Behind The Beta

In the age of digital marketing, social media platforms hold unprecedented power, and Reddit is no exception. In a recent podcast episode for my podcast Behind The Beta, marketing expert Lars Lofgren told me about a shocking case of manipulation within Reddit’s architecture, demonstrating how a single moderator’s actions caused significant financial damage to a well-regarded coding bootcamp called...

I met Jasnoor Kaur in a pretty Christine like way—after doom scrolling on TikTok. Despite what may might think, there is a robust and growing startup community on TikTok that deserves more attention. Many young people, like Jas, are building their brands, companies and applications in public, which is so cool and interesting to see in real time. I took a chance to connect with this young woman bec...

The tech world moves fast—we know that. From product updates to AI breakthroughs, it feels like every day there’s a new tool or platform changing the game. But there’s one engine behind the scenes that doesn’t always get its flowers—yet it’s the reason those innovations reach the world at all: Sales. And I don’t mean just cold calls and commissions. I’m talking about strategic, insight-driven, rev...

With the recent decision by multiple companies and organizations to back away from their previous DEI initiatives, I was interested in exploring the other side of the equation: how true diversity and equity practices translate to good business. The perfect case study? Amos Winbush III—founder and CEO of bckers, an AI-driven fintech company that aims to score and rate financial institutions. He sha...

A CS student and a time lord walk into a bar. What do they talk about? Python, of course. Also artificial intelligence, cozy mysteries, and The Wind in the Willows (if you know, you know). But that’s half the story, and this is half the interview. Joining me for a new episode of Behind the Beta is Jason C. McDonald, author of Dead Simple Python. When he is not working at an extraordinary company (...

Remember that commercial for Wendy’s with the old lady screaming “Where’s the beef?” That’s what I thought of while creating this podcast. I had a sillier version of the intro in mind that I ultimately scrapped. It went in the garbage or something, I don’t recall: Suffice to say, it would have been hilarious if done by anyone else. But that’s the middle of the story. Let’s backtrack. Once upon a t...

There is this story that I always mention when I talk about my trip to Medellin, Colombia: a simple man with a simple fruit stand on the side of the road, selling aguacate (or avocado in Spanish). Being too shy and too ashamed of how little Spanish I knew, I always wanted to ask this man whenever I passed him if I could build a website for him to sell his goods. But through trial and error, I soon...