Masters of Technology Happy Hour

The most influential voices in CAD are not always the ones who wrote the software. Sometimes they are the people who used it, often found it lacking, and documented it all. When CAD publishers honored CAD companies, Steve called them out.  That’s why I wanted Steve Wolfe on the History of CAD podcast. Steve built The CAD Report, a paid CAD newsletter that was dreaded by CAD vendors and indispensab...

AI can spit out thousands of “optimized” airfoils in seconds, but what happens when the objective is wrong, the mission changes, or the aircraft has to be certified and insured? We talk with Patrick Hanley, founder of Hanley Aerospace and author of Aerodynamics in Plain English, about why real aerodynamics is still built on fundamentals, not AI, not vibe coding.  Patrick shares his story from St....

If you’ve ever looked at a “simple” filtration problem and then watched it explode into slurry chemistry, media selection, power constraints, and environmental risk, you’ll feel right at home here. I’m joined by Steve Benisi, CEO and founder of FM Technologies, an inventor with so many patents, he has lost count. "It's roughly 35 to 40 patents," he says. He has decades of experience...

Michael "Fino" Finocchiaro unpacks a massive market map of engineering and manufacturing software startups, some of them real products. We debate where AI is truly moving the needle in CAD, PLM, and factory software and what an “OpenAI moment” in engineering could actually look like.  • Building a 200-300 startup database from founder interviews and repeated data scans  • Defining catego...

We catch up with Richard Doyle, the “User Group Guy,” on how CAD communities get built, how they drift when marketing takes over, and why that shift changes what users feel they can trust. We also talk through his move to Las Vegas, poker discipline, career setbacks, and what it’s like to return to full-time mechanical design while still advocating for users. • SolidWorks World memories and what l...

And now for something completely different. We hold our breath and go underwater with Tetsuo Hara, champion free diver. Tetsuo is a tech executive  by day and in his free time, an elite freediver. He set a Guinness World Record by reaching 100 meters in constant weight at age 58. He explains why deep dives are won with preparation, calm, and systems thinking, not bravado. • Constant weight freediv...

We sit down with Edson Gebo, mechanical designer and a veteran SOLIDWORKS power user, who was laid off from a metal additive startup and navigated three hard months of searching to land a new role. We discuss ATSs (applicant tracking systems) that are used almost universally by HR, ageism, networking that works, and the human-first tactics that beat the bots. • Funding runway, pivot and layoff at...

We sit down with Bernard Murphy to explore how a physicist became a trusted voice in semiconductors and why storytelling makes or breaks technical ideas. Along the way we unpack NVIDIA’s pivot, Apple’s chip strategy, on‑device AI, and the shifting media landscape in tech. • Moving from Silicon Valley to the Sierra foothills • Wildlife rescue as context and purpose • Writing as a learnable craft th...

We swap crash tales, altitude math, and plans for a 21,000‑foot trek while sharing how injury, MS, and early retirement reshaped our choices. Between Garmin alerts and book drafts, we weigh risk, recovery, and why some goals still feel worth the climb. • Cycling crashes, concussions and a hip fracture • Blackouts and memory gaps around impacts • Trekking to Everest Base Camp and high passes • Alti...

We trade press releases for real stories with Kenneth Wong—writer, artist, photographer, and Burmese language instructor at UC Berkeley—exploring how tools, culture, and ethics shape the way we create. From tea leaf salad to Apple Pencil, from cloud CAD to AI, follow Kenneth's journey. • Literary craft applied to B2B tech writing  • Pragmatic uses of AI for summaries, transcripts, and creativ...

Jon Hirschtick, founder of SolidWorks and co-founder of Onshape, shares his journey from developing groundbreaking CAD software to his current role as Executive Vice President and Chief Evangelist at PTC. His 44-year perspective on the CAD industry reveals how most design tools in use today predate both AI and the internet in their architecture, creating limitations as companies try to incorporate...

David Cohn shares his extraordinary journey from architect to CAD pioneer and influential technology journalist during the pivotal early days of computer-aided design software. • David's background as an architect and almost Olympic-qualifying run • How government contract requirements forced architectural firms to adopt CAD technology • First experience with AutoCAD 1.4 and its mere 28 comma...

When technological platforms shift, opportunities for disruption emerge. Few people understand this principle better than John McEleney, who has twice been at the center of CAD industry revolutions – first as SolidWorks CEO during the 2D-to-3D transition, and later as Onshape co-founder when cloud computing transformed design collaboration. In this wide-ranging conversation, McEleney takes us back...

Greg Jankowski shares his 15-year journey at SolidWorks, from early adoption as user #1401 to becoming a key contributor who helped build one of the most passionate communities in CAD history. His perspective on the evolution from drawing boards to digital design reveals how SolidWorks democratized 3D modeling by bringing professional tools to Windows PCs. • Started career on drawing boards before...

Step into the fascinating world where engineering expertise meets AI skepticism as Matt Lombard, author of the renowned SolidWorks Bible, shares his candid thoughts on the evolution of design technology. This conversation cuts through the marketing hype surrounding AI in CAD software, revealing the stark reality gap between what's promised and what's actually useful to practicing enginee...

Scott Harris takes us on a captivating journey through the evolution of CAD software, sharing insider stories from his pivotal roles in creating both SOLIDWORKS and Onshape—the two most influential professional MCAD systems of our time. From his early days at Pratt Whitney where he mapped out jet engine components on graph paper, to the revolutionary moment when 3D solid modeling "clicked&quo...

Meet Aaron, a remarkable engineering polymath whose journey from Hawaiian surfer to Arizona-based entrepreneur reveals the power of pursuing diverse passions with intention. Growing up on Oahu's beaches, Aaron's love for riding the waves at the famous Bonsai Pipeline would later inspire his company's name and mission to become "the pinnacle of engineering." What truly sets...

Ever wondered why design software hasn't kept pace with our AI revolution? Sohrab Haghighat, aerospace engineer turned entrepreneur, is tackling this exact problem with his startup Hestus, bringing genuine intelligence to CAD systems that have remained fundamentally unchanged for decades. The frustration will sound familiar to anyone who's designed hardware: you have a brilliant concept,...

Roopinder interviews friend John Schlag and explores John's journey from engineering to filmmaking. Initially trained as an engineer, John transitioned into computer graphics and special effects, working on iconic films like Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park . He later joined Google, contributing to Google Photos and Google Earth before leaving to pursue independent creative work. John's pa...