Episodes

  • How Agentic Engineering Is Replacing Entire Dev Teams and Exposing System Failures with Paul Seibert

    How Agentic Engineering Is Replacing Entire Dev Teams and Exposing System Failures with Paul Seibert
    Apr 17 2026
    In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization Podcast, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo along with Guest Paul Seibert, eCommerce Director of Oracle | NetSuite ERP, SuiteCommerce Advanced, Shopify Plus at Seibert Consulting Group and Founding Member of San Diego Tech Hub talks about the hidden failure modes of software projects through the lens of forensic analysis, legal accountability, and emerging AI-driven development models. The conversation explores how multimillion-dollar software collapses happen, what warning signs teams miss, and how agentic engineering is reshaping the future of software teams.Paul Seibert is a seasoned software expert witness, forensic analyst, and consultant specializing in high-stakes litigation and enterprise systems. With experience testifying in federal bankruptcy cases and exposing systemic data vulnerabilities in major tech platforms, Paul brings a rare combination of technical, legal, and ethical insight into how software systems fail and what organizations must do to prevent it.Expect to Learn- How to identify early forensic “fingerprints” of failing software projects- The role of contracts, statements of work, and financial data in uncovering fraud- Why AI is transforming legal discovery and reducing law firm headcount- When engineers have a moral obligation to become whistleblowers- How agentic engineering is redefining team structure and developer productivityEpisode Breakdown with Timestamps[00:00:00] - Teaser[00:00:47] - Introduction & Guest Background[00:01:48] - Spotting Failing Projects Early[00:03:24] - Forensic Accounting & Fraud Indicators[00:05:03] - AI’s Impact on Legal Discovery (ESI)[00:09:10] - Fraud: Intent vs Systemic Failure[00:11:10] - The Critical Role of Statements of Work[00:14:40] - Whistleblowing & Ethical Responsibility[00:17:51] - Who Owns Responsibility: Customer vs Corporation?[00:23:26] - Agentic Engineering vs Traditional Teams[00:26:56] - Avoiding the “Technical Debt Grave” with AI[00:28:44] - Human + AI: The New Engineering Partnership[00:33:33] - The Future of Engineering Careers[00:40:18] - Closing Thoughts & Where to Find Paul📱 Follow the Guest Paul Seibert:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulseibert1/👉Company Profile on LinkedIn:Seibert Consulting Group: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seibertconsulting/San Diego Tech Hub: https://www.linkedin.com/company/san-diego-tech-hub/👉Company Profile on Instagram:Seibert Consulting Group: https://www.instagram.com/seibertconsultinggroup/San Diego Tech Hub: https://www.instagram.com/sandiegotechhub/👉Company Profile on Facebook:San Diego Tech Hub: https://www.facebook.com/SanDiegoTechHub/👉Company Website:Seibert Consulting Group: https://www.seibertconsulting.com/📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/📱 Follow Holonic:👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/
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    41 mins
  • How to Translate Business Strategy into Code That Actually Ships with Craig Klein

    How to Translate Business Strategy into Code That Actually Ships with Craig Klein
    Apr 10 2026
    In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo talk with Craig Klein, President & CEO of SalesNexus and Official Member of Forbes Agency Council. The conversation explores why traditional empathy-driven approaches often fail with developers and how aligning teams through logic, economics, and human understanding can unlock high-performance collaboration. They unpack the psychology behind developers, the evolution of product-minded engineers, and how AI is reshaping the future of software development.With over two decades of experience at the intersection of sales strategy and engineering execution, Craig specializes in translating business needs into technical outcomes. His unique perspective blends sales psychology, product thinking, and real-world leadership experience, making him a powerful voice on aligning teams across disciplines.Expect to Learn - Why developers respond better to logic and economics than user personas - How to bridge the gap between sales, product, and engineering teams - The real role of product managers: translator, bridge, or something else - How AI is changing the role of developers and what won’t change - Practical strategies for building trust, communication, and high-performing teams Episode Breakdown with Timestamps[00:00:00] – Teaser[00:00:49] – Introduction[00:05:39] – Why Engineers Prefer Economics Over Empathy[00:10:03] – Does Business Context Change Code Quality?[00:11:43] – Misconceptions Between Developers & Customers[00:14:20] – The True Role of Product Managers[00:19:07] – Building Trust & Understanding Motivation[00:22:08] – Why Team-Building Events are Important?[00:25:13] – Lessons Learned: Hiring & Product Leadership[00:35:58] – The Future of Developers in an AI-Driven[00:41:05] – Human vs AI in Hiring[00:44:29] – Evolution of the Product-Minded Engineers[00:47:46] – Building AI-Powered Sales Tools[00:52:19] – Managing Distributed Engineering[01:00:52] – Final Thoughts on Alignment & Team[01:02:59] – Where to Find Craig & Closing Remarks📱 Follow the Guest Craig Klein:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kleincraig/👉Company Facebook:Sales Nexus: https://www.facebook.com/SalesNexusCRMForbes Agency Council: https://www.facebook.com/ForbesCouncils/👉Company Instagram:Forbes Agency Council:https://www.instagram.com/Forbes_Councils/👉Company LinkedIn:Sales Nexus: https://www.linkedin.com/company/salesnexus/Forbes Agency Council: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forbesagencycouncil/👉Company Website:Sales Nexus: https://salesnexus.com/Forbes Agency Council: https://councils.forbes.com/forbesagencycouncil📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/📱 Follow Holonic:👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • The Remote Team Blueprint for Startup Founders to Build Engineering Culture that Scales - Ariel Ades

    The Remote Team Blueprint for Startup Founders to Build Engineering Culture that Scales - Ariel Ades
    Mar 27 2026
    In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo talk with Ariel Ades, former Co-founder and CTO of TBM Labs and previously Senior Engineering Manager at iConnections and Holonic. The conversation explores how culture, hiring philosophy, and resilience shape successful teams from the ground up. Ariel Ades shares lessons from scaling engineering teams across fintech and healthcare, with a focus on nearshore talent, remote leadership, and navigating failure as a core part of innovation.Ariel Ades is an experienced engineering leader with over 25 years in the tech industry. He has played a pivotal role in building and scaling teams in fintech and healthcare, including serving as the first engineer at a startup where he shaped both the technical architecture and company culture. Ariel specializes in nearshore team building, distributed systems, and leadership strategies that blend technical excellence with human-centered thinking.Expect to Learn-How to build strong engineering culture from day one-Why understanding the “why” behind a product drives team performance- The real advantages of nearshore teams beyond cost savings-How to use failure as a strategic learning tool in startups- Why hiring for mindset and passion beats hiring for resumeEpisode Breakdown with Timestamps[00:00:00] – Teaser[00:01:20] – Introduction [00:02:57] – Building Culture as the First Engineer[00:06:02] – Early Hiring Mistakes & Team Growth[00:07:48] – Learning Through Failure[00:10:53] – The Problem with “Routine” Post-Mortems[00:13:57] – The First User Failure Story[00:18:38] – Nearshore Teams: Myth vs Reality[00:24:44] – Trust vs Control in Remote Leadership[00:37:40] – Common Mistakes in Remote Engineering Management[00:41:46] – AI vs Human Engineers[01:00:00] – Closing Thoughts & Where to Find Ariel📱 Follow the Guest Ariel Ades:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariel-ades/👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ariel.ades/👉Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariel.ades/👉Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tbm-labs/👉Company Website: https://tbmlabs.com/📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/ 📱 Follow Holonic:👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • The Truth About Scaling Dev Teams Without Funding in a World of AI and Mistrust with Sol Nasisi

    The Truth About Scaling Dev Teams Without Funding in a World of AI and Mistrust with Sol Nasisi
    Mar 13 2026
    In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo talk with Sol Nasisi is an Executive Director of Digital Marketing at Bentley University, also Co-founder of Chainletter Labs and Founder of Booksie. He is an entrepreneur who has built several companies with intentionally small engineering teams. Together, they talk about the philosophy behind running lean, agile teams, the challenges of scaling without compromising speed, and how blockchain can help solve the pressing issue of authenticity in the age of AI-generated content.Sol’s journey spans startups like Bentley Bookie and Chain Letter, where he focused on making sure documents and data are verifiable in a world where everything can be manipulated. If you’re curious about building efficient teams, scaling trust, and exploring blockchain solutions to verify digital assets, this episode is for you. With years of experience working with small, agile teams, Sol shares his insights on optimizing team dynamics and navigating the challenges of growing a business without losing momentum.What You’ll Learn:- Building Efficient Teams: Why keeping engineering teams small can lead to faster innovation and more flexibility.- Challenges of Scaling: How to know when it’s time to grow your team and the factors to consider when expanding.- Blockchain for Authenticity: How blockchain can ensure that documents and content haven’t been altered, especially in the age of AI manipulation.- Trust and Transparency: Why trust is crucial in both teams and products, and how it can be scaled through technology.- Bootstrapping vs. Raising Capital: Sol’s personal philosophy on growing a business without relying on outside investment.Timestamps:[00:00] – Teaser[00:59] – Introduction of Sol Nasisi[07:24] – The Balance of Scaling the Team[09:55] – The Decision Not to Raise Venture Capital[11:53] – The Importance of Dependability in Hiring[16:04] – Trust and Philosophies in Development[24:26] – Tackling the Question of Trust in AI-Generated Content[26:39] – Blockchain’s Role in Establishing Truth[34:55] – Future Applications & Chain Letter’s Upcoming Developments[37:01] – Closing Thoughts📱 Follow the Guest Sol Nasisi:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/solnasisi/ 👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sol.nasisi/ 📱 Follow Guest Companies:👉 Bentley University LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/bentley-university/ 👉 Bentley University Website: https://www.bentley.edu/ 👉 Bentley University Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bentleyu/?hl=en 👉 Chainletter Labs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chainletter-labs/ 👉 Chainletter Labs Website: https://chainletterlabs.com/ 👉 Booksie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/booksie-thenextbigwriter-llc/ 👉 Booksie Website: https://www.booksie.com/ 👉 Booksie Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/booksiewriting/mentions/ 📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/ 👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/📱 Follow Holonic:👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/ 👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/
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    38 mins
  • How Startup Founders Can Avoid MVP Failure and Build Validated Products Using AI with Tom Green

    How Startup Founders Can Avoid MVP Failure and Build Validated Products Using AI with Tom Green
    Mar 6 2026
    In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo talk with Tom Green, Co-founder and CEO of Verticode where he breaks down how early-stage founders especially non-technical ones, can move from idea to market faster by working backward from value, validating before building, and using tight feedback loops to avoid expensive mistakes.Verticode, a product studio that helps founders launch MVPs quickly while reducing risk and avoiding the typical sunk-cost trap of early product development. He’s worked hands-on with early-stage startups many led by non-technical founders and draws on experience from corporate product environments and startup building in the Bay Area.Expect to Learn- Why MVP success starts before a single line of code through validation and clarity- How Verti Code’s two-week sprint model differs from traditional dev agencies- Where AI helps founders most and where it can quietly hurt them- What “good vs. bad” scaling looks like after early traction especially with dev teams- Why Tom believes founders should prioritize sales over fundraisingEpisode Breakdown with Timestamps[00:00:00] - Teaser[00:01:21] - Introduction to Tom Green[00:02:27] - Tom’s “MVP pain” realization: corporate vs startup MVP reality[00:04:02] - Tom’s path: Amex → first startup attempt → Berkeley → founder lessons[00:08:33] - What makes Verti Code different: speed, transparency, productized sprints, AI guardrails[00:13:01] - Common founder mistake: thinking validation starts after building[00:19:15] - MVP risk + funding: why pre-seed is tough + “skin in the game”[00:22:09] - AI shortcuts: what they help with vs what founders must still own[00:26:58] - After MVP: avoiding vendor lock-in, iterating well, and scaling safely[00:34:27] - The “silver bullet”: prioritize sales over fundraising[00:37:42] - What’s next: building a founder community across regions[00:39:11] - Conclusion📱 Follow the Guest Tom Green :👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-green-vtcd/👉 Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/verticodevb/👉 Company Website: https://www.verticode.co.uk/👉 Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_verticode_👉 Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verticode/mentions/📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/📱 Follow Holonic:👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/
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    41 mins
  • The Startup Founders Can Hire Grit Over Résumés and Build the Right Team Culture with Adam Ahmad

    The Startup Founders Can Hire Grit Over Résumés and Build the Right Team Culture with Adam Ahmad
    Feb 27 2026
    In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization Podcast, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo interviews Adam Ahmad the Founder and CEO of Kea, to explore what it really takes to build high-performing teams. From early-stage chaos to scaling with intention, this conversation pulls back the curtain on hiring, culture, ego, and trust in modern startups.Kea, an AI-powered voice platform helping restaurants automate and improve ordering experiences. Previously, Adam co-founded an early food delivery company that directly competed with what would later become DoorDash, earning him a place on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. His career spans marketplace startups, acquisitions, and leading distributed teams in a fast-moving AI landscape.Expect to LearnHow early startup experiences shape leadership and hiring philosophyWhy hiring “big-name” talent doesn’t always work in early-stage companiesHow to identify ego vs. true ownership during interviewsThe shift from in-person to distributed teams and what was gainedHow Kea maintains speed, culture, and innovation while scalingWhy intentional in-person meetups still matter for remote teamsEpisode Timestamps[00:00] Teaser[01:31] Introduction of Guest[04:35] The Thiel Fellowship & Silicon Valley exposure[06:14] The food problem that sparked a startup idea[08:59] Competing with DoorDash in the early days[10:13] Early in-person teams & startup lessons[11:46] Hiring from big tech vs. startup-ready talent[13:17] Ego, ownership & building the right culture[14:36] Adam’s go-to interview question (zero to one)[17:38] Engineering culture & team velocity at Kea[19:18] Hacker mindset & staying innovative in AI[20:00] Flat structures & flexibility in early-stage startups[21:26] Scaling without losing culture[23:18] Why in-person meetups still matter for remote teams[29:23] Alignment, trust & long-term team impact[29:47] Technical interruption & recording wrap-up📱 Follow our Guest :👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-ahmad👉 Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/keaai👉 Company Website: https://kea.ai/📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/📱 Follow Holonic:👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/
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    32 mins
  • The Remote Work Culture for Startup Founders to Build Loyal Teams using Radical Trust - Asaf Darash

    The Remote Work Culture for Startup Founders to Build Loyal Teams using Radical Trust - Asaf Darash
    Feb 20 2026

    In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo talk with Asaf Darash, founder and CEO of Regpack, about the evolving dynamics of building and managing remote-first engineering teams. With distributed workforces becoming more common, the episode explores how shifting from presence-based to outcome-based management is transforming software companies. The conversation centers on how to build, retain, and empower high-performing engineering teams in a remote setting while maintaining company culture, productivity, and personal accountability.

    Asaf is a serial entrepreneur who turned his Ph.D. research into a thriving SaaS platform. He is known for his unique management philosophy, product-led growth mindset, and ability to foster autonomous, mission-driven teams. With over a decade of experience building distributed organizations, Asaf talks about how to make remote work not only function but thrive.

    Expect to Learn

    - Why remote work demands a fundamental shift from presence to outcome-focused management.

    - How to build trust and autonomy into distributed teams from day one.

    - The role of structured onboarding and training in long-term employee success.

    - Innovative QA strategies like client story-based testing and its impact on usability.

    - Why understanding client psychology is essential for engineering success.


    Episode Breakdown with Timestamps

    [00:00:00] - Teaser

    [00:00:50] - Introduction

    [00:01:49] - The Misconceptions of Remote Work

    [00:04:46] - Building Trust and Setting Remote Norms

    [00:11:03] - Hiring and Retaining Trustworthy Talent

    [00:13:06] - Autonomy and Ownership in Long-Term Retention

    [00:16:37] - Onboarding and Adapting to a Remote-First Culture

    [00:19:26] - Engineering with Client Psychology in Mind

    [00:26:16] - Redefining QA with Client Stories

    [00:33:10] - Instilling a Product Mindset in Engineers

    [00:35:44] - Cultural and Personal Traits of Effective Engineers

    [00:39:19] - From PhD Research to Regpack

    [00:41:51] - Closing Remarks


    📱 Follow our Guest :

    👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asafdarash/

    👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asaf.darash/

    👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asafdarash/

    👉 Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/regpack/

    👉 Company Website: https://www.regpacks.com/

    👉Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/regpacks/?hl=en

    👉Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Regpack/


    📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:

    👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/

    👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/


    📱 Follow Holonic:

    👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/

    👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/
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    46 mins
  • AI Team Building for CTOs to Redefine Developer Roles and Hiring in 2026 with Ry Walker

    AI Team Building for CTOs to Redefine Developer Roles and Hiring in 2026 with Ry Walker
    Feb 13 2026

    In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo talk with Ry Walker, Founder and CEO of Tembo, Partner at Fireroad, Managing Partner at Cincinnati Ventures and Managing Director at AnotherVenture. This episode digs into the “AI-first” shift in software teams: what it means to be an effective developer, when AI tools can generate code fast, and the bottleneck increasingly becomes evaluation, taste, and decision-making.

    Ry Walker is a technologist, founder, and investor based in Cincinnati. An AI engineering teammate designed to help fix bugs and ship features. Ry’s been building software since childhood, started a web design shop in the early internet era, and later founded Astronomer, giving him a long-range view of how tooling revolutions reshape teams and careers.

    Expect to Learn

    - Why “vibe-coding” is becoming a practical way to interview engineers in 2026

    - What “AI optimism” looks like in practice and how even small resistance slows teams

    - How AI shifts the work from writing code to evaluating and steering code

    - Why AI-era developers may become more “unicorn-like” generalists (not less skilled)

    - Predictions on org charts, new specialties and hiring workflows


    Episode Breakdown with Timestamps

    [00:00:00] – Teaser

    [00:01:10] – Introduction to Ry Walker

    [00:02:46] – Dropping out to move faster

    [00:06:35] – Grit, the Midwest “tech desert,” and learning before Google

    [00:09:09] – How to interview engineers in 2026

    [00:11:35] – AI as the primary teammate

    [00:16:48] – Legacy devs, artisan coding, and offshore leveling

    [00:23:54] – AI-led interviews, “cyborg” processes, and what matters in teammates

    [00:45:17] – Closing Thoughts


    📱 Follow our Guest:

    👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rywalker/

    👉 X: https://x.com/rywalker

    👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryandouglaswalker/

    👉 Website: https://rywalker.com/


    📱 Follow Guest’s Companies:

    👉 Tembo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tembo-inc/

    👉 Tembo X: https://x.com/tembo

    👉 Tembo Website: https://www.tembo.io/

    👉 Fireroad LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fireroad/

    👉 Fireroad Website: https://www.fireroad.io/

    👉 Fireroad X: https://x.com/fireroadbuilds

    👉 Cincinnati Ventures LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cincinnati-ventures/

    👉 Cincinnati Ventures Website: https://cincinnati.ventures/

    👉 AnotherVenture LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/anotherventure/


    📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:

    👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/

    👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/


    📱 Follow Holonic:

    👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/

    👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/
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    46 mins