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Artwork for Building Tech Teams

Building Tech Teams with James MacDonald

NTP Talent
Artificial Intelligence
Compensation
Ampcontrol
AWS
Equity / ESOP
People Function / HR
NGM Group
Financial Services
Topbetta
Leadership
Open Source AI
Betmakers Technology Group
Go-To-Market
Glue
Grease
Banking Technology
Airtree
Onboarding / Ways Of Work
Australia Tech Market

Building Tech Teams is a weekly podcast on how Australia hires, builds, and leads tech teams in the age of AI. Host James MacDonald sits down with the founders, CTOs, VPs of Engineering and People Leaders building Australia's best tech teams, from startups to enterprise, on what actually works. How they hire, how they build and lead their teams, and the calls that made or broke them. It is built f... more

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Artwork for Building Tech Teams

Latest Episodes

Jack Rudenko hasn't written a line of code himself in nine months. In that time, his team has shipped six or seven products used by millions of people, and he says that gap, between who writes the code and who's actually building, is the whole story ... more

Eight guests into Building Tech Teams, one theme has shown up in every single episode: money. A principal software engineer who now manages a team of agents asks what he should be paid, and nobody in the room has a clean answer. AI has changed what o... more

Most companies treat compensation as a math problem: get the number right and the rest takes care of itself. Matt McFarlane says that’s backwards, and it’s the reason so many pay conversations go sideways even when the number itself is fair.

In this... more

Most technical interviews still ask a candidate to write a function on a whiteboard. Adam Witanowski says that question is already obsolete, and what should replace it says everything about how AI is changing who gets hired.

In this episode of Build... more

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Recent Guests

Matt McFarlane
Founder of Foundation; former Head of People at Oyster
Foundation
Episode: Why "The Number Is Never the Problem": Matt McFarlane, Founder of FNDN
Adam Witanowski
AI architect with hands-on experience deploying AI in production within a highly regulated enterprise (NIB)
NIB (former AI Architect)
Episode: Why "Show Me Your Harness" Beats Any Coding Test: Adam Witanowski, AI Architect
Cloë Stanbridge
Talent Lead at Airtree
Airtree
Episode: The Junior Engineer Isn't Needed Anymore: Cloë Stanbridge, Talent Lead at Airtree
Patrick McQuaid
Head of AI Data and Analytics at NGM Group
NGM Group
Episode: How to Build AI Capability Without Chasing Every New Model, with Patrick McQuaid
Claudia Barriga-Larriviere
Globally recognized HR leader
Startup Flamingo / various startups
Episode: Are Your People More Productive or Just Faster? Claudia Barriga-Larriviere, Startup Flamingo
Nathan Hill
Head of Telco at AWS
Amazon Web Services
Episode: AI Can’t Replace Domain Expertise — Nathan Hill, Head of Telco at AWS
Kevin Akermanis
Architect at Okta
Okta
Episode: Guardrails Are Just Suggestions: Securing AI Agents with Okta's Kevin Akermanis
Michael Batko
Former CEO of Startmate, AI CEO of batko.ai
batko.ai / Startmate
Episode: Why Your First Hire Isn't an Engineer Anymore — Michael Batko, ex-Startmate CEO
Oliver Shanahan
Group Head of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure at BetMakers Technology Group
BetMakers Technology Group
Episode: Tech Exec // Oliver Shanahan, Group Head of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure at BetMakers Technology Group

Host

James MacDonald
Host of Building Tech Teams

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 18 ratings
  • :)

    I loved the code bullet episode I hope you could do some more people like Evan :3 so yeah I love your podcast and it’s really entertaining to listen too at night but I wish you could get Mat pat on there though but I hope you guys keep going good job

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Iwishicouldwhistle🐢
    United Statesa year ago
  • Honestly the best podcast.

    Not biased.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    cryolbruh
    Australia6 years ago
  • Great insights from experienced tech

    Really enjoyable listen, hearing from the tech people of the Newcastle region. Some great insights and knowledge.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Gena S.
    Australia6 years ago
  • Really relatable, honest discussions

    Keep them coming

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Bill the Garbologist
    Australia8 years ago
  • If you live in Newcastle and are in tech subscribe right now!

    If you’re even remotely in the tech industry this is a podcast for you.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    helloadamspencer
    Australia8 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Focused on real-world tech leadership and AI adoption in Australia.
High-quality insights from experienced Newcastle-region tech voices.
Laid-back but deep discussions that surface learnings for teams and leadership.
Relatable and insightful, with practical tech leadership takeaways.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Why "The Number Is Never the Problem": Matt McFarlane, Founder of FNDN
Q: What about counteroffers—are they advisable?
Generally not worth it; often signals that the company hasn't adequately valued the employee. There are circumstances where a counteroffer can work, especially when the employee has been approached for external opportunities and internal growth paths are clear.
Why "The Number Is Never the Problem": Matt McFarlane, Founder of FNDN
Q: How often should companies rebalance compensation given changing markets and the speed of AI salaries?
Minimum once a year, with faster cadence (six months to quarterly) for AI-related roles. It's crucial to listen to multiple signals (internal performance, external market, replacement value) and avoid relying solely on market data.
Why "The Number Is Never the Problem": Matt McFarlane, Founder of FNDN
Q: What is the biggest problem you see in building a technology team when it comes to compensation?
The numbers are only half the story. People need a clear rationale behind why a number is set and how they should grow within the pay structure; without that transparency, trust erodes and recruitment suffers.
Why "Show Me Your Harness" Beats Any Coding Test: Adam Witanowski, AI Architect
Q: What does a good interview look like for senior AI talent?
Focus on demonstrating how the candidate uses AI in real, production-facing contexts: show their harness, explain how they map problems to AI solutions, and prove through a concrete procurement-ready approach rather than just theoretical knowledge.
Guardrails Are Just Suggestions: Securing AI Agents with Okta's Kevin Akermanis
Q: Is this something you work with companies on, architecting these AI security solutions?
Yes. It involves understanding agent orchestration, scoping and time-bounded access, traceability, and the guardrails that prevent over-permissioning, with a focus on protecting data and enabling secure, scalable AI use inside enterprises.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Building Tech Teams

What is Building Tech Teams about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show focuses on how Australia hires, builds, and leads technology teams in the AI era. Episodes typically explore practical strategies for hiring early, organizing AI-native workflows, governance and security in fast-moving tech environments, and leadership lessons from CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and people leaders. The conversations often center on real-world scaling challenges, how to balance technical depth with people leadership, and the human dynamics of rapid prototyping and decision-making in tech organizations. A notable angle across episodes is a strong emphasis on Australian tech ecosystems, cross-industry lessons, and actionable insights for leaders looking to improve team performance and resilience.

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Which podcasts are similar to Building Tech Teams?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Building Tech Teams:

1. Straight Talk with Mark Bouris

How many episodes of Building Tech Teams are there?

Building Tech Teams launched 8 years ago and published 137 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Building Tech Teams?

Recent guests on Building Tech Teams include:

1. Matt McFarlane
2. Adam Witanowski
3. Cloë Stanbridge
4. Patrick McQuaid
5. Claudia Barriga-Larriviere
6. Nathan Hill
7. Kevin Akermanis
8. Michael Batko

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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