CMS Critic: "The Critic's Corner" Podcast

Matt Garrepy

Explore the contentverse with Matt Garrepy, Chief Critic at CMSCritic.com, as he talks to the leading minds shaping the future of content management and digital experiences. From personalization to ontology to AI, Matt peruses a wide range of relevant topics with intriguing and influential guests. On "The Critic's Corner," you'll hear from industry watchers, analysts, content practitioners, developers, and C-level leaders across the vendor, agency, and customer segments. Tune in and learn about the innovation that's changing the CMS landscape – and the visionary people and technologies at the edge of it all. Since 2008, we've had our eye on CMS. Join us to see (and hear) what's next.

Episodes

  1. Digital Sovereignty, AI, and the Next 11,000 Days with CoreMedia’s Sören Stamer

    MAR 10

    Digital Sovereignty, AI, and the Next 11,000 Days with CoreMedia’s Sören Stamer

    From CD-ROMs to CMS to the next chapter of agentic AI, we’ve got a powerful episode of “The Critic’s Corner” podcast. We're reflecting on the last 11,000 days – that’s 30 years – with Sören Stamer, CEO and co-founder of CoreMedia. The digital experience leader joins us to talk about his company's three-decade journey and how lessons from the early web still shape today’s digital experience challenges. In the pod, Sören shares CoreMedia’s origin story, starting with deep database research at the University of Hamburg that led to building complex websites and media solutions. He shares his breakthrough moments working with the German Press Agency and learning to treat content as a structured, reusable asset built for real-time omnichannel delivery. The conversation then zooms out to the rising urgency of digital sovereignty. Sören unpacks how COVID-19, geopolitical tensions, and high-profile cloud outages have exposed the risks of over-reliance on hyperscalers, pushing enterprises and governments to rethink data control, regulation, and infrastructure strategy. We also explore why trust has become a decisive competitive factor, how open source AI models and composable architectures are shifting power dynamics, and where AI agents are already helping marketers and practitioners do more with less. As CoreMedia celebrates three decades of global growth – a milestone by any measure – Sören reflects on the next 11,000 days, arguing that durable advantage comes from solving deeper, repeatable problems rather than chasing every hype wave. From sovereignty-aware deployment options to AI-driven customer experiences, this episode offers a clear, strategic lens on how organizations can navigate an era defined by sovereignty, trust, and accelerating change. As Sören says of these halcyon days, “carpe diem.” Highlights • 00:00 – Opening thoughts on the state of the world and digital sovereignty • 03:51 – Meet Sören Stamer, CEO and co-founder of CoreMedia • 06:09 – From CD-ROMs to CMS, the origins of a digital experience pioneer • 07:27 – University roots and building early web systems in Hamburg • 10:12 – Content as an asset and lessons from real experience • 11:21 – Beyond Media: Real time content and scalability • 15:08 – Accessibility, languages, and local currencies as baseline experience • 18:54 – The geopolitics of digital sovereignty – Covid, supply chains, and more • 24:55 – At the mercy of hyperscalers and vendor lock-in • 26:14 – Trust erosion and the push for sovereign infrastructure • 30:05 – Europe’s dilemma: Regulation, GDPR, and a fragmented market • 34:40 – Startups, capital, and why European success often gets appropriated • 37:01 – “Sovereignty-aware” strategies: Composability, LLM choice, and open source • 43:23 – Agents everywhere: AI for customer service and marketer productivity • 50:26 – 11,000 Days: Meta problems, exponential change, and what really lasts • 54:25 – Beyond the hype: Metaverse and moving slower by design • 56:58 – Apple, trust, and long-term thinking: Closing reflections and “carpe diem” (Big thanks to Brian Kelly for composing and performing our amazing musical track)

    58 min
  2. A Tale of Two Phils: Exploring Umbraco's Open Source Vision for AI, MCP, and the Agentic Future

    FEB 15

    A Tale of Two Phils: Exploring Umbraco's Open Source Vision for AI, MCP, and the Agentic Future

    Two Phils. Two origin stories. And one open source platform that’s trying to do something very intentional in a very noisy AI era. In this episode of “The Critic’s Corner” podcast, we chat with some of the key voices shaping the future of Umbraco: CTO Filip Bech-Larsen and AI Staff Engineer Phil Whittaker. What unfolds is a wide-ranging, candid, and forward-looking conversation about how a famously “Friendly CMS” is approaching AI, MCP, and the emerging agentic landscape. In the pod, Filip and Phil share their parallel journeys to Umbraco, and how their experiences have shaped a belief that the real power lies not just in the product, but in a collaborative ecosystem where people can share ideas and solve problems. Together, they unpack how Umbraco is trying to stay true to these open source roots while still pushing into the next era of innovation. A central topic is the emergence of Model Context Protocol (MCP), and how it’s impacting Umbraco’s AI strategy. We dig into how Umbraco’s MCP server is a critical key to the future, unlocking the potential to accelerate and automate a wide range of connected capabilities – from Figma prototyping to migration. We also discuss Umbraco’s two-speed innovation model: a stable, predictable core that enterprises can depend on, and a fast-moving marketplace where partners and the community experiment with AI add-ons, agent workflows, and automation patterns. This approach aims to reduce “AI whiplash” while still delivering practical value for marketers and developers – especially around harder problems like context, experimentation, and personalization. If you care about the intersection of CMS, AI, and the open web, this episode will “phil” you up. Is it DRY or redundant? Anything but. Highlights • 00:00 – Opening thoughts and framing the “Tale of Two Phils” • 02:53 – The current state of AI in the CMS landscape • 07:49 – Umbraco’s strategic vision for AI and open source stewardship • 13:43 – What MCP is, and why it matters for interoperability • 20:43 – Agentic workflows: moving beyond prompts to orchestration • 28:55 – Governance, community, and the responsibility of open source in AI • 36:20 – Practical implications for agencies, developers, and enterprises • 45:28 – Where the hype cycle gets it wrong • 52:30 – The long-term roadmap and closing reflections (Big thanks to Brian Kelly for composing and performing our amazing musical track)

    58 min
  3. What is a CMS in 2026? Mark Demeny on AI, Content Supply Chains, and the Future of Content Management

    12/22/2025

    What is a CMS in 2026? Mark Demeny on AI, Content Supply Chains, and the Future of Content Management

    2025 saw a lot of change across the CMS landscape, and AI was at the center of it. As the year wraps, we’re left asking: What is a CMS in 2026? How is its role transforming? And most importantly, how will it continue to deliver value? To answer these questions, we sit down with the ever-brilliant Mark Demeny, one of the leading minds in the content management space. Drawing on his deep resume of experience – from Sitecore to Optimizely to Uniform – Mark gives us a real-world perspective on what’s ahead in 2026 and beyond. Against a backdrop of AI disruption, new DX buzzwords, and shifting buyer expectations, Mark unpacks how the CMS is being reshaped by market forces. He examines it all through a composable lens, sharing some of his experience with the MACH Alliance and his work on the Open Data Model and its implications for composability, interoperability, and AI orchestration. Mark also explores recent challenges to the perception of CMS as AI offers an alternative to SaaS software. While this shift in choice is gaining traction, Mark reminds us of the importance of governance and trust when powering complex workloads – and why a proven CMS is still essential to the stack. In the second half, Mark explains how the future of CMS lies with the “content supply chain,” and how this will require new thinking for editors and operators in the age of AI. We also get a preview of a new book he’s co-writing with fellow CMS luminary Deane Barker, aimed at helping practitioners navigate this shift from traditional content management to AI-powered, system-level thinking. There are no crystal balls to tell us what’s ahead, but Mark is as close to prescient as we can get. If you’re buying, building, or rethinking your CMS and DX strategies next year, this is a must-listen episode. ------------------------------- Episode Runtime: 55:10 Highlights: • 00:00 – Intro • 04:59 – Mark Demeny • 06:07 – Legos as "stress therapy" and composable analogy • 09:58 – Redefining CMS • 18:06 – AI's impacy and the role of governance • 20:47 – Managing the "content supply chain" • 27:30 – The chaos of versions and variants • 33:47 – Friction and AI failure • 37:28 – The role of agents • 39:53 – The future of content roles and jobs • 49:05 – A new book with Deane Barker • 54:05 – Wrap up (Big thanks to Brian Kelly for composing and performing our amazing musical track)

    55 min
  4. The Headless Holodeck: Joel Varty on Warp-Speed Demos, AI, and the Next Generation of CMS

    11/15/2025

    The Headless Holodeck: Joel Varty on Warp-Speed Demos, AI, and the Next Generation of CMS

    Critic’s Log, Stardate 1115.25: On this episode of “The Critic’s Corner” podcast, we’ve got Joel Varty in the captain’s chair! As CTO of Agility CMS, a Canadian-based headless content management system, he’s working at the (final) frontier of AI, and has some interstellar ideas about the “Next Generation” of CMS. As AI and agentic strategies transform the landscape, CMS and DXP vendors are exploding with new AI-powered features and capabilities. But in many ways, our AI roadmaps are converging, and it’s not always clear where we’re headed. What does the future of content management look like? What happens to websites in this new quadrant – and how do businesses continue to thrive? Joel tackles these questions during the pod, unpacking the AI dilemma with decades of foundational experience. He’s working at the edge of innovation, and recently won the “CMS Idol” competition at the Boye & Company CMS Connect conference in Montreal, where he delivered a real-time, vibe-coded solution at warp speed. He talks about the experience, how demos are an “art form,” and the importance of taking risks to highlight value. As a leader at a headless CMS vendor, Joel shares how composable platforms like Agility are unlocking the potential for AI, and where MCP – Model Context Protocol – is expanding the possibilities for harnessing AI at scale. As Joel says, we’re not on the holodeck yet with what AI can do, but the benefits are materializing. We discuss how CMS is evolving, not dying as some might suggest, and how the unique tooling and governance that platforms provide are the keys to positioning competitive value. We also talk about the human side of where we’re at. Nerd moment: As Captain Jean-Luc Picard said in STNG season 1, episode 26: “We work to better ourselves.” That’s the world Joel wants us to discover, and AI can get us there. He also "beams up" our spirits with wisdom from growing up on a farm, embracing theater, and playing football in college – and how it all prepared him for navigating the stars. As you might expect from a Star Trek fan, Joel is an intrepid explorer. On this episode, he provides positive yet pragmatic insight about the future, boldly guiding us to where no CMS has gone before. ------------------------------- Episode Runtime: 52:31 Highlights: • 00:00 – Intro • 04:23 – CMS Idol Competition • 07:16 – Developer Experience and AI Utility • 10:46 – Theater, Sports, and Leadership • 16:51 – Headless CMS and AI Integration • 22:50 – CMS Evolution, Value, and Decision Frameworks • 30:35 – The Future of Websites and Digital Brand Experience • 33:02 – Engaged Digital Audiences and Unique Experiences • 36:01 – MCP and AI Agent Tooling • 41:10 – Educating the Next Generation and Community Wisdom • 44:44 – Building Trust, Partnerships, and Customer Loyalty • 49:36 – Vision, Leadership, and Advice for the Industry (Big thanks to Brian Kelly for composing and performing our amazing musical track)

    53 min
  5. “If There Is a Will, There Is a Way” with Jasmin Guthmann

    09/10/2025

    “If There Is a Will, There Is a Way” with Jasmin Guthmann

    This episode of “The Critic’s Corner” is downright inspiring. The ever-astounding Jasmin Guthmann joins us to talk tech, AI, the MACH Alliance, and, most importantly, how to find our passions and achieve our dreams. A veteran of the CMS and DXP industry and an experienced digital agency maven, Jasmin talks shop about her journey into the technology field, and how hard work and commitment helped convert opportunities into reality. We discuss her leadership role at the MACH Alliance and its current evolution in the agentic era, and she gives some sage advice to vendors and agencies about adapting to this disruptive new AI paradigm. In her new book, “If There Is a Will, There Is a Way,” the accomplished digital leader, Ironman triathlete, and industry luminary shares big-picture mindsets and practical ideas for dreaming big, taking bold action, and mastering the behaviors that can lead to success. She gets real about her early challenges and how she eventually found a passion that “lit her up like a Christmas Tree.” Borrowing from her professional trials and tribulations, Jasmin’s book offers a framework for navigating authentic and illusory goals and uncovering your “True North.” She shares strategies for planning, taking incremental steps, and “getting shit done.” She also highlights the resistance around time and the urgent need to make space – and how saying “no” is your real superpower. Regardless of your field or background, “If There Is a Will, There Is a Way” is a fantastic primer for inspiring bold action toward your dreams. Whether you’re considering a new personal goal (like running a marathon) or a big shift in your career, this quick read will give you practical tools, a relatable foundation, and a whole lot of hope that you can get what you want from life. Ready to be inspired? Get your copy of the book at: https://www.amazon.com/If-There-Will-Way/dp/1035879395 Highlights: - Introduction – 0:00 - 4:47 - The Ironman and the love of running - 5:00 - From agency to CMS - 10:42 - Composable and the MACH Alliance - 13:08 - Better together - 16:56 - How agencies are embracing AI - 23:28 - If there is a will, there is a way - 26:43 - How to get shit done - 36:51 - Time is the enemy - 41:39 - Saying “no” is your superpower - 42:45 - Where to get the book - 48:02 (Big thanks to Brian Kelly for composing and performing our amazing musical track)

    52 min
  6. Ari Paparo on "Yield: How Google Bought, Built, and Bullied Its Way to Advertising Dominance"

    08/15/2025

    Ari Paparo on "Yield: How Google Bought, Built, and Bullied Its Way to Advertising Dominance"

    On the latest episode of "The Critic's Corner" podcast, we're joined by advertising industry veteran and digital media luminary Ari Paparo, author of an epic new book that chronicles the incredible rise and turbulent antitrust fallout of Google's ad empire. In "Yield: How Google Bought, Built, and Bullied Its Way to Advertising Dominance," Ari tells the strange and often sordid story of Google's evolution from search king to ad monopolizer, wielding a stranglehold over text and display advertising while bending partners – and the market – to its will. In our conversation, Ari shares his journey from Manhattan's heralded advertising nucleus to the new digital frontier, and how his role at DoubleClick led him to the halls of Google as it was building a hegemony over its ad tech competitors. We discuss the impact of ad exchanges, the manipulation of the buying and selling paradigm, and the unethical practices that consumed the marketplace on all sides. We also touch on reactive trends like header bidding (one of many strange terms in the programmatic advertising lexicon), and the cohort of tech and publishing players that tried to correct the course. Ari lays out when the legal challenges began for the Big G, covering the current state of the antitrust suit and ensuing cases. He even reflects on camping out at the Virginia courthouse where the trial took place, chronicling the legal proceedings in a daily newsletter. What happens next? Well, as you might have guessed, AI is profoundly affecting everything. We discuss how Google's omnipresence has forever altered advertising, journalism, and the notion of "the open web," and Ari offers some observations about the business models of the future. We also talk about the risks of breaking up the ad giant, and what it means for the industry at large. This book is challenging, engaging, and beautifully crafted. It offers a well-balanced exchange of gripping narrative with technical exposition, giving you a deeper understanding of how the field of digital advertising functioned under Google's rule. If you're a marketer, this book is for you. If you're a tech hawk that's obsessed with unpacking the cultural dysfunction of Silicon Valley, this book is for you. And if you're a fan of documentary-style stories about unthinkable corporate profiteering and legal drama, this book is definitely for you. • Ari is the CEO of Marketecture Media, a network of podcasts and events in the digital media business. Learn more at https://news.marketecture.tv/ • Get your copy of the book at: https://www.amazon.com/Yield-Google-Bullied-Advertising-Dominance/dp/B0F67HV2BB Highlights: - Introduction - 0:00 – 5:30 - From dotcom to Doubleclick to Google - 8:48 - The financialization of digital advertising and the rise of exchanges - 14:33 - Everyone's cheating - 20:01 - Header bidding and striking back - 23:25 - Tracking the Google antitrust case - 26:24 - The impact of AI - 37:07 - The future of advertising, journalism, and "The Open Web" - 40:37 (Big thanks to Brian Kelly for composing and performing our amazing musical track)

    45 min
  7. Asteroids and Dinosaurs: A Moment in Time on AI, Commerce, and CMS with Kelly Goetsch

    08/02/2025

    Asteroids and Dinosaurs: A Moment in Time on AI, Commerce, and CMS with Kelly Goetsch

    Today on "The Critic's Corner" Podcast, we’re talking asteroids and dinosaurs (and other stuff) with Kelly Goetsch, COO at Pipe17 – a leading order management system (OMS) for e-commerce, 3PLs, and large brands. You might know Kelly from his previous gig at commercetools, a headless commerce platform, where he was instrumental in the company’s aggressive growth. He’s also been a fixture within the MACH Alliance since its founding, and continues to play a role in the composable technology ecosystem. In our conversation, Kelly shares his recent brush with "abysmal" CX through a retail TV purchase, opening up the subject of “enshittification” – a fun new term that defines the process whereby online platforms, initially offering a positive user experience, degrade in quality over time as profit takes over. Kelly gets real about what’s at stake as consumers seek new and better ways to search and engage with brands – namely, AI-powered answer engines like ChatGPT. He likened the coming change to that moment when an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs. Dark? Sure. But from the ashes rose a new life, and he sees the same potential. Within that, we talk about CMS and its category challenges. He asked recently in a LinkedIn post if we really need another content management system in an already crowded and mature space. As the AI phenomenon continues to shift expectations, he’s focusing beyond the legacy “dinosaur” story. “Value is not created by that which is different, but that which is unique,” he said. “That's something that took me a while to fully understand, but it's true. There are a lot of legacy platforms, or even newer versions, but still fundamentally legacy approaches.” We also chat about Kelly’s origin story and how learning to be a resourceful builder early in his career unlocked critical thinking, which has served him well in his leadership roles. Asteroids… dinosaurs... could this be the end as we know it? Maybe. But as Kelly maintains, this is where the opportunity lies for something new to emerge. So things get a little dark, but there's some light at the end of the tunnel. We promise. It's a fascinating discussion, and we hope you enjoy it. Highlights: - Introduction - 0:00 – 4:11 - Kelly's “Origin Story” - 4:25 - Asteroids and Dinosaurs: AI, CMS, and What’s Ahead: 19:30 (Big thanks to Brian Kelly for composing and performing our amazing musical track)

    48 min
  8. The Future of WordPress and Securing the Software Supply Chain with Karim Marucchi

    05/31/2025

    The Future of WordPress and Securing the Software Supply Chain with Karim Marucchi

    On this episode of "The Critic's Corner" Podcast, we’re healing the open sores of open source with Karim Marucchi, CEO of Crowd Favorite – a client services firm specializing in digital strategy and open source development for Fortune 500 and enterprise organizations. With the WordPress ecosystem still reeling from the Automattic/WP Engine debacle, Karim joins us for some candid talk about trust. As an industry luminary and leading figure in the global WordPress community, he’s been a vocal presence throughout this evolving public battle, helping to shape a new direction for content management while bringing calm to the chaos. In our conversation, Karim provides a frank assessment of what’s really at stake for the world’s largest open source CMS project – and why securing the software supply chain is, in his words, "absolutely mandatory." We cover both the technology and business dynamics, and how the WordPress community is at the heart of everything. As he observes, “We need a flourishing ecosystem that can’t be manipulated by one company or one set of companies.” Despite the continuing legal and social challenges, Karim doubles down on the benefits of open source and how it’s the true bedrock of composability. We also touch on the modern relevance of WordPress, particularly for new talent entering the software field. We even hit everyone’s favorite subject of AI and its open source implications, particularly as developers focus more on architecture over code, and where he sees the real advantages of automation. Karim also reminds us that this is one moment in time, and that there’s still joy in the journey to open source. There’s a lot still left to solve, but this episode will leave you asking the right questions – and feeling more intelligent, enlightened, and even optimistic about what’s next. Highlights: - Introduction: - 0:00 - 1:24 - Overview of WordPress: 2:40 - The “WordPress Drama” with Automattic and WP Engine: 4:04 - Introduction to Karim Marucchi: 5:40 - Interview with Karim Marucchi: 7:19 (Big thanks to Brian Kelly for composing and performing our amazing musical track)

    1h 1m
  9. Designing Content Authoring Experiences with Greg Dunlap

    03/13/2025

    Designing Content Authoring Experiences with Greg Dunlap

    On our very first episode of "The Critic's Corner" Podcast, we chat with Greg Dunlap about his new book, "Designing Content Authoring Experiences." Currently the Director of Content Strategy at Bixal – a digital agency – Greg takes us on his personal journey from the backwaters of static HTML files in the '90s to consolidating a "content management morass" at the Seattle Times with Drupal. Now, he's taken all that experience and wisdom and turned it into an engaging book that's both refreshing and revelatory. In the episode, we discuss the challenges that both content creators and organizations face, and how we can strike a better balance by listening to authors. The book provides a welcome primer on critical topics, and we touch on many of them – including accessibility, prototyping, documentation, and more. Greg also gives us his take on the inescapable topic of AI (hint: it's not what you might expect). It's a fascinating conversation and the book is a must-read for content professionals at any level. Highlights: - Introducing “The Critic’s Corner” Podcast - 0:00 - 2:40 - About the episode: 2:40 - Greg's background and journey to CMS: 5:53 - Digging into the book: 15:22 Learn more and get your copy today at www.authoringexperience.com (Big thanks to Brian Kelly for composing and performing our amazing musical track)

    50 min
  • 9 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Explore the contentverse with Matt Garrepy, Chief Critic at CMSCritic.com, as he talks to the leading minds shaping the future of content management and digital experiences. From personalization to ontology to AI, Matt peruses a wide range of relevant topics with intriguing and influential guests. On "The Critic's Corner," you'll hear from industry watchers, analysts, content practitioners, developers, and C-level leaders across the vendor, agency, and customer segments. Tune in and learn about the innovation that's changing the CMS landscape – and the visionary people and technologies at the edge of it all. Since 2008, we've had our eye on CMS. Join us to see (and hear) what's next.

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