Are you a tech leader or tech executive struggling with the pressures of digital transformation? We’re talking specifically about things like IT modernization, efficient team scaling with limited resources, and developing a practical AI strategy. These are very real issues we’re all facing in the tech industry right now, and it’s proving difficult to find the advice you actually need. Host Stephen Koza, CEO at EverOps, created the TechPod Talks podcast to bridge the gap between how leadership perceives challenges in this field and the realities on the ground. The show features conversations with proven technical leaders who provide real-world advice on critical tech company operations and challenges. These are the kinds of conversations that you would normally have with your buddies in tech over a beer at the end of a long week. No fluff, just solid advice that’s actually being implemented. We want you to hear from people who aren’t just talking about what we need to be doing in tech, but are actually living it right now. Some of the topics we’re covering include: Scaling engineering teams Modernizing infrastructure Successful AI adoption and navigating AI implementation Making hard operational calls without a defined playbook Get past the generic advice and find actionable tips from those who are actively in the arena.
TechPod Talks
Claim This Podcastby EverOps
Podcast Overview
Are you a tech leader or tech executive struggling with the pressures of digital transformation? We’re talking specifically about things like IT modernization, efficient team scaling with limited resources, and developing a practical AI strategy. These are very real issues we’re all facing in the tech industry right now, and it’s proving difficult to find the advice you actually need. Host Stephen Koza, CEO at EverOps, created the TechPod Talks podcast to bridge the gap between how leadership perceives challenges in this field and the realities on the ground. The show features conversations with proven technical leaders who provide real-world advice on critical tech company operations and challenges. These are the kinds of conversations that you would normally have with your buddies in tech over a beer at the end of a long week. No fluff, just solid advice that’s actually being implemented. We want you to hear from people who aren’t just talking about what we need to be doing in tech, but are actually living it right now. Some of the topics we’re covering include: Scaling engineering teams Modernizing infrastructure Successful AI adoption and navigating AI implementation Making hard operational calls without a defined playbook Get past the generic advice and find actionable tips from those who are actively in the arena.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
4/12/2026
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Recent Episodes
July 22, 2026
Prebid, Music Royalties, and Leading Through Transformation with Tom Kershaw
<p>Tom Kershaw, SVP and CTO at BMI, shares how a career spanning telecom, ad tech, travel, and now music rights taught him to learn new industries fast and lead through transformation. He breaks down the massive data challenge of tracking billions of music performances, the open source story behind Prebid that led to Google's antitrust trial, and why trying to stop AI in music is a losing battle.</p><p><strong>Main Topics Covered:</strong></p><ul><li>Crossing industries from telecom to ad tech to music rights, and why going deep on one thing (not everything) is the fastest way to learn a new business</li><li>The Prebid open source story: uniting competing ad tech companies against Google's walled gardens, and testifying in the DOJ antitrust trial</li><li>How BMI tracks billions of music performances across streaming, live venues, TikTok, and elevators to pay 1.5 million songwriters</li><li>Solving two data problems at once: high-complexity structured ownership data (SQL) and high-scale streaming counts (Kafka, Databricks, Spark)</li><li>Why AI in music can't be stopped, how songwriters already use it, and the ethical frameworks BMI is building around opt-in and attribution</li><li>Transformation leadership: why "focus" literally means "no," and the willingness to fail and course correct is the only way through</li></ul><br/><p><strong>Links:</strong></p><ul><li>Connect with Tom Kershaw: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-kershaw-42b2a271/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li><li>Connect with Stephen Koza: <u><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenkoza" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></u></li><li>Connect with EverOps: <u><a href="https://www.everops.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a></u> | <u><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/everops/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></u></li></ul><br/>
July 8, 2026
From Six Sigma to AI: Turning Discovery Into Revenue with Jose Gonzalez
<p>Jose Gonzalez, VP of Product at Ticketmaster, shares how a career spanning the dot-com bubble, Johnson & Johnson, Yahoo, EA, Amazon, and a Techstars-backed AI startup shaped his approach to product leadership. He breaks down the power law behind media platforms, what it takes to scale teams under pressure, and why trying to put the AI genie back in the bottle is the wrong move.</p><p><strong>Main Topics Covered:</strong></p><ul><li>An unconventional path from web dev and Six Sigma process engineering at J&J to VP of Product at Ticketmaster</li><li>How power law dynamics drive media platforms, and why you can't build your business around hits alone</li><li>Co-founding an AI startup (Naria) through Techstars, and what the experience taught him about timing and product-market fit</li><li>Scaling teams fast: hiring for horsepower over perfect fit, and knowing when to lower the bar without dropping it</li><li>Why AI adoption mirrors the MP3/Kazaa/Spotify era, and the leaders who stop resisting will define what comes next</li><li>Using AI at Ticketmaster to connect fans with the right event at the right moment through smarter signals and discovery</li></ul><br/><p><strong>Links & Resources</strong></p><ul><li>Connect with Jose Gonzalez: <u><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/josegon" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></u></li><li>Connect with Stephen Koza: <u><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenkoza" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></u></li><li>Connect with EverOps: <u><a href="https://www.everops.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a></u> | <u><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/everops/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></u></li></ul><br/>
June 24, 2026
Systems Thinking, Shark Tank, and AI in Gaming with Chris Harden
<p>Chris Harden, Director of Production Verification and AI Liaison at Unity, shares how a career spanning theme parks, embedded software, EA Sports, and a startup that was featured on Shark Tank shaped his approach to building the systems around software. He breaks down the AI debate in gaming, how he used agents to write his latest book, and why communication is the most underrated leadership skill.</p><p><strong>Main Topics Covered:</strong></p><ul><li>A career built on systems thinking, from programming Epcot control systems to shipping NBA Live at EA Sports to co-founding a Shark Tank startup</li><li>Why the hardest part of shipping a triple-A game isn't the code, it's coordination and integration across hundreds of people</li><li>How Chris uses AI agents at Unity, including a jargon remover, a Scrum Master agent, and a multi-agent workflow for writing his latest book</li><li>The AI and gaming debate: where rapid prototyping wins, where human taste still matters, and why engineers are the orchestrators and verifiers</li><li>Communication as the most common leadership gap, from IC to executive, and why everyone should work in sales at least once</li></ul><br/><p><strong>Links & Resources</strong></p><ul><li>Connect with Chris Harden: <u><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisharden/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></u> | <u><a href="https://chrisharden.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a></u></li><li>Connect with Stephen Koza: <u><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenkoza" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></u></li><li>Connect with EverOps: <u><a href="https://www.everops.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a></u> | <u><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/everops/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></u></li></ul><br/><p><strong>Books Referenced:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Scale-Universal-Innovation-Sustainability-Organisms/dp/014311090X" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Scale</a> by Geoffrey Moore (systems thinking)</li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Chasm-3rd-Disruptive-Mainstream/dp/0062292986" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Crossing the Chasm</a> by Geoffrey Moore</li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Little-Robot-Big-Dreams-SharkTank-ebook/dp/B01D9KWXPC/ref=sr_1_3?crid=10MCGEC3JSGLL&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.VofOO8ITP2MJ0T3ISwp7GOZeGme7Mqr6fzwp6PXZxx_uNLiYUqKgM99j8IINyImEC_GePxSeHkZHNqbNC7-fwfaMm2er-AEf217PQAG4kmd4f34uSRBj04n3Xf0PEYN89CG1kLjUoeOmWGqUVhorA_qPZW67rdywGJseVVPdzqFhyjeTpmO5EMR648tpfUdn2UYRwF1sk6vX4aKx47KZ90im8wcB9Mh1vSe4YXe0o_4.Kwxk47FhzZM_unjZdbK3QquRSmee9xOXVifvUVzuGdw&dib_tag=se&keywords=%22Little+Robot%2C+Big+Dreams%22&qid=1782273510&sprefix=little+robot%2C+big+dreams+%2Caps%2C205&sr=8-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Little Robot, Big Dreams</a> by Chris Harden (Shark Tank memoir)</li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Commitment-Software-Development-Teams-ebook/dp/B07YK3C5YC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=39QBWLCLJWM39&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ecSFHagda8krHUkcx8w2VQ.CGDNG3LuI1EDOLuYmMfiDFSMmyFR3S-LLRMQrO_QaPc&dib_tag=se&keywords=Mastering+Commitment+by+Chris+Harden&qid=1782273584&s=books&sprefix=mastering+commitment+by+chris+harden%2Cstripbooks%2C199&sr=1-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mastering Commitment</a> by Chris Harden (building trust in teams)</li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Piece-Operating-Plan-Complete-Actually-ebook/dp/B0D1GM5NMQ?ref_=ast_author_dp_rw&th=1&psc=1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.q0ARmo9aiCw_eYet6jm3WXzver6fQy_ipYZsFppdzhs4T8iQcc_Xh5ta5oGx6O89NOV8_CawYwkZftO07I_VpTbTD2sDfmK5bIjyYjd34dc0JTRkPxUGFaEq4oUoQ5V5-h2cd6DMumtCVjY2GjiZ9g.a6CgBEUBEkaMRM0LuA361Usiqf75E4AUyJZBBSHVx3s&dib_tag=AUTHOR" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The 4 Piece Operating Plan</a> by Chris Harden (operating plans framework)</li></ul><br/>
10 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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