Let’s Think Digital is a podcast about what it takes to use digital technologies to transform our world to improve peoples’ lives. Hosted by Ryan Androsoff, Founder of Think Digital, alongside an incredible community of digital innovators from all walks of life, in this podcast we go beyond the traditional tech hype of founder culture, user counts, funding rounds and quarterly profits. Instead we talk about why systems resist change, and how transformation is just as much about people and culture as it is about tech stacks. We’re eager to talk about the political and philosophical ramifications of technology and what it means for the future of government. Our goal is to help you to learn about how digital is impacting our world, to ask better questions, and to be able to call bullshit when you need to!
Back to the Start with the Functional Government Podcast
We're back...sorta! A few months ago we officially brought the Let's Think Digital podcast to a close. I feel very fortunate to have been able to host three seasons of Let’s Think Digital where we covered a wide range of topics related to how governments here in Canada and around the world are adapting and evolving to the digital world, with varying degrees of success.
As I was moving on to new professional challenges, it also seemed like the right time to bring the podcast to a close. However I also mentioned that while it was a difficult decision, I was hearted that there were other voices stepping up to keep these important conversations going. That’s exactly the reason that I’m back with you today.
A long time friend of this podcast and frequent guest, Alistair Croll, has launched “The Functional Government Podcast”. Alistair is the founder and host of the FWD50 conference that has been a fixture in Canadian digital government circles for the past decade, and is a long time entrepreneur and advocate for modernizing how government works. His new Functional podcast is going to be doing a deep dive into case studies on digital government successes around the world, and why in many cases we’ve been slow to modernize here in Canada.
I was really honoured that Alistair asked me to be his guest on the inaugural edition of his podcast where we had a wide-ranging conversation on the current state of digital government in Canada and what it might take to expand what is in the realm of the possible at this very important time for the future of our country.
This episode is a full rebroadcast of the first episode of the Functional Government podcast for our Let’s Think Digital audience. However I’d encourage you to subscribe directly to Alistair’s new podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple podcasts or through their website: fxgov.com (https://fxgov.com) so that you can continue to follow new episodes over the weeks and months to come.
I hope you enjoy our conversation, and as always, let’s keep thinking digital!
Watch on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLpc48Jh-ec
3 Mar 2025TRANSCRIPT
Let's Keep Thinking Digital
This is the final episode of the Let's Think Digital podcast in its current form.
I've been thinking a lot about transitions recently. Last month, I had the honour of being asked to serve as Vice President of Learning and Leadership (https://iog.ca/institute-on-governance-announces-the-appointment-of-ryan-androsoff-as-vice-president-of-learning-and-leadership/) at the Institute of Governance. The IOG is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization that I’ve worked with for a number of years that does important work to advance good public governance. Its mission is needed now more than ever as governments are under increased expectations to modernize and evolve to meet the moment. I'm excited to take on this challenge and bring my work from Think Digital under IOG's banner.
With this change, it seemed like the right time to think about the future of this podcast as well. It has been a really amazing experience hosting the podcast these past three seasons and I'm very proud of what we've been able to produce and share with our broader community through it. The goal was always to help spark greater awareness and more conversations about what it means to have a modern, effective government in a digital world. I feel like we've been able to help move this discussion forward. I'm also heartened that increasingly others are raising these issues and adding their voices to the mix. However for me personally, this felt like the right time to bring this particular iteration of the podcast to a close for now.
So on this final episode, I wanted to share my thoughts about transitions. Not just for me personally, but also about the transition that institutions and society are facing in this current moment of uncertainty and change we are all in.
And of course, I wanted to take the time to thank all of you for joining us on this journey over the last few years. It's been an absolute joy and pleasure to bring you these conversations and I'm so grateful for our growing audience of thousands of people from across Canada and dozens of countries around the world. Please stay subscribed and engaged, as I do hope that we will continue to be able to bring you content and perspective from time to time from myself and our colleagues in the digital government ecosystem.
Finally my sincere thanks to our team and everyone who has contributed to building and producing Let's Think Digital over the past few years. In particular I want to thank our producer (and my friend) Wayne Chu, as without his hard work and dedication none of this would have happened.
My sincerest thanks again, and as always, let's keep thinking digital!
-Ryan Androsoff, Host of Let's Think Digital
Watch on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSuHinHC4Ps
Related Links
Ryan on CBC Radio's The Current with Matt Galloway talking about Estonia's digital transformation and lessons for Canada (https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-63-the-current/clip/16125519-with-online-divorce-estonia-goes-fully-digital)
Ryan on Derek Alton's Civic Punks talking about why Canada has declined in international rankings around digital government (https://youtu.be/mP8bd75f6AI?si=NhTrhOsNjpKCmMYn)
Ryan on the GovMaker podcast with Nick Scott and Jason Pearman talking about his career journey and advice on how to innovate in government (https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/govmakerpodcast/episodes/Navigating-the-In--Out-of-Government-with-Ryan-Androsoff-e2p5h5s)
Kathryn May's The Functionary newsletter (https://policyoptions.irpp.org/the-functionary-archive/)
17 Feb 2025TRANSCRIPT
Just Evil Enough (with Alistair Croll)
To change systems, sometimes you need to bend the rules, or even rewrite them. That's the argument that Alistair Croll and Emily Ross make in their new book, Just Evil Enough: The Subversive Marketing Handbook. In this episode we speak to Alistair about his new book, which offers numerous case studies and frameworks on how to drive change with subversive tactics while keeping in mind how far is too far. Indeed, one chapter in the book is titled: "Don't Actually be Evil"!
This is particularly relevant in this year of transition and change. Whether it is elections and new government mandates coming in Canada (and a new Prime Minister, or maybe two!), or the shocking takeover of government systems in the United States by Elon Musk's "Department of Government Efficiency", it's important to understand the ways in which people are able to disrupt systems that resist change.
Watch on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I21jkJ98W6A
Related Links
Just Evil Enough: The Subversive Marketing Handbook (https://justevilenough.com/), by Alistair Croll and Emily Ross
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:04 Interview with Alistair
10:18 How Much Change Can Government Absorb?
21:55 Are Leaders Equipped to Understand Change?
31:42 Looking to the Future
38:44 Conclusion
Inside a recent episode
Back to the Start with the Functional Government Podcast
Published 1 Dec 2025 · Transcript excerpt
[…] So is it like this weird trap where we're just unwilling to admit we don't know the solution because we aren't to where the world has changed in digital? It's, you know, I actually don't think it is as intentional as that. I actually think there's maybe a little bit of a deeper thing. And one of them is a lot of people who are in government, particularly at the public service layer of it, I mean, they're very solution driven and solution oriented, right? I mean, a lot of the incentives in the organization are really about how do you kind of solve and implement and effectively be able to deliver? […]
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