Software Defined Interviews

The Octopus Organization is a great collection of organization anti-patterns. This week, one of the co-authors, Jana Werner talks with Whitney and Coté about those patterns and her own experiences. They go over topics like reading habits, the role of business books, decision making, ownership, curiosity in organizations. practical steps to avoid common corporate anti-patterns, the importance of clear communication and leadership principles, and rubber pigs. You can also watch the video version of this episode (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPGGazjeTOI) if you prefer that kind of thing. Check out the book, The Octopus Organization (https://www.theoctopusorganization.com/). Also, an HBR overview article on the book (https://hbr.org/2025/11/become-an-octopus-organization). And find Jana Werner in LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/janawerner1/). She's also talked with Coté a couple of other times, back in 2020 (https://www.softwaredefinedtalk.com/250) and then in 2024 (https://www.softwaredefinedtalk.com/464). Special Guest: Jana Werner.

Whitney and Coté chat with Jason Hand. They discuss the challenges and rewards of organizing conferences, the impact of the pandemic on in-person events, and the nuances of developer relations. Jason shares his experiences with AI Tools Lab, vibe coding, and personal projects such as developing his own tools to replace commercial SaaS products. They also talk about devrel differences at large vs. mid-sized companies, and how to maintaining personal energy and sanity in high-demand roles. Check out just about everything Jason Hand related at his home page on the World Wide Web (https://jasonhand.com). If you prefer video, check out the video of this episode (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jxmNoWv9WU). Special Guest: Jason Hand.

This week, Whitney Lee joins us to discuss KubeCon news, Coding Assistants, and conference tips. Plus, vegan food and note-taking recommendations. Watch the YouTube Live Recording of Episode 54 (https://www.youtube.com/live/gBkzVSXZot8?si=jEreOaj-q6-NuMM0)7 (https://www.youtube.com/live/gBkzVSXZot8?si=jEreOaj-q6-NuMM0) This is a cross-over episode with Software Defined Talk (https://www.softwaredefinedtalk.com/547).

Whitney and Coté talk with Andrew Clay Shafer, co-founder of Puppet and principal at an advisory firm, about the nuances of DevOps transformation, open source dynamics, and running his burger restaurant, All American Burger (https://maps.app.goo.gl/hgNturR3jf76u5EHA). They talk about the challenges of integrating social and technical systems, managing metrics and KPIs, and the evolving ecosystem of open source software. Also, they go over Andrew's experience in running a fast food restaurant and the parallels between managing a tech company and a food business. You can also watch the video version of this episode (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeRcxgrGpsg) if you're into that kind of thing. Links Andrew in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewclayshafer/ Ergonautic: https://www.ergonautic.ly All American Burger: https://maps.app.goo.gl/hgNturR3jf76u5EHA Special Guest: Andrew Clay Shafer.

We talk with Russell Davies this episode. He has done many things, above all else made lots of interesting content and messed around with producing content. Advertising, blogging and the World Wide Web of the 2000's, interesting conferences (call exactly that: interesting), books, and of late, he's been mastering the short video format. I am a big fan of Flora and his ("he's"?) recent podcast, WIP (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4Fd3P49w3AxjSX-5i3ICmX0KnYOWaQ9x). Here is a fantastic episode (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Jon5JZKmgM). All of Russell's stuff is to be found on his home page on the World Wide Web (https://www.russelldavies.com/index.html), those his photos (https://www.flickr.com/photos/russelldavies/) take some time tracking down. Also, Coté wears plaid on plaid. This was not done unknowingly. Here is the video version of this episode (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK7rDwtJXTM), if you prefer that kind of thing. Special Guest: Russell Davies.