PODCAST · technology
The CTO Playbook
by Adam Horner
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. Whether you're tackling complex projects, fostering innovation, leading teams, or shaping your company's tech strategy, this podcast is your go-to resource.Adam’s journey from engineer to strategic CTO was challenging. He learned through the school of hard knocks, making avoidable mistakes and facing countless challenges. Often out of his comfort zone and wishing for more guidance, he created this podcast to provide the support and advice he once lacked.Tune in for engaging interviews, leadership
Episodes
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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, tests, documentation, migrations, and pull requests at a pace most engineering organisations weren’t designed to handle. But when…
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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 changes the game. Ritavan, author of The System Gambit and Data Impact, returns to The CTO Playbook after his first appearance on episode...
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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, Data Science & AI at Comcast, where he has spent nearly a decade leading enterprise AI strategy, and the author of Artificial Intelligence...
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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 Deegan explains why CTOs need to start preparing before Q Day arrives. Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com, the…
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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 www.theCTOplaybook.com - the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with...
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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. Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com - the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and…
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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 Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com - the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead…
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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 www.theCTOplaybook.com - the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with...
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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 actually mattered. Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com - the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching,...
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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. Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com - the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and...
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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 www.theCTOplaybook.com - the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with...
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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 platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic…
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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: most people don't try. Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com - the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey....
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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 requires? Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com - the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching…
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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. Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com - the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and…
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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 www.theCTOplaybook.com - the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with...
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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 leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and...
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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 Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com - the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead...
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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 www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with...
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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 at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with...
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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 journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact. Adam Spector is a four-time...
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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 were. Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast…
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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 leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic...
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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 built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact. I’m joined…
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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 full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact. Nic Granger, Chief...
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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 platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact....
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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 CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact. Many leaders in CTO...
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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 www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence…
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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 for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact. In this...
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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 platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact. In...
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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 leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic...
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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 full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact. Today, I sit down…
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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 journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact. Most teams don’t lack data, they...
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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 www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with...
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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 leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic...
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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 built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact. In…
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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 built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact. Late…
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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 www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity…
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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 leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and...
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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 leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic...
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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 platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic…
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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 full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact. I'm joined by Caroline...
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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, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact. In this episode, I’m joined by Radhika Dutt, an...
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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 built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact. In this...
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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 platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact. Why do...
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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 leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and...
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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 www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity,...
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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. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact. In this episode, I sit down with…
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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 CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact. In this episode, I sit...
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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 CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact. In this episode, I’m…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
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. Whether you're tackling complex projects, fostering innovation, leading teams, or shaping your company's tech strategy, this podcast is your go-to resource.Adam’s journey from engineer to strategic CTO was challenging. He learned through the school of hard knocks, making avoidable mistakes and facing countless challenges. Often out of his comfort zone and wishing for more guidance, he created this podcast to provide the support and advice he once lacked.Tune in for engaging interviews, leadership
HOSTED BY
Adam Horner
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The CTO Playbook have?
The CTO Playbook currently has 113 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The CTO Playbook about?
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...
How often does The CTO Playbook release new episodes?
The CTO Playbook publishes regularly with 113 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The CTO Playbook?
You can listen to The CTO Playbook on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The CTO Playbook?
The CTO Playbook is created and hosted by Adam Horner.
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