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The CTO Playbook

Adam Horner
Leadership
Networking
Product Management
CTO Craft
Relai
Cryptocurrency
Bitcoin
Blockchain
Burnout
Community Support
Digital Gold
Artificial Intelligence
Communication Skills
Fintech
Career Development
Work Culture
Coaching
Emotional Intelligence
Organizational Change
Technical Presentations

Join Adam Horner, a CTO with over 30 years in the tech industry, on The CTO Playbook — the podcast dedicated to helping CTOs excel. Perfect for CTOs and tech leaders navigating the complexities of their roles, each episode offers clear insights, innovative strategies, and practical advice from top leaders in tech. With Adam’s extensive experience mentoring engineers and tech leaders, and over a de... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes90Founded2 years ago
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ManagementBusinessTechnology

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Artwork for The CTO Playbook

Latest Episodes

Most teams don’t have a data problem; they have a decision problem.

Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confi... more

If your team feels busy but nothing meaningful gets delivered, this might explain why.

Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead ... more

YouTube

Why does the CTO role feel heavier after you start winning?

Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, a... more

YouTube

What if the biggest risk in your AI strategy isn’t the technology, but the assumptions you never question?

Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and communi... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Nic Granger
Chief Information and Financial Officer at the North Sea Transition Authority
North Sea Transition Authority
Episode: 90: Data Is a Leadership Problem, Not a Technical One — A Playbook for CTOs
Loïc Houssier
CTO at Superhuman
Superhuman
Episode: 89: Engineering Velocity for CTOs: How Superhuman Moves Fast Without Sacrificing Quality
Jill Stover-Heinze
AI trust architect and founder of Saddle Stitch Consulting
Saddle Stitch Consulting
Episode: 87: AI Governance for CTOs: Turning AI Risk Into Competitive Advantage
Kathleen Lucente
Founder and CEO of Red Fan Communications
Red Fan Communications
Episode: 86: Why Communication Is Now a Core Skill for CTOs and Senior Engineering Leaders
Bastien Duret
CTO at Inato
Inato
Episode: 85: From Firefighting to Flow: How CTOs Build Teams That Learn Fast
Joe Thompson
Chief Technology Officer at Hedgehog Lab, a digital product consultancy
Hedgehog Lab
Episode: 83: Are We Building the Right Things? A CTO’s Guide to Influence, Ethics, and Responsible Innovation
Jason McGhee
CTO and co-founder of RIT, with a background in software engineering and machine learning.
RIT
Episode: 82: Are You Running Fast in the Wrong Direction? A CTO’s Guide to Clarity with Jason McGhee
Pasha Jam
CTO of Bumper, experienced in building strong engineering teams and organizational culture
Bumper
Episode: 81: The Culture Playbook for High-Performing Engineering Teams — with CTO Pasha Jam
Massimo Belloni
Head of machine learning and data science at Docplanner, and author of The Impostor newsletter
Docplanner
Episode: 79: What Engineers Really Need from Their Leaders: A Conversation with Massimo Belloni

Host

Adam Horner
Host of The CTO Playbook, a veteran technologist and leader with extensive experience mentoring engineers and guiding tech strategy.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 47 ratings
  • Perfect Format

    Love this show. It always ends by boiling down the advice into a playbook you can apply right now. Very useful.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    LoMiRaFo
    United States6 months ago
  • A must-listen for any current or aspiring Tech Leader

    The CTO Playbook has quickly become essential listening for me. As I prepare to step into a new tech leadership role, Adam’s podcast has not only helped sharpen my thinking but also steady my nerves. His clear, experienced voice brings confidence and practical guidance to every episode.

    What sets this podcast apart is how actionable it is; every episode leaves you with something tangible to apply. The mix of real-world examples, leadership insights, and interviews with seasoned tech leaders make... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    iOlly
    United Kingdom7 months ago
  • Modern Leadership Insights for CTOs

    The CTO Playbook is a goldmine for tech leaders navigating today’s fast-evolving landscape. The episode on “9 Principles for Leading in a World of Citizen Developers” was especially inspiring, balancing the rise of AI and no-code tools with the need for real architectural thinking and scalable systems. As someone who coaches and builds within high-growth SaaS environments, I really appreciated the practical lens on leadership shifts like alignment over control and velocity over busyness. The pod... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    YourCTO
    United States10 months ago
  • Great content for cto's and engineering leaders

    Episodes are well structured, have good people and the interview is very supportive of learning.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    RomaSud
    United Statesa year ago
  • Fantastic show!

    Adam is a great podcaster with enlightening content!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Ritavan SLASOG
    Germanya year ago

Listeners Say

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

High-quality discussions with practical takeaways for CTOs.
Guests bring deep leadership and industry insight.
Clear, actionable guidance with real-world playbooks.
Well-structured episodes that balance strategy and execution.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#120
Israel/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

89: Engineering Velocity for CTOs: How Superhuman Moves Fast Without Sacrificing Quality
Q: What role do career ladders play in sustaining velocity?
Career ladders signal that speed is a valued outcome; by explicitly tying progression to speed-related criteria, organizations incentivize rapid decision-making and efficient delivery while maintaining quality and user focus.
89: Engineering Velocity for CTOs: How Superhuman Moves Fast Without Sacrificing Quality
Q: How do you balance speed with quality in a high-stakes product like Superhuman?
By pre-making safe guardrails through aligned autonomy, ensuring architecture decisions are made upfront when needed, and focusing on eliminating bottlenecks before engineers reach coding, not by pressuring code velocity alone.
89: Engineering Velocity for CTOs: How Superhuman Moves Fast Without Sacrificing Quality
Q: What is engineering velocity, in your view?
Velocity is a balance between the rate of market-relevant innovations and the speed of internal delivery, with emphasis on reducing cycle time from idea to impact and aligning decisions with business outcomes.
90: Data Is a Leadership Problem, Not a Technical One — A Playbook for CTOs
Q: If you were talking to a CTO you just met, and there's only one thing they could do well in the next 90 days, what would you have them prioritize and why?
Identify the major pain point in the organization first, then align data priorities (foundational aspects like governance and architecture) to that pain point so you can create measurable value quickly and build organizational buy-in.
87: AI Governance for CTOs: Turning AI Risk Into Competitive Advantage
Q: What has been a surprising insight from early governance work with large organizations?
Teams often focus on technical problems while neglecting user contexts and values. Introducing empathy mapping and grounding in real-life scenarios reveals risks that no one anticipated, which then informs more practical technical requirements and governance.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About The CTO Playbook

What is The CTO Playbook about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show centers on high-level technology leadership, focusing on practical strategies for CTOs and senior engineering leaders. Episodes frequently explore governance for AI, effective team culture, scalable architectures, and how to balance speed with responsible, ethical development. Across interviews, listeners hear real-world playbooks, concrete frameworks, and leadership approaches that help tech leaders align technology with business outcomes. Noteworthy traits include a strong emphasis on people, culture, and disciplined learning—often framed through actionable steps, post-mortems, and clear paths from insight to impact. This mix makes it useful for both aspiring and established CTOs seeking tangible guidance and frameworks to improv... more

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Which podcasts are similar to The CTO Playbook?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The CTO Playbook:

1. Modern CTO
2. Practical AI
3. Software Engineering Radio - the podcast for professional software developers
4. AI + a16z
5. How I AI

How many episodes of The CTO Playbook are there?

The CTO Playbook launched 2 years ago and published 90 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 The CTO Playbook?

Recent guests on The CTO Playbook include:

1. Nic Granger
2. Loïc Houssier
3. Jill Stover-Heinze
4. Kathleen Lucente
5. Bastien Duret
6. Joe Thompson
7. Jason McGhee
8. Pasha Jam

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