Welcome to today’s episode of the groCTO Originals podcast, where host Kovid Batra talks with Jagannath Kintali, former Head of Engineering at Dojo and ex-startup co-founder, about building impactful engineering teams focused on customer delight.

Jagannath shares his extensive experience of over 18+ years in engineering, discussing the importance of building what is needed rather than overshooting with extravagant systems. He emphasises creating high-performance teams through trust, purpose, and customer empathy. Jagannath highlights his journey, the learnings from his startup, and how he implemented these insights at Dojo, including stories about curtain ordering systems and observability projects. This episode provides valuable insights on leadership, team building, and aligning engineering efforts towards solving real customer problems.

💡 Highlights

a) Getting Candid

👨‍💻 Jagannath’s rise from Orissa to tech leadership in the UK

✈️ Passion for engineering and a dream to fly

📈 Startup lessons: product focus, team-building, and execution

b) Key Takeaways

👥 Building customer-driven, high-performing teams

🛠️ How trust, purpose, and empathy drive engineering success

⚖️ Startup insights: start small, iterate fast

🔍 Implementing learnings at Dojo with real-world projects

🚀 Aligning engineering teams to solve real customer problems

👨‍💼 Practical advice for leaders balancing system design with customer needs

Looking for top tech mentors like Jag who can help you take up your new tech leadership role with confidence or guide you with your next career move?

Sign up with groCTO Connect for 1:1 mentorship from top CTOs & tech leaders.

Accelerate your journey towards success🚀

🎧 Full Episode

This episode is also available on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.

Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋

1) Subscribe to groCTO — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.

2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & builds our groCTO community.

Welcome to today’s episode of the groCTO Originals podcast, where host Kovid Batra sits down with Venkat Rangasamy, Director of Engineering at Oracle and an advisory member at HBR, to discuss how AI is reshaping the engineering landscape. Venkat shares his journey from a humble background to leading at Oracle, diving into his passion for mentorship and the revolutionary impact of AI on the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).

In this episode, Venkat explores how AI is making product development faster, cheaper, and more efficient, while also addressing the challenges of using public versus local LLMs. He offers actionable advice for engineering leaders in startups, focusing on the evolving role of developers and how to navigate this transformative phase in tech.

💡 Highlights

a) Getting Candid

👨‍💻 Venkat’s humble background to leading at Oracle

🤖 His passion for mentorship and generative AI

b) Key Takeaways

🤖 How AI is revolutionizing the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

⚖️ Challenges with public vs. local LLMs

🔒 Security and IP concerns with AI

💡 Making product development cheaper, faster, and more efficient with AI

👨‍💼 Evolving role of developers in the AI-driven era

🛠️ Actionable advice for engineering leaders navigating this shift

Looking for top tech mentors like Venkat who can help you take up your new tech leadership role with confidence or guide you with your next career move?

Sign up with groCTO Connect for 1:1 mentorship from top CTOs & tech leaders.

Accelerate your journey towards success🚀

🎧 Full Episode

This episode is also available on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.

Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋

1) Subscribe to groCTO — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.

2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & builds our groCTO community.

Welcome to today’s episode of the groCTO Originals podcast, where host Kovid Batra interviews James Charlesworth, Director of Engineering, Sheffield Site Lead at Pendo, to discuss the common conflict between product and engineering teams.

James brings over 15 years of experience in engineering and leadership to share strategies for fostering empathy, collaboration, and effective communication. He emphasizes the importance of understanding each team's priorities, the impact of misalignment, and how impactful one-on-one interactions can build trust within teams.

💡 Highlights

a) Getting Candid

👨‍💻 James’ background and early passion for tech

🎸 Exploring creative non-tech hobbies

b) Professional Journey

🎓 A pivotal moment: Choosing the wrong degree

🧭 Navigating life and discovering your niche

c) Key Takeaways

💟 Bridging the ‘Product vs Engineering’ gap with empathy

👔 The role and influence of Engineering Managers

🤝 How frequent 1-on-1s build trust within teams

🌱 Practical tips for introverts in tech

Looking for top tech mentors like James who can help you take up your new tech leadership role with confidence or guide you with your next career move?

Sign up with groCTO Connect for 1:1 mentorship from top CTOs & tech leaders.

Accelerate your journey towards success🚀

🎧 Full Episode

This episode is also available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.

Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋

1) Subscribe to groCTO — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.

2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & builds our groCTO community.