#375 Kyle McKenna, Manager Enterprise Technology at Cars.com - Building IT From the Ground Up

They’ve created a “Google Translate” for the cloud, and it’s changing everything. Today, we're talking to Brad Parks, CloudOps and Private Cloud Leader at HPE. We discuss how Morpheus is bringing cloud operating models to on-premises infrastructure, why hybrid cloud is an inevitability rather than a strategy for most enterprises, and how HPE is helping IT teams eliminate vendor lock-in while maintaining workload portability across any infrastructure. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast!  To get learn more about HPE and Morpheus, check out their website here.

11 Dec 202536min

How is the biggest newspaper in the United States using GenAI? Today, we're talking to Jason Sobel, CTO at The New York Times. We discuss how technology is transforming journalism for the digital age, why 70% of journalism jobs have disappeared in the last 25 years, and how The New York Times uses AI to enhance reporting without replacing human journalists. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast!  Thank you to Digital Ocean for sponsoring this episode. For simple cloud and powerful AI that’s built to scale, check out Digital Ocean here. To get learn more about the New York Times, check out their website here.

8 Dec 202551min

Gartner placed them in the highest corner of their Magic Quadrant. Why is HPE leading their industry? Today, we're talking to Brian Gruttadauria, CTO of Hybrid Cloud at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. We discuss how agentic AI is transforming hybrid cloud infrastructure, why human-in-the-loop will remain critical for enterprise AI adoption, and how HPE went from 20% to 92% GitHub Copilot adoption in just over a year. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast!  To get learn more about HPE, check out their website here.

4 Dec 202548min

When will customer service be run entirely by bots? Today, we're talking to Adrian McDermott, CTO at Zendesk, about how AI agents are transforming customer experience. We discuss why automation drives escalation instead of elimination, how Zendesk is moving from seat-based to outcome-based pricing with their resolution platform, and why the future of leadership requires being more like a slot machine than a vending machine. Thank you to Digital Ocean for sponsoring this episode. For simple cloud and powerful AI that’s built to scale, check out Digital Ocean here. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast!  To get learn more about Zendesk, check out their website here.

1 Dec 202559min

This is some of the best advice we’ve ever heard on managing teams. Today, we're talking to Mark Porter, CTO at dbt Labs. We discuss why knowing your audience is the foundation of effective communication, how to create psychological safety for escalation without surprises, and why hiring remarkable talent requires unconventional tactics like asking for negative references and spending six hours with final candidates. Thank you to Digital Ocean for sponsoring this episode. For simple cloud and powerful AI that’s built to scale, check out Digital Ocean here. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast!  To get learn more about dbt Labs, check out their website here.

27 Nov 202525min

When he went to investors, nobody believed that the internet would be a big deal. Today, we're talking to Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard, the Father of the Cable Modem. We discuss how he invented broadband when no one believed home internet would succeed, why letting your product do the talking beats PowerPoint presentations, and how to distinguish between technology hype and delivery reality in the age of AI. Thank you to Digital Ocean for sponsoring this episode. For simple cloud and powerful AI that’s built to scale, check out Digital Ocean here. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast!  To get a copy of Rouzbeh's book, The Accidental Network, buy it here on Amazon. To check out Rouzbeh's YAS Foundation, visit their website here.

24 Nov 202556min

THIS is how you can actually leverage AI to transform your business in a realistic timeframe. Today, we're talking to Rebecca Carr, CEO at SmartRecruiters, about how she led a complete AI transformation of her company in eighteen months without asking the board for permission. We discuss why 58% of job applications are now completed by AI agents, how she threw out her entire product roadmap to build an AI-native recruiting platform, and why traditional jobs won't exist in five years. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast!  To learn more about SmartRecruiters, check out their website here.

20 Nov 202555min

It’s lonely at the top. But being lonely is actually a choice. Today, we're talking to Jay Owen, CEO at Business Builders. We discuss how leading in ministry has changed his approach to business leadership, why loneliness at the top is actually a choice, and how AI tools like vibe coding are enabling agencies to build $50,000 solutions in just one week for a few hundred dollars. Thank you to Digital Ocean for sponsoring this episode. For simple cloud and powerful AI that’s built to scale, check out Digital Ocean here. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast!  To learn more about Business Builders, check out their website here.

17 Nov 202552min