The DEX Show: A Show for IT Change Makers

Recorded live in Lisbon at Nexthink’s SKO last week, this special and emotional episode of The DEX Show sees host Tom McGrath say goodbye to longtime co-host, DEX evangelist, and friend Tim Flower. From the humble beginnings of the podcast during COVID to more than 200 episodes and a global stage, Tom reflects on Tim’s immense impact on Nexthink, the DEX movement, and the community around it. Joined on stage by special guests Tracey Downer and Nexthink founder and CEO Pedro Bados, the conversation celebrates DEX Ops, innovation, culture, and a decade-long journey that helped shape an industry — with laughter, gratitude, and more than a few handkerchiefs.Learn more about Spark here: https://nexthink.com/platform/spark 

The full panel comes together to mark Tim Flower’s final appearance on Reality Bytes, reflecting on his impact, insight, and anchoring presence over the years. Alongside the goodbyes, the conversation turns to a landmark moment for Nexthink: the release of Spark. Framed as a pivotal shift in the capabilities of digital employee experience, Spark is explored through real-world stories and personal takes, including how it empowers employees, reduces IT friction, and redefines support.A fittingly forward-facing send-off for a Reality Bytes and Nexthink legend. Learn more about Spark here: https://nexthink.com/platform/spark 

In a full-circle moment for The DEX Show, Tom and Tim welcome guest speaker, Forrester’s new Digital Workplace & DEX analyst, Christy Punch, for her first podcast in the role—echoing the show’s very first Forrester guest back in 2020.The timing is bittersweet: it’s also Tim Flower’s final month as co-host, marking a major transition for the podcast.   Christy draws on two decades as a practitioner to unpack why DEXOps is now essential: post-pandemic tool sprawl, fragmented experiences, and the need to connect experience data to business outcomes. The trio explores cross-functional governance over “one-team ownership,” and Tom and Tim ultimately discuss how agentic AI (and Nexthink Spark) accelerates the shift from reactive support to proactive—and increasingly predictive—experience operations. Learn more about Spark, The World’s Most Powerful DEX Agent for Employees here Download The First Annual Workplace Productivity Report here 

The Matrix hits different.. when you're in the Matrix.The team rings in 2026 by reflecting on past predictions—and charting what’s next. From eerily accurate calls on AI consolidation to the unsettling prescience of The Matrix, the conversation looks ahead to a pivotal shift: from conversational AI to operational “do-bots,” the challenge of measuring real enterprise value, and the growing risks of over-automation.With vivid examples like Waymo literally stuck on the tracks, the episode digs into productivity versus jobs, human-centered design, and the possibility of the first true AI crises. As Tim put it post-show: “AI isn’t off the tracks—it’s on the tracks.” Is this really what the coming year will look like?Learn more about Spark, The World’s Most Powerful DEX Agent for Employees here Download The First Annual Workplace Productivity Report here 

In this discussion, Vedant Sampath, the CTO at Nexthink, and Samuele Gantner, the Chief Product Officer, delve into the transformative power of AI in enterprise IT. They reveal how AI is reshaping product development with new tools and methodologies. The guests introduce a three-pillar framework focusing on AI for IT, employees, and businesses, aiming for zero tickets and measurable ROI. They emphasize the importance of trust in AI agents and discuss proactive strategies for issue resolution, positioning Nexthink as a leader in the AI landscape.

In our tradtional end-of-year DEX Show special episode, Mondelez’s Geoff Wright returns to unpack a wild 2025 for IT, AI and employee experience. Tim, Tom and Geoff riff on AI agents that shop, plan travel and work across your browser tabs, the coming street fight between Windows and Chromebooks, and why younger workers just want a browser and to be left alone. Geoff explores shadow AI, culture and the human resistance to change, plus his Q1 predictions: Google’s big enterprise push, soaring laptop costs, and why experience, empathy and a good laugh still matter more than any shiny new model.Learn more about Spark, The World’s Most Powerful DEX Agent for Employees here Download The First Annual Workplace Productivity Report here 

It’s our favorite Reality Bites tradition: the end-of-year panel! Tom and Tim bring the whole crew together—Megan, Ariana, Sean, and Dina—for a joyful, honest, and insight-packed reflection on 2025. From global travel and AI breakthroughs to personal milestones, hard-won lessons, and the music that carried us through the year, the team shares what defined a transformative moment for DEX, for Nexthink, and for each of us. Expect candid takes on AI balance, ambition, slop, mediation, vibe-coding, human connection—and a full round of “song of the year” picks from the whole panel. A warm, funny, heartfelt wrap to a huge year.LISTEN AFTER THE MUSIC FOR TOM’S WORD OF THE YEAR AND SONG PICKLearn more about Spark, The World’s Most Powerful DEX Agent for Employees here Download The First Annual Workplace Productivity Report here 

Tim and Tom sit down with Steve Wunker — Managing Director of New Markets Advisors, author, and early pioneer of the smartphone — to explore the big ideas behind his latest book, AI and the Octopus Organization. Steve breaks down why AI shouldn’t just “bolt onto” old processes, how distributed intelligence reshapes the firm, and what leaders can learn from one of nature’s most adaptable creatures. From organizational plasticity to the changing role of middle managers, Steve offers a pragmatic roadmap for thriving amid rapid AI-driven transformation.Learn more about Spark, The World’s Most Powerful DEX Agent for Employees here Download The First Annual Workplace Productivity Report here 

In this Reality Bytes reunion, Tom, Sean, Tim, Oriana and Megan unpack the buzzy rise of vibe coding — the AI-assisted development trend coined by Andrej Karpathy and already explored by companies like Meta and Microsoft. The panel digs beneath the hype: from accelerated prototyping and accessibility gains to serious risks around technical debt, shadow applications, governance, security and the loss of human accountability. Oriana and Megan highlight the importance of schema, context and genuine creativity, while Tim warns against mistaking speed for quality. Is vibe coding the future - or just another fragile shortcut? The panel isn’t convinced… yet.Learn more about Spark, The World’s Most Powerful DEX Agent for Employees, here Download The First Annual Workplace Productivity Report here 

Robb Wilson, CEO of OneReach.ai and author of The Age of Invisible Machines, dives into the transformative world of agentic AI. He explains agent runtimes and their significance in conversational interfaces. Discussing the enduring relevance of screens, Robb intertwines memories of Marshall McLuhan while addressing the systemic shifts in IT. He warns about the rapid adoption of shadow AI and its implications. Robb emphasizes human oversight in a tech-dominated future and urges professionals to embrace hands-on learning to future-proof their careers.