New Podcast Interview: Augment, Don’t Replace

In this week’s episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast, Neal sits down with Faisal Mushtaq - tech exec, startup scaler, author, and community builder - to explore the lessons learned from operating at every level of the tech stack: from startups in stealth to global public companies.Faisal shares how his engineering roots led him into roles scaling teams of three to three thousand, the value of building across verticals, and why he sees writing, mentorship, and convening not as extracurricular, but essential to long-term impact.He also unpacks the origin story of TechCon Global, and what’s next as the cross-regional tech summit expands from San Diego to Austin and beyond.Key Topics:* The difference between being an operator and being a scaler and why you need both* What startups can learn from big companies (and vice versa)* How blogging became Faisal’s medium for frameworks, reflection, and teaching* The importance of building bridges between startup ecosystems and the design of TechCon as that connective tissue* Why giving first is the only real long-term strategy for community leadership* How AI tools are changing how we write, work, and relate but not how we connectLinks & Resources:* TechCon Global* TechCon Southwest – Feb 12–13, AustinTechCon Global* TechCon SoCal 2026 – May 22–23, San Diego* Use the special discount code SOCAL26RTP at the link here to get 15% off regular tickets* Find all books here → Faisal Mushtaq on AmazonConnect with Faisal* Follow Faisal on LinkedIn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe