Tech Council

Everyone says AI is making software development easier. That’s only partially true. While AI accelerates the act of writing code, it also amplifies existing problems. Poor inputs produce poor outputs faster. Weak specifications lead to larger-scale inefficiencies. And teams that prioritize speed without clarity often end up with more rework, not less. This episode challenges the idea that AI is pu...

The future of enterprise development will be defined by systems that can adapt, analyze, and respond in real time. That future requires infrastructure designed for AI. In this episode, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke explore how DevGrid is building that infrastructure through its MCP server. The conversation examines how DevGrid connects enterprise software ecosystems through an AI-native graph that...

AI adoption is accelerating across industries, but scaling AI successfully remains one of the hardest leadership challenges today. In this episode of Tech Council, we speak with Jason McMunn about what leaders must get right when implementing AI across large organizations. Moving from experimentation to enterprise-wide AI deployment requires more than enthusiasm for new tools. It demands alignment...

Software development used to begin with local setup headaches, dependency mismatches, and “it works on my machine.” Now, the environment spins up in the cloud. The editor follows you. The assistant writes alongside you. In this episode, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke explore what tools like GitHub Codespaces and Codex really mean for the future of software development not just in terms of speed, but...

Metrics influence outcomes by shaping incentives. When engineering metrics are poorly designed, they encourage short-term optimization, suppress risk-taking, and mask systemic issues like technical debt and security gaps. When designed well, they provide early signals, enable informed trade-offs, and reinforce cultural norms. In this episode, Tech Council breaks down the mechanics of effective met...

AI has changed the conversation in software development, but not in the way most people expected. While much of the industry focuses on speed, this episode of Tech Council explores the deeper shift: AI is changing how software is built. Faster feedback loops demand better decision-making. Automated workflows raise the bar for testing, rollout strategies, and system resilience. Duncan Mapes and Jas...

When engineering teams talk about observability, they often picture dashboards, alerts, and vendor slides. But inside real enterprise systems, observability is a story about people. It’s about how they communicate, how they respond under pressure, and how they collaborate when platforms are messy, duplicated, or half-maintained. In this episode, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke sit down with platform...

Viewed through the lens of systems thinking, AI introduces both leverage and fragility into the development lifecycle. In this episode, Duncan Mapes, Jason Ehmke, and returning guest, Chris Boyd break down how AI affects feedback loops, failure modes, team throughput, and the architecture of modern systems. They explore the evolving responsibilities of engineers in an environment where code genera...

Tech debt exists at the intersection of engineering, business incentives, and system architecture. In complex organizations, it becomes a multidimensional problem involving operational risk, system reliability, long-term scalability, and developer productivity.  In this analytically grounded episode, Duncan and Jason dissect tech debt through the lens of system thinking. They introduce a working m...

Most engineering failures can be traced back to two weak points: unclear standards or excessive autonomy. This episode presents a structured examination of how platform engineering resolves this tension to create resilient systems. Duncan and Jason break down the cause-and-effect chains behind incidents: data inconsistencies, missing resiliency patterns, queue backlogs, or unplanned API dependenci...

When systems fail, it’s rarely because no one saw it coming. It’s because no one planned for it.  In this episode, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke share real-world lessons from years of building and scaling technology across enterprise environments where downtime costs dollars. They explore the art of designing resilient systems that can withstand inevitable failure points, recover quickly, and conti...

Every year, companies spend thousands sending their engineers to conferences.  Flights. Hotels. Per diems. All in the hope of “learning” and “networking.” But when they return? The notebooks gather dust, and the insights never leave their laptops. In this episode of Tech Council, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke pull back the curtain on what actually makes conferences worth attending. From understandi...

Every great leader has a few books that quietly shaped how they lead. For Duncan and Jason, those books go far beyond tech manuals. They’re the ones that teach you how to think, how to communicate, and how to take responsibility when things get hard. In this week’s Tech Council, they open their personal libraries and share the titles that stuck. Expect reflections on ownership, transparency, and t...

The hybrid workplace has become the defining experiment of modern engineering, and most leaders are still figuring it out. In this Tech Council episode, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke analyze the habits that drive high-performing hybrid teams. They discuss proximity bias, performance evaluation, and how communication systems shape fairness and culture. They dissect the bad habits that derail trust (...

Let’s be real: app managers are stuck in the middle. On one side, business leaders want features yesterday. On the other, teams struggle under mounting tech debt. Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke break down the complex challenges app managers face in balancing velocity and technical debt. They explore how technical advocacy, stakeholder trust, and long-term business alignment converge to shape outcome...

Every great product starts with people. But finding the right people, and keeping them, has become one of the hardest challenges in tech. In this episode, Jason Ehmke and Duncan Mapes unpack the hidden struggles of talent acquisition. From navigating contract-to-hire strategies to cultivating trust through transparency, they share real-world lessons from building engineering teams that last.  Beyo...

APIs are everywhere, but maturity in API practices is rare. Buying a gateway doesn’t mean you have an API strategy. What matters is governance, security, and making life easier for developers who build and consume those APIs.  In this episode, Duncan and Jason unpack the real challenges behind building a sustainable API practice: how to avoid sprawl, how to strike the balance between control and f...

Most companies are doing SRE wrong. Hiring SREs doesn’t make you reliable. Metrics dashboards don’t guarantee accountability. And cultural change doesn’t happen because you wrote it on a slide deck. In this episode, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke push back against the misconceptions. They argue that SRE isn’t a bolt-on team but a systemic shift in how engineering works. Without shared accountability...

Engineering teams in 2025 look different. Hybrid work, distributed leadership, and constant change. But one thing hasn’t changed: navigating workplace politics is tricky. In this episode, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke get real about how engineers can build influence without playing power games. From handling peer dynamics to understanding leadership intent, they share frameworks that help you stay...

A critical incident hits. Systems go down. Deadlines slip. Fingers point. Sound familiar? In this episode, Duncan and Jason break down how high-performing engineering teams recover differently. Instead of assigning blame, they focus on learning, adapting, and improving. Through stories and insights, they explore how leadership sets the tone for accountability, why feedback loops are essential for...

 Every engineering leader has been there. Your team wants the freedom to try new tools, adopt new frameworks, and build in ways that make sense to them. But leadership needs consistency, security, and cost control. So… who’s right? In this episode of Tech Council, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke unpack how to balance developer autonomy with organizational alignment. It’s not about locking everything...

Most advice about leadership transitions is sugarcoated: “Trust the process, be patient, focus on people.”  While that’s not wrong, it’s not the whole story. In this candid episode, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke break through the noise to talk about what actually matters when you step into a new role: defining success metrics, proving yourself with early wins, and building credibility fast.  Leader...

Metrics aren’t the problem. You are. For years, engineers have hated metrics, but what if the real issue isn’t the numbers… it’s how they’re used? In this episode, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke dig into why many engineers roll their eyes at metrics, the traps leaders fall into when measuring productivity, and how to shift the conversation toward continuous improvement. They challenge conventional t...

“Should junior devs still learn the fundamentals if AI can write the code for them?” That’s one of the real questions Duncan and Jason tackle in this episode of Tech Council. They get honest about what AI is actually changing in engineering management, and what’s just hype. They dive into how teams are adapting, what mentorship looks like when everyone has an AI assistant, and why outcomes matter...

Monoliths or microservices? It’s one of the most hotly debated decisions in software engineering, and in this episode of Tech Council , Duncan and Jason lay it all out. They challenge the hype around microservices and explain why monoliths should be the default starting point for most teams. With Conway’s Law as a backdrop, they show how internal team communication patterns shape your system’s arc...