discusses digital marketing with Michael Praetorius, Founder of Praetorius. Together they examine the roots of marketing and how it’s focus and tactics have shifted over time, the secrets social media analytics hold and how the information is used, and Sami takes notes as Michael relives his personal experience of creating a viral video. — Connect with Michael over on LinkedIn or through his website. You can also check out his YouTube channel for more insights into marketing and AI, as well as the viral ticket burning video mentioned in this episode. 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
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Aug 7, 2025 • 34min

586: What is your self-age? with Leanne Clark-Shirley

Chad 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 offer. 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

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