Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots

thoughtbot

A podcast about the design, development, and business of great software. Each week thoughtbot is joined by the people who build and nurture the products we love.

  1. 6D AGO

    610: It’s Okay Not to Use AI

    Sami swims against the tide of AI with Emma Barnes, CEO of Consonance, as they examine the more controversial idea of being anti-AI. Emma explains why her publishing business is anti-AI and the benefits of coding for yourself, how AI is having a negative impact on different aspects of our daily lives, why big corporations are hyping it up so much, and Sami asks what is it about AI that keeps drawing people in. — Our guest for this episode has been Emma Barnes, if you’d like to get in touch with Emma you can do so through LinkedIn, or by emailing her directly - emma@consonance.app If you’re interested in using Emma’s publishing services or wish to be a part of the team, check out her business Consonance, or check out her weekly live stream to stay up to date with the world of publishing. Your host for this episode has been Sami Birnbaum. Sami can be found through his website or via LinkedIn. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - YouTube - Bluesky © 2026 thoughtbot, inc.

    44 min

  2. APR 30

    609: Pennylane is in my ears

    Sami talks with Quentin de Metz, Co-Founder and CTO of Pennylane, about the journey of building a startup into an established company. Quentin provides his unique perspective of what it’s like to be a founder with an engineering background, the rapid growth he experienced with Pennylane and the lessons that shape how he now runs the company, and their cautious approach to incorporating AI. — Our guest for this episode has been Quentin de Metz, who you can connect with via LinkedIn, or check out Pennylane’s website if you’re interested in using their services. Pennylane are also hiring and have a whole host of open positions at the moment, if you'd like to apply, head to their recruitment page for more information. Your host for this episode has been Sami Birnbaum. Sami can be found through his website or via LinkedIn. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - YouTube - Bluesky © 2026 thoughtbot, inc.

    40 min

  3. APR 16

    608: Project Updates with Will, Chad and Sami

    Our hosts provide a peek behind the scenes as they discuss their work on recent thoughtbot projects. Chad covers the progress being made on thoughtbot’s new “Ready Set Go” app, the hurdles they’ve encountered so far in development, and the things it needs to achieve in order to compete in it’s field effectively. Will reflects on a week long project with a non-technical founder and examines how clients’ exceptions have shifted because of AI, and Sami shares a brief update on his crypto project. — You can find Chad all over social media as @cpytel and Sami through his website. You can also connect with the trio via their LinkedIn pages - Chad - Will - Sami. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - YouTube - Bluesky © 2026 thoughtbot, inc.

    52 min

  4. APR 2

    607: Applying the Efficiency of Credit Cards to the Healthcare Industry with Raja Rajamannar

    Chad talks with Raja Rajamannar about how he reimagined marketing and strategy at Mastercard. Raja explains how he connected the dots between credit cards and healthcare, convincing the board to take a risk on something new in the process, how Mastercard leverages AI with their clients and marketing to stay on top of their brand and competitors, as well as highlighting the mistakes big companies make when it comes to AI. — Stay up to date with Raja across social media on LinkedIn, X and Instagram. For more insight into Raja’s thoughts on marketing, check out his book, Quantum Marketing. Your host for this episode has been Chad Pytel. You can find Chad all over social media as @cpytel, or over on LinkedIn. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - YouTube - Bluesky © 2026 thoughtbot, inc.

    47 min

  5. MAR 26

    606: AI layoffs are BS

    Chad, Sami and Will bring a growing issue to the forefront as they discuss whether AI really is to blame for recent industry layoffs. Our trio examine how AI is being used as a smokescreen for layoffs, how larger companies view AI and their increasing over reliance on it, and Sami provides a real world example of vibe coding to highlight the issues and unreliability of AI code. — You can find Chad all over social media as @cpytel and Sami through his website. You can also connect with the trio via their LinkedIn pages - Chad - Will - Sami. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - YouTube - Bluesky © 2026 thoughtbot, inc.

    50 min

  6. MAR 19

    605: AI: It doesn't have to be this way with Lord Chris Holmes

    Sami talks with Lord Chris Holmes, Peer of the UK House of Lords, about the increasing need for AI legislation in the UK. Lord Holmes discusses his efforts to pass his AI Regulation Bill, why it’s taking longer than expected, what we could expect to see happen if we continue to leave AI unchecked, and what differences we can expect to see in AI moving forward. — If you live in the UK and would like to discuss the regulation of AI with Lord Holmes, you can connect with him via LinkedIn. If you’d like to dive deeper into today’s episode why not read through Lord Holmes’ proposed plans for AI legislation - AI Regulation Bill - The need for AI Legislation - [AI Regulation Report](lordchrisholmes.com/ai-regulation-report/) Your host for this episode has been Sami Birnbaum. Sami can be found through his website or via LinkedIn. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - YouTube - Bluesky © 2026 thoughtbot, inc.

    43 min

  7. MAR 12

    604: Driving change and delivery with British Business Bank

    Sami talks with Taylor Spencer, Investment Delivery Director, Change & Innovation for British Business Bank, about driving change within a business. Taylor breaks down the best ways of handling change fatigue and resistance within a business, how and why it impacts his work with British Business Bank, the unique challenges of growth and development they face as a result and the solutions in place to overcome them. — You can connect with Taylor on LinkedIn, or you can reach out through Better Business Bank’s website if you own a small business that could benefit from financial assistance. Your host for this episode has been Sami Birnbaum. Sami can be found through his website or via LinkedIn. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - YouTube - Bluesky © 2026 thoughtbot, inc.

    32 min

  8. FEB 19

    603: The product we are going to build

    Sami makes his triumphant return to the Giant Robots Smashing into other Giant Robots Podcast as he and his fellow hosts discuss a brand new tool currently in pre-production at thoughtbot. Chad lays out his idea for the tool, how he thinks it will differ from other similar products currently available, who it’s for and the considerations needed going in to make it as accessible as possible, and Sami plays devil’s advocate as he asks Chad the hard questions about his new project. — Follow the development of thoughtbot’s latest product through Chad’s live streams, AI in Focus over on our YouTube channel. And if you want to look as cool as our hosts do you can check out the thoughtbot merch store! You can find Chad all over social media as @cpytel and Sami through his website. You can also connect with the trio via their LinkedIn pages - Chad - Will - Sami. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - YouTube - Bluesky © 2026 thoughtbot, inc.

    47 min
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4.8
out of 5
89 Ratings

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A podcast about the design, development, and business of great software. Each week thoughtbot is joined by the people who build and nurture the products we love.

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