Here is a list of regularly updated podcasts that the Chief Technology Officer, regardless of company size or experience, should keep an eye on. In between all the incredible technology talks and episodes that fuel our geekiness, there lies the CTO podcast focused on helping engineers turn into leaders and grow into visionaries.
There is definitely something for everyone here so take a look and let me know if I’ve missed anything!
CTO Studio
Average length: 50 minutes
Topics include: CTO Role, Scaling, Organization, Growing Leaders
Style: Group interviews
Created by 7CTOs founder, Etienne de Bruin, the CTO Studio podcast brings together small groups of CTOs to have discussions on topics relevant to people in CTO roles.
alphalist.CTO
Average length: 50 minutes
Topics include: Technical and Leadership Topics
Style: 1-on-1 interviews via video conference
The goal of Alphalist is to provide continuous education and professional growth to CTOs worldwide and by extension their teams and companies. Subscribers to Alphalist will walk away better equipped with the tools and insight to be better technical leaders – from both a technology and leadership perspective.
Modern CTO
Average length: 50 minutes
Topics include: CTO Role, Scaling, Organization, Growing Leaders
Style: 1-on-1 interviews via video conference
Joel Beasley is doing a stellar job with Modern CTO, not only finding ALL the CTOs, but as someone who has experience as CTO and as a developer, his conversations are engaging and fun! The gold lies in the banter between general leadership and growth topics when all manner of tools, trends and books are casually discussed.
If you’re interested in learning how people grew into their roles as CTOs, tackle coaching and development of middle management roles like directors and lead engineers then Joel and his guests are definitely a table you’d want to sit at.
Top 3 Episodes
- Douglas Terrier, CTO of NASA
- We discuss the difficulty in making products when there is no room for error, creating a feedback loop with your team, and how innovation at NASA is impacting our everyday lives.
- Fletcher Previn, CIO of IBM
- We discuss how to progress your career, what IT modernization looks like in the government sector, and how to balance the long term effects of remote work.
- Roland Cloutier, Global Chief Security Officer at TikTok
- We discuss what it takes to secure one of the world’s largest entertainment platforms, why Roland prioritizes hiring mission-driven talent, and the various techniques TikTok employs to protect its diverse user base.
Killer Innovations
Average length: 40 minutes
Topics include: Ideas, Creativity, Innovation
Style: Interviews and coaching
Phil McKinney reads my mind! As CTOs we have rich imaginative conversations in our heads especially when the going gets tough. Don’t you wish that you could go talk to someone who’s been there, done that sometimes? Well, this CTO podcast is like having coffee with an advisor who not only gets you out of your head but also gives you solid actionable advice. This podcast has a nice balance between interviews and 1-1 coaching which I really like.
The CTO Advisor
Average length: 30 minutes
Topics include: Just enough tech to keep CTO on their toes, Personal, Technology Trends
Style: Conversational
I love listening to Keith Townsend and his crew on The CTO Advisor. I feel like he is really close to all the topics CTOs are thinking about. I also get a sense that if I were to meet them at a party, I would be jealous of the camaraderie and rapport they have with each other.
This is one of those CTO podcasts where it’s not that important *what* people are talking about, but rather the trust you feel for *who* is doing the talking. This is not to say that the topics are weak by any means at all. But if you enjoy freestyle banter between people who are obviously very well informed, super experienced and comfortable with each other, this is a great show to add to your subscription list.
Top 3 Episodes
- DevOps or Dev vs. Ops Keith and Ned Bellavance (@ned1313) talk about DevOps or Dev vs. Ops. We pick on Portworx, again. We discuss the responsibility of Replication. Who repairs it when it goes down? Developers or Operations?
- The Great Resignation with Kanika Tolver Keith and Author/Career Coach Kanika Tolver talk about the current state of people empowering their careers; the mindset that employees and candidates are approaching the job search, and the level of control they are taking with their respective jobs.
- Coronavirus Disaster Recovery – CTO Advisor Episode 116
CTO Connection Podcast
Average length: 30 minutes
Topics include: Tech
Style: 1-on-1 and panel interviews
If you run an engineering organization, you probably already know Peter Bell. I met Peter when he just founded CTO Connection as I was just getting 7CTOs started as well. Learn from the experiences of successful engineering leaders at fast-growth tech startups. Whether you want to learn more about hiring, motivating, or managing an engineering team, the CTO Connection podcast is a great resource for learning from your peers! Our podcast and weekly newsletter provide you with access to hard-won wisdom from top engineering leaders and associated experts. And join our summit series (online or in-person) to share problems and get answers.
