Shows / The CTO Playbook
The CTO Playbook
Join Adam Horner, a CTO with over 30 years in the tech industry, on The CTO Playbook — the podcast dedicated to helping CTOs excel. Perfect for CTOs and tech leaders navigating the complexities of their roles, each episode offers clear insights, innovative strategies, and practical advice from top leaders in tech. With Adam’s extensive experience mentoring engineers and tech leaders, and over a decade as a CTO, you’ll gain the tools and knowledge to build and refine your own CTO playbook…
Episodes
- The CTO Playbook
EP 117: The hidden commitments that keep CTOs busy
Most CTOs already know what to do about their time. The hard part is doing it, week after week. Joel Chippindale, CTO coach and founder of Monkey's Thumb…
- The CTO Playbook
EP 116: Every CTO is a translator: getting understood by the CFO and the board
A solid technical case rarely wins the decision if the CFO, the CEO and the board can't follow it. Jens Heitland, founder of Heitland Media Group and former…
- The CTO Playbook
Ep 115: Impostor syndrome is a strategy you are running
Most leaders treat impostor syndrome as something they need to overcome. But what if the belief that you're not good enough is actually serving a purpose?…
- The CTO Playbook
114: Building the builder: how CTOs fix the AI code review bottleneck
AI has made building software dramatically faster. The problem is that the rest of the engineering system hasn’t caught up. AI agents can now produce code…
- The CTO Playbook
113: Anyone with an API key can copy your AI strategy, with Ritavan
AI adoption is getting easier for everyone. The harder question is whether you're using it to optimise the game you're already in, or to build a position that…
- The CTO Playbook
112: Your best managers are the most replaceable, with Prof. Charles Wood
AI isn't just changing how engineers work. It's forcing technology leaders to rethink what makes management valuable. Prof. Charles Wood is Senior Manager…
- The CTO Playbook
111: Every technology decision you make now is a post-quantum decision
Quantum computing may not be breaking your security today, but the decisions you make now could determine how exposed your organization is when it does. Conor…
- The CTO Playbook
110: AI Compressed the Work That Built Your Judgment
Twenty years at one company should have made my guest predictable, and that is exactly the trap he built a method to escape. Build your own CTO Playbook at…
- The CTO Playbook
109: Your Agents Are Held to a Lower Standard Than Your Engineers
Most CTOs think adopting AI means picking the right tools, but Sumeet argues the real work is closing the accountability gap between agents and engineers…
- The CTO Playbook
108: Your Most Valuable Executive Relationship Is the CFO
Ask a CTO which executive relationship matters most, and they'll name the CEO, but my guest today would send you to the CFO instead. Build your own CTO…
- The CTO Playbook
107: The Controlled Re-Entry: A CTO Playbook for Coming Back from Holiday
I nearly turned my own summer into the cautionary tale. The thing that saved me was a last-minute week in the Swedish mountains. Build your own CTO Playbook at…
- The CTO Playbook
106: Trust, temper, override: managing the AI you don't control
One CTO spent two weeks tearing frontier models out and ended up back where they started. Another spent a few days building a tested escape route for what…
- The CTO Playbook
105: The CTO's real job when agents write the code (belief reversal)
A founder went from zero to $10 million ARR in six months with six engineers and fifty agents, and the gap between idea and shipped feature was nine hours…
- The CTO Playbook
104: Why the Best CTOs Filter the Firehose Instead of Blocking It
Shielding your team from context isn't protection, it's a subtle underestimation of the people you hired for their judgment. Build your own CTO Playbook at…
- The CTO Playbook
103: What CTOs Miss Before an M&A Deal Hits
Most CTOs chase value creation. Jaco Vermeulen says the real job is preserving it first. Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com - the leadership…
- The CTO Playbook
102: AI Transformation Starts With What You Don't Know You're Assuming — with Duri Chitayat
Duri's father holds more than 100 patents, filed his latest one at 96, and gave him a one-line philosophy that now drives how his teams approach every problem…
- The CTO Playbook
101: Why Most Leadership Assessments Are Measuring the Wrong Thing
What if the biggest constraint on your organisation isn't your tech, your funding, or your market, but whether your leaders can think at the level the problem…
- The CTO Playbook
100: Why AI Is Quietly Draining Your Senior Engineer Pipeline
The reps that used to turn juniors into seniors are disappearing, and most engineering leaders won't notice until the senior shortage hits in three years…
- The CTO Playbook
99: Why Transformations Die Just Before They Succeed
The most dangerous moment in a transformation isn't the start, it's the stretch right before behaviours actually start sticking. Build your own CTO Playbook at…
- The CTO Playbook
98: The Office of the CTO at RevenueCat, with Miguel Carranza
When do you stop being the CTO with all the answers and start being the one who asks better questions? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com -…
- The CTO Playbook
97: Stop Hiring More of the Same — Michelle McDaid, The Leading Place
Women weren't pushed out of tech once. There were multiple waves, and the patterns are still showing up in how teams get built today. Build your own CTO…
- The CTO Playbook
96: Why the Best CTOs Don't Have a Playbook — Ric Hill, Ghyston
Most CTOs are promoted for technical judgment, then get stuck trying to lead people with the same playbook that got them there. Build your own CTO Playbook at…
- The CTO Playbook
95: The Leadership Signals CTOs Send Without Realising It with Paul Kinkaid
What if the biggest impact you have as a leader isn’t the strategy you set, but the signals you leave behind in every interaction? Build your own CTO Playbook…
- The CTO Playbook
94: Execution Beats Strategy? Rethinking the CTO Role in the Age of AI
What happens when execution matters more than strategy? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO…
- The CTO Playbook
93: From SDLC to ADLC: How Engineering Teams are Actually Adopting AI
A CTO hired a star engineer to push AI adoption forward, and within months, the team had lost its momentum, the new hire, and any sense of where they actually…
- The CTO Playbook
92: The CTO Playbook: How to Build Trust, Consistency, and Psychological Safety in Engineering Teams
The difference between a good CTO and a trusted one often comes down to a personal playbook. Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the…
- The CTO Playbook
91: The Hardest Upgrade for Technical Leaders: Leading Without Losing Your Edge
What if leadership isn’t about managing people, but about owning decisions? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform…
- The CTO Playbook
90: Data Is a Leadership Problem, Not a Technical One — A Playbook for CTOs
Most teams don’t have a data problem; they have a decision problem. Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for…
- The CTO Playbook
89: Engineering Velocity for CTOs: How Superhuman Moves Fast Without Sacrificing Quality
If your team feels busy but nothing meaningful gets delivered, this might explain why. Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership…
- The CTO Playbook
88: The CTO Role Has Changed — Why Doing More Isn’t the Answer
Why does the CTO role feel heavier after you start winning? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full…
- The CTO Playbook
87: AI Governance for CTOs: Turning AI Risk Into Competitive Advantage
What if the biggest risk in your AI strategy isn’t the technology, but the assumptions you never question? Build your own CTO Playbook at…
- The CTO Playbook
86: Why Communication Is Now a Core Skill for CTOs and Senior Engineering Leaders
What if the most underused asset in your tech organization is your voice? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built…
- The CTO Playbook
85: From Firefighting to Flow: How CTOs Build Teams That Learn Fast
What if speed as a CTO has less to do with urgency and more to do with discipline? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership…
- The CTO Playbook
84: Why Your Definition of Done Is Limiting Engineering’s Business Impact
What if redefining one simple phrase could change how your entire organization delivers value? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the…
- The CTO Playbook
83: Are We Building the Right Things? A CTO’s Guide to Influence, Ethics, and Responsible Innovation
What if the most dangerous thing we build as leaders is certainty? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for…
- The CTO Playbook
82: Are You Running Fast in the Wrong Direction? A CTO’s Guide to Clarity with Jason McGhee
Are you running faster with AI, or just running blind? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO…
- The CTO Playbook
81: The Culture Playbook for High-Performing Engineering Teams — with CTO Pasha Jam
What if the strongest part of your engineering organization isn’t your tech stack, but the culture you protect every day? Build your own CTO Playbook at…
- The CTO Playbook
80: Gut Instinct in Tech Leadership: When to Trust It, When to Challenge It
Your most powerful decision engine isn’t your data, your dashboards, or your AI, it’s your gut. Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the…
- The CTO Playbook
79: What Engineers Really Need from Their Leaders: A Conversation with Massimo Belloni
Most CTOs fail not because of bad decisions, but because they stop asking why. Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform…
- The CTO Playbook
78: The Hidden Cost of Getting Paid: Why Trust Is a CTO’s Blind Spot
The real reason invoices don’t get paid has nothing to do with accounting. Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform…
- The CTO Playbook
77: The CTO Guide to Scaling Operational Maturity — Lessons from Amazon to Startups
What if the biggest challenge in scaling your organization isn’t execution, but knowing where you actually are? Build your own CTO Playbook at…
- The CTO Playbook
76: How Great CTOs Influence Regulators, Auditors, and Certifications
What if the real blocker in your certification isn’t the rules at all, but how you’re playing the game? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com —…
- The CTO Playbook
75: The Hidden Systems Behind High-Performing Engineering Teams
What if your team's biggest problem isn't talent, it's the rules you've never written down? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the…
- The CTO Playbook
74: How Great CTOs Lead: Rory Herriman’s Five-Part Framework for High-Performance Technology Teams
What if your biggest advantage as a CTO has almost nothing to do with technology at all? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership…
- The CTO Playbook
73: How Avalanche Rescue Taught Me to Lead Calmly in Crisis | Leadership Lessons for CTOs
What if your calmest moment showed up in the middle of a crisis? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the…
- The CTO Playbook
72: Why OKRs Fail — and What to Use Instead (with Radhika Dutt)
What if goals are the real problem? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching…
- The CTO Playbook
71: The Real Reason Digital Transformations Fail — It’s Not Technology or People
What if the real bottleneck isn’t people or tech but the thing between them? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform…
- The CTO Playbook
70: A Better Way to Explain Your Platform to Non-Technical Executives
Ever tried to explain a technical decision and felt the room silently check out? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership…
- The CTO Playbook
69: Breaking Free from Vendor Lock-In: A New Playbook for Modernising Legacy Systems
When your CTO dies and no one can read the code, you realize the real problem was never the software. Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com —…
- The CTO Playbook
68: Startups, AI, and the Funding Reset: What Investors Really Want in 2025
What if the future of startups isn’t decided by who builds the flashiest AI, but by who solves the right problems? Build your own CTO Playbook at…
- The CTO Playbook
67: People, Process, Technology: The Leadership Formula Every CTO Needs
What if the real lever isn’t the tech at all? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey…
- The CTO Playbook
66: CTO Playbook: Leading Change Without Chaos — Giorgia Prestento
Logic alone won’t land; people react to change emotionally. Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full…
- The CTO Playbook
65: Unrealistic Planning, Broken Collaboration — and How to Fix Both
Are you optimizing for starting work instead of finishing? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full…
- The CTO Playbook
64: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There — CTO Leadership with Catherine Stagg-Macey
What if the playbook that built your career suddenly stopped working and nobody told you? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the…
- The CTO Playbook
63: How Corey Hart Scaled a Crisis Team Fast — Without Losing Trust
Would you say yes to leading through chaos with no plan, little information, and no guarantee of success? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com…
- The CTO Playbook
62: Tech Debt Is Killing Your Team — Here’s What to Do About It
What if the biggest reason your team feels stuck isn’t money, but the weight of your own code? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the…
- The CTO Playbook
61: Why I Coach CTOs: Lessons from Avalanches, Startups, and Rebuilding Teams
What if the only difference between freezing in chaos and staying calm is how much practice you’ve done before the storm hits? Build your own CTO Playbook at…
- The CTO Playbook
60: What Do You Do When No One’s Watching? The Truth About Proactive Leadership
Proactivity isn’t an all-or-nothing game. Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey…
- The CTO Playbook
59: The Future of the CTO: Etienne de Bruin on Leadership, Liquid & Lasting Impact
What if the hardest part of being a CTO isn’t about the technology at all, but learning to lead without a map? Build your own CTO Playbook at…
- The CTO Playbook
58: You’re Not Leading If You’re Not Listening – Wesley Eugene on Empathy and Influence
What if your most important leadership skill had nothing to do with technology, and everything to do with how people feel? Build your own CTO Playbook at…