In the full Episode 37 of The Generalists Podcast we sit down with Jeremy Snyder — CEO of FireTail and one-time member of AWS Singapore’s eight-person “day-zero” crew — for a free-wheeling chat about wrangling rogue APIs, reading the room (literally, through improv), and why three design partners are never enough. Recorded just after FireTail was named a Startup Spotlight finalist at Black Hat Asia (“Hacker Summer Camp”), this conversation traces Jeremy’s loop-de-loop from early cloud evangelist to API-security contrarian.

From leaky S3 buckets to shadow-API gremlins, we unpack why most “breaches” start with boring misconfigurations, how CISOs can’t protect what they don’t know exists, and the simple calendar tricks a remote-first founder uses to keep both code and kettlebell reps moving.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why API inventories, not firewalls, are the real first line of defense — and how most companies are still flying blind
• Lessons from AWS’s earliest days in Southeast Asia and how those shape Jeremy’s startup playbook today
• The “×3 Design-Partner Rule”: getting written commitments before you write a single feature
• How misconfigurations made Capital One & Optus infamous — and what they teach about org culture
• Productivity hacks for fully remote teams (calendar blocking, fiction breaks, RSS over doom-scrolling)
• Why improv comedy beats an MBA for leadership training and boardroom persuasion
• The upside of speaking seven languages when selling security tech across continents
• Jeremy’s advice to his 20-year-old self on risk, compounding skills, and building before you’re “ready”

Hosts:

• Michael Smith Jr.: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp⁠⁠⁠
• Razko Kotler: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/razko282⁠⁠⁠

Guest:

• Jeremy Snyder: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremysnyder/⁠

Resources & Links:

• FireTail: ⁠https://www.firetail.ai⁠
• AWS: ⁠https://aws.amazon.com⁠
• DropSuite: ⁠https://dropsuite.com⁠

• Black Hat: ⁠https://www.blackhat.com⁠
• DEF CON: ⁠https://defcon.org⁠
• BSides: ⁠https://www.securitybsides.com⁠
• Microsoft Azure: ⁠https://azure.microsoft.com⁠
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP): ⁠https://cloud.google.com⁠
• Oracle Cloud: ⁠https://www.oracle.com/cloud⁠
• Capital One: ⁠https://www.capitalone.com⁠
• Optus: ⁠https://www.optus.com.au⁠
• Pocket: ⁠https://getpocket.com⁠
• Hugh Howey “Silo”: ⁠https://hughhowey.com/books/silo-series⁠

In Episode 36 of The Generalists Podcast, we sit down with Shiyan Koh, Managing Partner at Hustle Fund, for a full-length conversation on how geography shapes entrepreneurship—and why the East-West divide isn’t as wide as you might think.

From Silicon Valley to Southeast Asia, what really sets these startup worlds apart?

What You’ll Learn:

• The cultural and operational differences in startups across regions
• How founders approach risk, fundraising, and growth in the East vs West
• Why local context matters for product-market fit and scaling
• Common misconceptions about global startup strategies
• The “density advantage” of Silicon Valley vs generalist talent in SEA
• Democratizing entrepreneurship via Hustle Fund’s Angel Squad
• Stack-ranking opportunities across emerging markets
• The generational shift in risk tolerance and ambition

Hosts:

• Michael Smith Jr.: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp⁠
• Razko Kotler: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/razko282⁠

Guest:

Resources & Links:

• Hustle Fund: https://hustlefund.vc/
• Reap: https://reap.global/
• Jan Health: https://jan.health/
• CharterSpace: https://charterspace.co/
• Angel Squad: https://www.hustlefund.vc/squad
• A History of the People’s Action Party: 1985–2021: https://nuspress.nus.edu.sg/products/a-history-of-the-peoples-action-party-1985-2021
  

Sau Sheong Chang—Chief Technology Officer and Deputy Chief Executive of GovTech Singapore, and bestselling author of two Go-language books—drops by to code-switch with Michael & Raz on the future of technical leadership. From writing his first lines of C to shipping SingPass Mobile for five million citizens, Sau Sheong reveals how hands-on coding sharpens executive judgment, why GovTech runs like a startup inside the state, and how AI-augmented teams will rewrite the engineer’s career map over the next five years.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why he still writes code as a CTO

• Data-driven leadership lessons from GovTech, PayPal, & SP Group
• AI’s impact on software-engineering careers over the next 5 years
• Building “startup culture” inside government
• Counter-intuitive takeaways for building products
• The one thing he’d tell his 20-year-old self

• 
  

00:00 Introduction02:00 Writing and Publishing Books on Code02:24 Early Coding Journey and Java Era04:36 Transition to Ruby and Go09:31 Career Path and Opportunities12:43 Leading Engineering and Business Teams20:35 Singapore's Unique Tech Journey31:28 GovTech's Role and Responsibilities31:50 Smart Nation Initiative and Govtech34:15 The Role of AI in Software Engineering38:59 Impact of AI on Various Professions49:33 Advice for Startups and Engineers54:58 Reflections and Personal Insights

Hosts:

• Michael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp
• Razko Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razko282

Guest:

• Sae Sheong Chang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sausheong/

Resources & Links:

• GovTech Singapore: https://www.tech.gov.sg
• SP Group: https://www.spgroup.com.sg
• Temasek: https://www.temasek.com.sg
• Yuu Rewards: https://www.yuu.sg
• Codeium: https://www.codeium.com
• Revenge of the Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell): https://www.amazon.com/Revenge-Tipping-Point-Overstories-Superspreaders/dp/B0D5RFG8KQ/