The Tech Trek

What if your infrastructure could predict demand before it happens? In this episode, Nilo Rahmani, CEO and co-founder of Thoras AI, breaks down how predictive scaling is transforming the Kubernetes landscape. With over a decade of experience in site reliability engineering, Nilo shares why the observability market is slower to adopt AI—and why that might finally be changing. If you're navigating the pressures of DevOps or building AI tools for technical teams, this conversation is a must-listen. Key Takeaways AI adoption in reliability engineering isn’t about replacing humans—it’s about reducing fire drills and enabling better decision-making. Predictive scaling using ML can dramatically cut cloud costs and reduce latency—without compromising reliability. DevOps teams remain cautious with AI due to the high stakes of downtime and the need for human-in-the-loop decision-making. The best tools won’t just optimize infrastructure—they’ll increase engineer confidence and operational readiness. Nilo's founder journey started with a thesis and became unstoppable once she “couldn’t unsee the better way.” Timestamped Highlights [01:02] What Thoras AI actually does—and how it tackles the double challenge of utilization and cost [03:12] Why reliability engineering is a high-stakes, thankless job and how AI can change that [08:54] Can AI fully handle outages at 2 a.m.? Why human-in-the-loop still matters [13:22] The low-hanging fruit: where ML delivers value fast in infrastructure planning [17:56] Increasing confidence, not replacing engineers—rethinking developer experience with AI [24:38] Nilo’s founder story: from SRE to CEO, driven by a problem too obvious to ignore Quote of the Episode “I couldn’t unsee that there’s a better way. Using machine learning to make decisions in reliability engineering is the obvious next step.” Resources Mentioned Thoras AI: thoras.ai Connect with Nilo on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nilo-devops Call to Action Enjoyed this episode? Share it with someone who lives on-call or is building for DevOps teams. Subscribe on your favorite platform and leave a review—it helps more tech professionals discover the show.

What happens when UX design collides with generative AI? In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Mickey Alon, CEO and co-founder of Eucera, to explore how AI-first design is redefining SaaS product experiences. Mickey shares his vision for conversational UX, why menus are becoming obsolete, and how intelligent agents will soon become the most valuable “team member” in your product. If you build, lead, or design in tech—this one will get you thinking differently. Key Takeaways • Traditional UI can't keep up with modern feature sets—AI-first UX unlocks faster access to value • Conversational interfaces offer personalization and productivity that static workflows can't match • User expectations are evolving rapidly thanks to tools like ChatGPT—SaaS must catch up • AI-first design challenges product teams to rethink roadmaps, roles, and even user trust • Future UX will be hybrid: visual, prompt-driven, and increasingly agentic Timestamped Highlights 03:12 — Why traditional menus break as SaaS features grow 04:45 — The gap between AI-powered hype and true AI-first product experiences 08:25 — How AI can personalize UX based on user skill level and intent 17:50 — The need for audit trails and observability in AI-driven workflows 21:30 — Will UX roles shrink or expand in the age of AI-first design? 25:20 — What happens when every product is just an agent? Where do you differentiate? Quote of the Episode “The companies that will deliver AI-first experiences will outperform—because you're deploying the best person in the company, which is the agent, to assist any number of users in real time.” Call to Action If this episode made you rethink the future of product design, share it with a teammate or PM who needs to hear it. Subscribe to The Tech Trek for more smart conversations at the edge of tech, product, and leadership. And connect with Mickey Alon on LinkedIn if you want to dive deeper into AI-first UX.

How do we ship code faster without sacrificing quality or accountability? Greg Foster, co-founder and CTO at Graphite, joins the show to unpack how AI is reshaping code reviews, developer workflows, and the very definition of software engineering. From AI-assisted reviews to the challenge of maintaining context in a world of auto-generated code, Greg shares hard-won insights from the front lines of dev tools innovation. If you care about shipping fast, staying secure, and evolving your engineering org for what’s next — this one’s for you. Key Takeaways • Code review is becoming more about collaboration and less about bug catching • AI-generated code introduces a new challenge: how engineers maintain context without writing the code themselves • Developer experience is shifting toward orchestration, not just authorship — prompting, reviewing, shipping, and owning • Stack-based workflows are essential for speed, safety, and parallel progress in an AI-assisted world • Even with AI in the loop, human accountability — especially for security and architecture — remains critical Timestamped Highlights 2:10 – Why Graphite calls itself “code review for the age of AI” 4:50 – What code review really means today (hint: it's not just about bugs) 8:40 – The hidden cost of losing context when you’re not writing the code 12:05 – How the developer experience is evolving with AI-generated code 16:10 – Is tech debt still a problem if code becomes disposable? 21:00 – Inner vs. outer loops of development — and why the bottleneck is shifting 26:10 – Why we hold AI to a higher standard than human engineers Quote of the Episode “We used to get context for free — just by writing the code. But in a world of AI code gen, we’re going to need new ways to absorb and maintain that context.” – Greg Foster Resources Mentioned Graphite: https://graphite.dev Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregmfoster Email Greg: greg@graphite.dev Pro Tips Stack your PRs to keep shipping fast and safely. Whether it’s AI or human writing the code, small, parallelized changes are easier to review, test, and deploy — especially when you're operating at high velocity. Call to Action Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a fellow engineer, follow the show, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more insights like this, connect with us on LinkedIn or subscribe to our newsletter.

What does it take to build startups that last and come back for more? In this episode, Amir sits down with Russ Fradin, serial founder, longtime investor, and now CEO of Larridn. With nearly 30 years of experience and billions raised across multiple ventures, Russ shares what he’s learned about founding companies, hiring the right people, navigating pivots, and representing other people’s money with integrity. This isn’t a highlight reel. It’s a grounded, real-world look at what actually makes a great founder. Key Takeaways • Great founders haven’t changed. The barriers to entry have • The best ideas evolve constantly. Early-stage success is about the team • Founding with the right people creates longevity and joy in the journey • Angel investors are betting on judgment, not just ideas • Fulfillment comes from building with people you respect and admire Timestamped Highlights 00:53 Why Russ and his co-founder launched Larridn to reimagine productivity in the age of AI 03:48 Lessons from 29 years of company building, from pre-Netscape to today 05:36 How the startup world has changed and what hasn’t since the 90s 12:06 What makes the journey worthwhile even when startups fail 14:56 How Russ chose the right co-founders and why it still matters most 17:52 Knowing which idea to chase and when to pivot with purpose 21:24 What representing other people’s money really means to him as a founder and angel investor Quote of the Episode “There’s just nothing better you can do with your time than go to work every day trying to build something amazing with amazing people.” Pro Tips When choosing your next venture, ask: where do I have unfair advantage? It’s not just about solving a big problem. It’s about solving the one you’re uniquely qualified to tackle. Call to Action Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a founder or investor in your circle. Subscribe to The Tech Trek for more conversations with leaders who’ve done the work and are still doing it. Follow Amir on LinkedIn for more insights and episode drops.

What do founders get wrong when trying to build a startup? Jeff Gibson, CTO and co-founder at Kintsugi, joins the show to break down how he approaches building around real business problems—not flashy features. Drawing from pre-IPO roles at Atlassian and his journey scaling Kintsugi, Jeff shares why understanding cash flow, revenue mechanics, and operational bottlenecks is critical for building something that lasts. Whether you're a startup founder or tech leader, this one’s full of sharp insights on building with purpose. Key Takeaways • Solving “boring” problems can be wildly valuable—if you understand where the money flows • Great businesses start with a clear grasp of what companies actually value, not just what users say they want • Pre-IPO cleanup reveals hidden complexity in compliance, revenue recognition, and internal tooling • Pivoting without a strong North Star leads to wasted cycles; solve for the cause, not just symptoms • Not every successful business needs to be venture scale—but it does need to be viable and focused Timestamped Highlights 01:17 — What Kintsugi actually does, and why indirect tax is a massive hidden challenge 03:49 — The “pre-IPO cleanup” playbook and how it shaped Jeff’s understanding of business systems 06:52 — Why chasing product-market fit is risky if you don’t deeply understand the business problem 09:44 — Talking to 100 customers before writing a single line of code 12:57 — The opportunity in low-innovation, high-value spaces (think CRMs, billing, compliance) 16:44 — Niche wins: why a $10M business in a focused segment can be more valuable than chasing unicorn status Quote of the Episode “You don’t want to find a boring problem that’s commoditized. You want a boring problem that’s valuable.” Resources Mentioned • Kintsugi: https://www.kintsugi.com Call to Action If you found Jeff’s insights helpful, follow The Tech Trek for more conversations with builders and leaders shaping the future of tech. Share this episode with a founder friend, and don’t forget to subscribe wherever you listen. Want to keep the conversation going? Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn.