Regular Expressions

Ben Griswold and Noah Heldman
  • 5.0 (4)
  • TECHNOLOGY

Join Noah Heldman and Ben Griswold as they talk about technology consulting and life.

  1. 4D AGO

    The Bar Is Low In Tech Consulting. Do The Basics. Stand Out.

    Ever feel like basic professionalism (like returning a phone call, showing up on time, or actually listening to a client) has become a rare superpower? You aren't alone. In fact, it might be the easiest competitive advantage you can build. In this episode, Ben Griswold (Grizen) and Noah Heldman (OutcomeSource) unpack a simple but profound truth about the modern workplace: the bar for success is shockingly low. They swap hilarious and frustrating customer service war stories, from Noah's 90-minute screaming match with a Vonage retention script to the dark magic of Dish Network's un-cancelable subscriptions. They contrast these nightmares with frictionless, positive experiences and apply the exact same lessons to technology consulting. From doing five minutes of basic AI research before a meeting to simply being a concise and patient listener, Ben and Noah explain how mastering the "controllables" can make you look like an absolute rockstar in any industry. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why the "bar is low" in modern business and how to use it to your advantage to win clients.Hilarious customer service fails: The Vonage nightmare and the Dish Network retention trap.A massive win: How Vercel uses AI chat to make cancellations and refunds completely frictionless.The simple consulting pillars that win trust: Responsiveness, active listening, and detailed follow-through.How to use AI to do highly effective client meeting prep in under 60 seconds.Why controlling the "controllables" (punctuality, patience, conciseness) is the ultimate career hack for early-career engineers and seasoned veterans alike.Connect with Us: Ben Griswold | Grizen: https://grizen.comNoah Heldman | OutcomeSource: https://outcomesource.com

    23 min

  2. MAR 23

    Rebecca George on AI, Bias, and Change Leadership

    Organizations everywhere are rushing to implement AI, often measuring success by how many employees are actively using the tools. But treating AI adoption as a simple numbers game completely misses the mark. When speed becomes the primary goal, critical thinking is the first casualty. In this episode, Ben Griswold (Grizen) and Noah Heldman (OutcomeSource) welcome Rebecca George, an expert in organizational change management, AI strategy, and executive development. Rebecca shares a cautionary tale of using AI to synthesize interviews to save eight hours of work, only to spend two weeks cleaning up a political mess caused by algorithmic bias. The conversation explores why traditional change management no longer works, how Employee Resource Groups are the secret weapon for testing AI guardrails, and why parents and individuals must take AI safety into their own hands rather than trusting big tech. Rebecca also pulls from her background in theater to explain how leaders, particularly women in tech, can turn their professional triggers into their greatest superpowers. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why measuring AI success by license usage is a massive mistake.The difference between outdated change management and true change leadership.A real-world example of how AI bias created a stakeholder nightmare.Why speed is a false currency when it comes to generative AI output.How to use Employee Resource Groups to rigorously test AI platforms.How principles from the theater can help you own your space in the boardroom.The Five Questions: A plea to ban the phrase "human in the loop" and a hilarious story involving a major wardrobe malfunction in front of a college class.Connect with Us: Ben Griswold | Grizen: https://grizen.comNoah Heldman | OutcomeSource: https://outcomesource.comRebecca George | https://takeyourspace.com

    50 min

  3. MAR 18

    AI Is Changing The SDLC: Coding Matters Less, Specs Matter More

    The traditional software development life cycle used to follow a fairly predictable breakdown of time spent on analysis, design, coding, and testing. Now that AI agents are capable of generating the code itself, those old percentages are being completely flipped upside down. In this episode, Ben Griswold (Grizen) and Noah Heldman (OutcomeSource) examine how AI is changing the daily reality of software delivery for both Greenfield (brand new) and Brownfield (legacy) projects. They discuss how a heavy reliance on upfront spec writing might actually be a return to Waterfall development, and debate the productivity differences between a small AI-assisted team versus a traditional enterprise pod. The conversation also covers the massive opportunity AI presents for modernizing decades-old COBOL and Fortran systems, along with a hilarious cautionary tale about a vengeful developer who used an early internet translator to sabotage a codebase. In This Episode, You'll Learn: How the traditional breakdown of software development time is shifting in the AI era.Why Greenfield projects now require heavily front-loaded analysis and design phases.The debate over whether spec-based AI development is essentially just Waterfall.How AI can safely untangle and modernize massive legacy systems using the Strangler Fig pattern.A funny story from the 1990s about a disgruntled consultant weaponizing German code comments.Why the demand for deep problem-solving skills will always outpace the demand for writing raw syntax.Connect with Us: Ben Griswold | Grizen: https://grizen.comNoah Heldman | OutcomeSource: https://outcomesource.com

    24 min

  4. MAR 9

    Shadow AI Is Here: Responsibility Matters More Than Regulation

    The tech industry moved fast and broke things during the rise of social media, leaving society to figure out the consequences of screen addiction and algorithmic feeds years later. Now, artificial intelligence is evolving at a much faster pace, and the conversation around guardrails is already struggling to keep up. In this episode, Ben Griswold (Grizen) and Noah Heldman (OutcomeSource) look at the realities of AI safety, governance, and personal responsibility. They discuss the lack of clear guidance from governments and tech giants, which forces business leaders and parents to figure out their own rules. Noah shares why he completely uninstalled a powerful autonomous AI agent due to privacy concerns, and Ben highlights the growing issue of "Shadow AI" in the workplace where employees quietly use unauthorized tools to get their jobs done. The conversation explores how we can attempt to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past and build healthier habits with the next generation of technology. In This Episode, You'll Learn: The clear parallels between the early days of social media and the current AI boom.Why waiting for government regulation or big tech guidance is a losing strategy right now.The privacy and security risks of running autonomous AI agents on your personal devices.How "Shadow AI" is quietly taking over corporate workflows.The challenge of defining responsible AI usage in universities and at home.A look at current statistics on how many adults and employees are actually using AI daily.Connect with Us: Ben Griswold | Grizen: https://grizen.comNoah Heldman | OutcomeSource: https://outcomesource.com

    24 min

  5. MAR 2

    Is SaaS Dead? Build vs. Buy In The Age Of AI

    The ability to generate software with AI has revived the "Build vs. Buy" debate. If a team can spin up a custom CRM or invoicing tool in a few days using AI agents, the value of paying for expensive monthly SaaS subscriptions comes into question. In this episode, Ben Griswold (Grizen) and Noah Heldman (OutcomeSource) discuss whether the SaaS business model is actually in trouble. They share how they used AI to build bespoke tools for their own firm, effectively replacing some commercial software. The conversation then shifts to the enterprise perspective, where factors like SOC2 compliance, maintenance, and vendor liability often outweigh the benefits of custom builds. They also explore the concept of "Shadow AI" replacing Shadow IT, the frustration with low-quality AI features bolted onto existing products, and why the biggest SaaS players are likely here to stay. In This Episode, You'll Learn: How AI is changing the economics of the "Build vs. Buy" decision.The story of how Ben and Noah replaced some of their own SaaS tools with AI-generated code.Why "Shadow AI" (custom GPTs and scripts) is becoming the new Shadow IT.The critical value of SaaS for enterprises: transferring risk, compliance, and maintenance.Why "AI-powered" features often feel like marketing hype rather than true innovation.The difference between generating code and operationalizing a production-ready system.Connect with Us: Ben Griswold | Grizen: https://grizen.comNoah Heldman | OutcomeSource: https://outcomesource.com

    27 min

  6. FEB 23

    Ethical Billing: Time vs. Value in Consulting

    "Billability," "Utilization," "Chargeability." For consultants, these aren't just buzzwords... they are the metrics that often dictate your worth. But is an hour worked always an hour of value? And where is the ethical line when it comes to billing for research, learning, or dealing with slow internal processes? In this episode, Ben Griswold (Grizen) and Noah Heldman (OutcomeSource) unpack the psychological weight of the timesheet. They debate the ethics of billing for "learning on the job," the hidden costs of unnecessary meetings, and why solutioning too early can burn through a budget with zero results. They also dive into a shared frustration: why slow tools like Virtual Desktop Infrastructures (VDIs) act as "handcuffs" for high-performers, destroying flow and value in the process. In This Episode, You'll Learn: The psychological burden of terms like "utilization" and why lawyers might have it worse.The ethics of billing clients for time spent learning new technologies or fixing mistakes.Why "Noah Time" (optimistic estimation) often leads to under-billing.The danger of solutioning too early and how to "measure twice, cut once" to save client budget.Why Virtual Desktop Infrastructures (VDIs) and slow tools kill cognitive flow and project momentum.The argument for investing in your own high-quality tools to maximize value delivery.Connect with Us: Ben Griswold | Grizen: https://grizen.comNoah Heldman | OutcomeSource: https://outcomesource.com

    28 min

  7. FEB 14

    Vibe Coding vs. Real Engineering: AI As Help, Not Hope

    "Vibe Coding" has become a popular way to describe building software by simply chatting with an LLM. It feels efficient, but it often lacks engineering rigor. In this episode, Ben Griswold (Grizen) and Noah Heldman (OutcomeSource) discuss the difference between this casual approach and "Spec-Based Coding." They share a recent experience using Cursor to build a complex feature. The AI agent got them about 75% of the way there in record time, but when they tested it with a small load, the architecture failed. They had to tear it down and start over. The conversation covers why AI tools often miss non-functional requirements like security rules, database connections, and scaling strategies. Ben and Noah explain why experienced developers are still needed to guide AI agents, essentially acting as mentors to a very fast, but inexperienced, junior engineer. In This Episode, You'll Learn: The definition of Vibe Coding versus Spec-Based Coding.The "75% Illusion" where AI makes a project look nearly finished when the foundation is actually missing.A real-world story about a Firebase function architecture that failed under a minimal load.The specific things AI often forgets to build, such as security rules and pagination.How the role of the senior engineer is shifting toward architectural review and mentoring AI agents.Connect with Us: Ben Griswold | Grizen: https://grizen.comNoah Heldman | OutcomeSource: https://outcomesource.com

    28 min

  8. FEB 3

    Strong Opinions, Thoughtfully Held, With Dave Holbrook

    What happens when a perfectly designed software system crashes in production because of a single deployment error? You learn the most important lesson in engineering: If you write it, you run it. In this episode, Ben and Noah welcome long-time colleague and technology thought leader Dave Holbrook (CTO at Owner.com). Dave shares his journey from the world of massive enterprises to the fast-paced reality of hyper-growth startups. The trio dives deep into the "unsexy" reality of software architecture...navigating office politics, managing crushing technical debt, and why the goal of "zero tech debt" is a dangerous fantasy. Dave also pulls back the curtain on his daily workflow, revealing how he uses AI agents to write tests, generate specs, and manage tickets, and explains why he believes the unit cost of code is heading to zero. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Enterprise vs. Startup: Why great technical decisions sometimes get overruled by corporate politics (and how to deal with it).The "You Write It, You Run It" Philosophy: A painful story about a memory leak and a DCOM error that changed Dave's career.The Truth About Tech Debt: Why software starts rotting the moment it ships, and how to negotiate pay-down time with leadership.AI in Practice: How Dave uses AI tools (like Cloud Code and Linear) for Test-Driven Development and spec generation.Hot Take: Why "Best Practices" don't exist and the term should be banned.Connect with Us: Ben Griswold | Grizen: https://grizen.comNoah Heldman | OutcomeSource: https://outcomesource.comDave Holbrook on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbholbrook/

    1h 1m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Join Noah Heldman and Ben Griswold as they talk about technology consulting and life.

Information

  • Creator
    Ben Griswold and Noah Heldman
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Ben Griswold and Noah Heldman
  • Show Website
    Regular Expressions