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Code and Connor

CodeStrap

Code & Connor is where Connor Deeks and Dorian Smiley ask the questions most AI podcasts won't. Two founders — one strategist, one engineer — in honest conversations with executives, builders, and practitioners about what's actually happening at the intersection of AI and the enterprise. Learn from collaborations with customers and partners, see Codestrap's technology in action, and get perspective on the hottest issues within the AI industry. No hype. Just real, unvarnished discussion with the industry's smartest people.

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  • 20 episodes
  • fortnightly
  • Avg 1 hr 3 min
  • English

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  • Wednesday · 49 min

    CxC Ep41: Is “AI Doom” Genuine Fear or Good Marketing? - with Benjamin Rogojan & Phil Sparks

    This week on Code x Connor, Codestrap Founding Partners Benjamin Rogojan and Phil Sparks join Connor to discuss the latest wave of AI doomsday warnings, what recent incidents involving rogue AI agents say about the industry’s approach to safety, and whether companies should rethink the rush to adopt every new AI technology. Be sure to follow this channel for insights and perspective from industry leaders, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com to learn more about our offering. In this episode, we discuss: → Whether AI extinction-risk warnings are genuine alarm, hype, or strategic marketing → How AI actually could destroy us: model alignment failures and bioweapons → The gap between frontier AI research and the technology businesses actually need → AI agents "going rogue," including OpenAI's agents hacking Hugging Face → Why neither government regulation nor industry self-regulation has kept pace with AI risk → Attribution and accountability challenges when an AI agent causes harm → Why leadership must take responsibility for implementing AI meaningful into their workplace → Why financial penalties on AI labs have been too small to change behavior → Practical steps companies can take to reduce dependency and hype-driven AI spending → Talent cultivation and change management as an AI adoption strategy → What happens when shareholder value maximization goes unchecked → Apple's new CEO John Ternus and Apple's wait-and-see approach to AI Be sure to follow this channel for insights and perspective from industry leaders, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com to learn more about our offering. Codestrap Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrogojan/ Phil:https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-sparks/ Codestrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap Codestrap (Substack): https://codestrap1.substack.com/ Codestrap (Medium): https://medium.com/codestrap Join FuturOps 2026: The Palantir User Conference! Register Now: https://www.futurops.com/e/u/checkout/futurops/tickets/order Date: October 26–27, 2026 (Kicks off Oct 26 @ 12:00 PM) Location: Dallas, TX

  • September 9 · 1 hr 14 min

    CxC Ep40: Who Controls AI? - with Neil Sahota (loanDNA)

    This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Neil Sahota of loanDNA to discuss the global race to govern AI, how the technology is reshaping information and cybersecurity, and the real world implications of who controls AI. Neil is a globally recognized AI strategist and longtime advisor to the United Nations who has worked with governments, businesses, and international organizations to understand the opportunities, risks, and societal implications of artificial intelligence. As Chief AI Officer at loanDNA, he leads enterprise AI strategy and AI-driven development across the loan life cycle for mortgage and financial services clients. In this episode, we discuss: → Why governments are finally pushing toward global standards for AI→ How AI has become a new geopolitical and infrastructure arms race→ The tension between AI regulation, innovation, and national competitiveness→ How deepfakes and algorithmic influence are changing trust in information→ AI’s potential to accelerate the divide between technology “haves” and “have-nots”→ How AI is lowering the barrier to sophisticated cyberattacks and social engineering→ Why human judgment and talent development become more important as AI improves→ The hidden biases baked into LLMs and the growing power to shape information→ The push to optimize AI for speed at the cost of accuracy and price→ How edge computing could dramatically reduce AI infrastructure costs→ The growing backlash against data centers and AI’s resource demands→ Human augmentation vs. AGI and workforce replacement Be sure to follow this channel for insights and perspective from industry leaders, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com to learn more about our offering. loanDNA Website: https://loandna.com/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/loandna Neil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilsahota/ Codestrap Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ Codestrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap Codestrap (Substack): https://codestrap1.substack.com/ Codestrap (Medium): https://medium.com/codestrap

  • September 2 · 1 hr 3 min

    CxC Ep39: What Business Leaders Need to Know About AI

    This week on Code x Connor, Connor and Dorian unpack the growing disconnect between individual AI productivity and actual business performance, why agentic systems could dramatically increase enterprise AI costs, and what it will take for companies to rethink how they’re adopting AI at a fundamental level. In this episode, we discuss: → The difference between AI automation, augmentation, and true autonomy → Why using AI feels more productive, even when it’s actually delivering less value → How individual productivity gains can create organizational chaos → Enterprise AI adoption’s shift from bottom-up experimentation to top-down transformation → McKinsey’s 1-3-5 rule for investing in agentic AI, process redesign, and workforce adoption → Why agents consume dramatically more tokens than humans, and what it means for budgets → Rising costs due to token consumption, hardware constraints, and data center shortages → Why token efficiency is increasingly important considerations in enterprise AI architecture → The growing pressure on business leaders to prove ROI on their AI investments → Rebuilding AI-native business processes vs. layering technology onto broken ones → Why traceability and auditability become critical as agents take on more business processes → The repercussions of replacing enterprise software with vibe-coded applications → Why AI startups need to sell business outcomes instead of usage-based software → The forward deployed engineering and platform-based approach to enterprise software Be sure to follow this channel for insights and perspective from industry leaders, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com to learn more about our offering. Codestrap Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ Codestrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap Codestrap (Substack): https://codestrap1.substack.com/ Codestrap (Medium): https://medium.com/codestrap Join FuturOps 2026: The Palantir User Conference! Register Now: https://www.futurops.com/e/u/checkout/futurops/tickets/order Date: October 26–27, 2026 (Kicks off Oct 26 @ 12:00 PM) Location: Dallas, TX

  • August 12 · 1 hr 15 min

    CxC Ep38: How AI Is Reshaping Higher Education - with Dr. Glen Lowry (Edufirm)

    In this episode of Code x Connor, we’re joined by Dr. Glen Lowry of Edufirm to discuss the impact of AI on higher education, why universities are struggling to adapt at the speed of technology, and what needs to change as traditional degrees, workforce development, and institutional procurement collide head first with the technology. As CEO of Edufirm, Glen works with institutions and technology providers to build partnerships that help higher education navigate technological and institutional change. Prior to Edufirm, he spent over two decades working across higher education as an educator and administrator, including leading university faculties, chairing a research ethics board, and directing a college research office. In this episode, we discuss: → The procurement problem posed by AI adoption in higher education → AI as a tool to help professors and students ask better questions → Why subject matter experts still need to validate and take responsibility for AI-generated work → AI as a tool for closing skill gaps vs. a crutch that causes skills to atrophy → How specialized AI systems could improve learning without replacing human expertise → Why universities struggle to keep up with rapidly changing workforce needs → How AI could create more flexible paths through higher education → Traditional four-year degrees vs. micro-credentials and alternative training programs → How AI could eliminate bureaucracy from research grants and other university processes → What higher education can learn from military and healthcare procurement → What startups selling into universities need to understand about institutional problems Be sure to follow this channel for insights and perspective from industry leaders, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com to learn more about our offering. Edufirm Website: https://edufirm.ca/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/edufirm-strategy-innovation-inc Glen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenlowry/ Codestrap Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ Codestrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap Codestrap (Substack): https://codestrap1.substack.com/ Codestrap (Medium): https://medium.com/codestrap

  • July 30 · 1 hr 13 min

    CxC Ep37: Is Open Source the Future of AI? - with Ahmad Osman & Michael Bradley (Osmantic)

    This week on Code x Connor, we're joined by Ahmad Osman and Michael Bradley, co-founders of Osmantic, to discuss why open source AI is rapidly closing the gap on frontier models and how owning your own AI infrastructure could become a major competitive advantage. Osmantic builds open source infrastructure that enables organizations to deploy, manage, and operate self-hosted AI systems, helping enterprises retain control of their data, reduce costs, and build specialized AI tailored to their own business. In this episode, we discuss: → Anthropic’s accusations that Moonshot trained Kimi K3 on Claude → The rise of open source models and the threat it poses to closed source frontier labs → Why enterprises should own their AI infrastructure instead of renting intelligence → How self-hosted AI can reduce costs while protecting intellectual property → Why smaller, specialized models may outperform frontier models for enterprise workloads → The financial advantages of treating AI infrastructure as a capital investment → Why AI value comes from engineering, workflows, and context—not just larger models → How frictionless developer tooling could accelerate enterprise adoption of self-hosted AI → Microsoft's shift toward open models and what it signals about the future of enterprise AI → Why the next wave of AI innovation may come from open source rather than frontier labs → How infrastructure, hardware, and model efficiency could reshape the economics of AI Be sure to follow this channel for insights and perspective from industry leaders, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com to learn more about our offering. Osmantic Website: https://www.atlassian.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/osmantic/ Ahmad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theahmadosman/ Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-bradley-07bab74a/ Codestrap Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ Codestrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

  • July 29 · 24 min

    The Agent Loop Is a Recursive Tax

    Most AI agents today run on the same pattern: give the model a goal, dump in a giant system prompt, let it loop through tool calls until it decides it's done. It's flexible. It's also burning enterprise budgets for no good reason. In this episode, we break down why the generalized agent loop, the default architecture behind most agentic AI, is quietly a tax on an enterprise's margin. Anthropic's own research shows agents can burn 4x the tokens of a normal chat, multi-agent systems up to 15x, and paying a frontier model to rediscover business rules on every single turn adds up fast. We dig into the false choice everyone gets stuck on: rigid workflows vs. fully autonomous agents. There's a third option, bounded planning compiled into governed execution, where the model plans and reasons but the system decides what's actually allowed to happen. We cover what that looks like in practice (including a case where model spend dropped by 97%), why security should live in the execution graph instead of a stack of prompt instructions, and why bolting hooks onto a generalized loop isn't the fix people think it is. If you're building or buying agentic AI systems and want to know where the real costs are hiding, this one's for you. Read the full piece: The Agent Loop Is a Recursive Tax

  • July 8 · 50 min

    CxC Ep36: AI Industry Rundown - with Benjamin Rogojan & Anand Pant

    This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Codestrap Founding Partners Benjamin Rogojan and Anand Pant to break down the latest developments shaping the AI industry—from OpenAI's proposed government equity stake and the future of open-source models to Microsoft's massive push into forward deployed engineering and the growing reality check around enterprise AI adoption. In this episode, we discuss: → OpenAI's proposal to donate equity to a U.S. sovereign wealth fund → Why open-source is critical to innovation, national security, and enterprise sovereignty → The risks of AI censorship, model bias, and anti-competitive behavior from frontier labs → Meta's move into selling excess AI compute and what it means for the infrastructure market → Why token efficiency and smaller models could reshape AI economics → Microsoft's $2.5 billion investment in forward deployed engineering → The challenges of hiring thousands of AI engineers and the growing enterprise skills gap → The advantages of owning your own intelligence layer over relying on AI labs → Ford's decision to rehire employees after AI-driven workforce reductions → Augmenting human expertise with AI instead of replacing it → What these trends reveal about the next phase of enterprise AI adoption Be sure to follow this channel for insights and perspective from industry leaders, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com to learn more about our offering. Codestrap Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrogojan/ Anand: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anand-pant/ Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ Codestrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

  • June 25 · 1 hr 2 min

    CxC Ep35: How AI Is Transforming the Insurance Industry - with Sam Piecz (Corgi)

    This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Sam Piecz of Corgi to discuss how AI is reshaping the insurance industry, the emergence of new AI-driven risk categories, and the challenges of underwriting AI-powered businesses. Sam is Head of AI at Corgi, where he’s focused on building AI-native insurance products to modernize one of the world’s largest industries. As Corgi’s founding software engineer, he has worked across nearly every part of the business, from building products and leading AI initiatives to acquiring companies and running a subsidiary. In this episode, we discuss: → How Corgi is using AI to rebuild insurance from the ground up → The rise of AI-related insurance products and emerging risk categories → How insurers evaluate AI systems, agents, and autonomous workflows → Why most organizations still underestimate the risks of AI adoption → Whether AI should be trusted to make operational decisions without humans in the loop → How AI can improve underwriting, claims processing, and insurance operations → Why unstructured data is insurance’s biggest untapped resource → The future of open-source models, local AI infrastructure, and token economics → How AI can create faster, better customer experiences in traditionally slow industries → The future of insurance in a world increasingly powered by AI systems and agents Be sure to follow this channel for insights and perspective from industry leaders, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com to learn more about our offering. Corgi Website: https://www.corgi.insure/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/usecorgi/ Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-piecz/ Codestrap Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ Codestrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

  • June 10 · 1 hr 12 min

    CxC Ep34: AI Industry Rundown - with Anand Pant & Przemysław Nowak

    This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Codestrap’s own Anand Pant and Przemysław Nowak to discuss the latest news around AI, from the increasingly unsustainable cost of token burn to Anthropic and OpenAI’s looming IPOs, and the growing disconnect between AI hype and business outcomes. Anand is a Founding Partner and Builder at Codestrap, where he helps customers build operating systems they can trust as they scale into the AI era. A world-class data and AI architect known for building differentiated product experiences, from voice-driven operator workflows to text-to-CAD, Anand spent seven years at PwC before joining Codestrap. Przemysław is also a Founding Partner and Codestrap’s Principal Engineer, where he’s focused on building scalable platform architecture and developing AI coding assistants. Previously, Przemek led Brainly’s Frontend Infrastructure team and co-created Brainly Gene, the open-source NX + React framework In this episode, we discuss: → Sam Altman admitting that companies are spending their AI budgets too quickly → Exploding token costs and why companies are walking back their AI strategies → How AI hype led companies to optimize for token usage instead of business outcomes → The risks of treating AI tools as employees instead of software tools → How AI coding assistants are changing developer behavior, incentives, and skill development → Where AI actually delivers value today—from rapid prototyping to knowledge discovery → The importance of CapEx versus OpEx when evaluating AI investments → What Anthropic and OpenAI's IPOs mean for the industry → The challenges of SpaceX’s proposed “data centers in space” → Why trillion-dollar AI company valuations may not be supported by business fundamentals → The future of AI economics, enterprise adoption, and the coming "finding out" phase Be sure to follow this channel for insights and perspective from industry leaders, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com to learn more about our offering. Codestrap Anand: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anand-pant/ Przemyslaw: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nowakprzemek/ Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ Codestrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

  • June 4 · 1 hr 15 min

    CxC Ep33: AI Coding’s Productivity Paradox - with Andrew Boyagi (Atlassian)

    This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Andrew Boyagi of Atlassian to discuss why AI is accelerating software development without necessarily accelerating business outcomes, the organizational bottlenecks holding enterprises back, and what it actually takes to build an AI-ready company. Andrew is Atlassian’s Customer CTO and Head of DevOps Evangelism, where he helps some of the world’s largest organizations optimize their developer experience and productivity. Atlassian is a recognized leader in software development, work management, and enterprise service management software, enabling enterprises to connect their business and technology teams with an AI-powered system of work that unlocks productivity at scale. In this episode, we discuss: → Why developers saving hours with AI are still losing time to organizational friction → The true bottleneck in software delivery → The four flows of enterprise productivity: purpose, workflow, knowledge, and intelligence → Why successful AI adoption requires organizational change, not just better tooling → The evolution of team structures across engineering and business functions → The growing importance of enterprise knowledge graphs and contextual AI systems → How companies can break down information silos and remove context boundaries → Why documentation quality has become a critical competitive advantage in the AI era → Jira as an orchestration layer in an AI-native world → How AI is changing the relationship between developers and the business Be sure to follow this channel for insights and perspective from industry leaders, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com to learn more about our offering. Atlassian Website: https://www.atlassian.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atlassian/ Guest: https://au.linkedin.com/in/andrewboyagi/ Codestrap Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ Codestrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

  • May 28 · 1 hr 5 min

    CxC Ep32: Private Equity’s AI Reality Check - with Lee McCabe (Claymore Partners)

    This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Lee McCabe of Claymore Partners to discuss the convergence of AI and private equity, why firms are struggling to create operational value, and the growing disconnect between AI hype and real-world business fundamentals. Lee is a partner at Claymore Partners, a digital-first growth advisory firm helping private equity and their portfolio companies drive operational improvement through technology, data, and digital transformation. Prior to Claymore, Lee held leadership roles at Expedia, Meta, and Alibaba, and has spent over 25 years working across growth, operations, and digital strategy. In this episode, we discuss: → Why private equity can no longer rely on financial engineering alone → The operational changes PE firms need to survive the current market → Why most companies still lack the data foundations required for AI → How AI amplifies both strong and broken business processes → The growing risks around enterprise AI costs, token usage, and infrastructure constraints → OpenAI and Anthropic’s partnerships with private equity firms → The disconnect between AI deployment headlines and actual business readiness → Where AI is already creating measurable enterprise value → How PE firms could use AI for pattern recognition, deal sourcing, and operational analysis → What private equity can learn from venture capital branding and media strategies → The rise of digital-first PE firms focused on operational transformation Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com! Claymore Partners Website: https://www.claymorepartners.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/claymorepartners/ Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leemccabe/ Codestrap Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

  • May 21 · 1 hr 1 min

    CxC Ep31: DevEx Matters: Snowflake Gets It Right With Cortex Code - with Umesh Unnikrishnan (Snowflake)

    This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Umesh Unnikrishnan of Snowflake to discuss the evolution from vibe coding to agentic engineering, how AI is reshaping developer workflows, and why trusted data platforms are becoming the control plane for the agentic enterprise. Umesh is the Head of Developer Experiences at Snowflake, where he's focused on building and scaling Cortex Code, Snowflake’s data-native AI coding agent, helping builders go from idea to production faster. Prior to Snowflake, he held leadership positions at Google, Microsoft, and Pinterest making complex data and AI systems intuitive for developers. He has also been an investor and operator in high-growth startups. Snowflake is powering the shift to the agentic enterprise, where AI doesn’t just generate insights, but takes action on trusted data. With tools like Snowflake Intelligence for business users and Cortex Code for builders, Snowflake serves as the control plane for enterprises bringing data, AI, and governance together in a single platform. In this episode, we discuss: → The shift from vibe coding prototypes to production-ready agentic engineering → How Cortex Code helps developers build and manage complex data pipelines faster → Why governance, auditability, and security matter for enterprise AI systems → The growing importance of context engineering and AI-native developer workflows → How Snowflake is positioning itself as the control plane for the agentic enterprise → Why APIs, markdown documentation, and command-line tooling are critical for AI agents → The rise of agent-first developer experience and AI-native software design → Why enterprises are rethinking token usage, ROI, and AI infrastructure costs → How AI is accelerating migrations from legacy systems like Oracle and SQL Server → Why the future of software development requires broader “full stack builder” skill sets → The role of monorepos, platform engineering, and scalable developer systems in the AI era Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com! Snowflake Website: https://www.snowflake.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/snowflake-computing Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/umeshunni/ Codestrap Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrogojan/ CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

  • May 14 · 1 hr 13 min

    CxC Ep30: Building AI Systems That Don’t Break the Business - with Brian Fornelli (Conagra)

    This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Brian Fornelli of Conagra Brands to discuss operationalizing AI in large enterprises, why companies are overcomplicating adoption, and where generative AI actually delivers value. Brian is a Senior Director of Data Solutions and Engineering at Conagra Brands, where he focuses on building production-grade machine learning systems and scalable software solutions that improve operational decision-making. With over 15 years of experience spanning applied machine learning, engineering, and enterprise systems, his work centers on deploying practical AI solutions that drive measurable outcomes in complex operational environments. In this episode, we discuss: → Why cross-functional teams outperform traditional enterprise org structures for AI → The risks of deploying probabilistic AI into real-world operations → Why most enterprise problems don’t need advanced AI → The importance of observability, governance, and traceability in AI systems → How enterprises balance platforms like Palantir, Databricks, and Snowflake → Why AI-generated software may matter more than AI-powered operations → The coming pricing, supply, and GPU challenges facing enterprise AI → Why organizations need better ways to measure AI ROI and productivity → The risks of unbounded “vibe coded” enterprise applications → Why deterministic systems and traditional ML still matter alongside LLMs Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com! Conagra Website: https://www.conagrabrands.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conagra-brands/ Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-fornelli/ Codestrap Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

  • April 30 · 1 hr 3 min

    CxC Ep29: The Dilemma of AI Pricing - with Maciej Kraus (Movens Capital)

    This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Maciej Kraus, partner at Movens Capital and Stanford guest lecturer, to discuss current AI pricing models, their limitations, and what comes next. Maciej is a PhD, VC partner, and pricing expert with 20+ years in strategy, sales, and monetization. He advises founders on value capture, guest lectures at Stanford Graduate School of Business, and co-authored Pricing Decoded. He blends data, psychology, and practical frameworks to turn pricing into a growth engine for tech and SaaS. In this episode, we discuss: → Why AI challenges the traditional SaaS model (cheap to build, expensive to run)→ The “Token AI” consumption model and its limitations → The potential threat of economic collapse→ Business models that will actually work in the future→ How subsidies and capital burn are distorting the market→ Output vs. outcome-based pricing → Hybrid pricing models and the future of AI pricing Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com! Movens Capital Website: https://movenscapital.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/movenscapital/ Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maciejkraus/ Codestrap Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ Codestrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai Codestrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

  • April 23 · 57 min

    CxC Ep28: AI & Data That Work at Enterprise Scale - with Jarek Sobanski (Swiss Re)

    This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Jarek Sobanski of Swiss Re to discuss managing complexity at scale, how Foundry enables a data-connected enterprise, and where AI is actually driving business impact. Jarek leads Data Platforms Architecture at Swiss Re—a Global Fortune 500 company and the world’s largest reinsurer—guiding a team that designs and scales enterprise data and AI ecosystems. With expertise in AI, analytics, distributed computing, and four years working hands-on with Palantir Foundry and AIP, he focuses on turning complex data landscapes into practical business solutions. In this episode, we discuss: → Swiss Re’s journey scaling Foundry across thousands of users and hundreds of applications→ Why data governance is essential for scaling enterprise AI platforms→ How business teams can build their own apps and AI workflows→ The role of IT centers of excellence and “tiger teams” in early platform adoption→ Why most enterprise AI value comes from unstructured data like contracts and claims→ The shift from traditional NLP programs to modern large language models→ How organizations should rethink processes in an AI-enabled world→ The limitations of current AI systems—and why human expertise still matters Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com! Swiss Re Website: https://www.swissre.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/swiss-re/ Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jareksobanski/ CodeStrap Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

  • April 20 · 56 min

    CxC Ep 27: AI in the News - with Dom Selvon & Tarek Nseir (Valiance)

    This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Tarek Nseir and Dom Selvon of Valiance to discuss the latest in AI news, from the UK’s attempt to oust Palantir from the NHS to Claude Code’s source code leak. Tarek is a serial entrepreneur who built one of Europe's leading digital transformation consultancies over 25 years, delivering landmark programmes for JK Rowling, the BBC, and LV Insurance. Dom is a founding figure of the composable architecture movement who has spent 27 years building flexible systems for brands including LEGO, IKEA, and Burberry. Valliance, their new company, is an independent AI consultancy that combines deep expertise in data, AI, and enterprise transformation to help leaders solve complex business problems and move away from delivering simple pilots to real impactful deliveries with measurable outcomes. In this episode, we discuss the latest headlines in AI: → The UK to rethink tech buying after Palantir contracts - The Register→ Anthropic goes nude, exposes Claude Code source by accident - The Register→ ‘Guardian’ Apps Aim to Stop AI Agents From Going Rogue - The Information Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com! Valiance Website: https://valliance.ai/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/valliance-ai/ Tarek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tareknseir/ Dom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dom-selvon-1488958/ CodeStrap Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

  • April 16 · 54 min

    Codestrap Roundtable: If Your Boss Incentivizes Token Burn, Get a New Boss

    Codestrap’s Dorian Smiley, Benjamin Rogojan, and Przemyslaw Nowak discuss the key issues and considerations fueling the debate between tradcoding and tokenmaxxing. Be sure to follow us to get our latest updates and learn about our technology and approach. Schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com to see what we can do for your business. Featuring: Dorian Smiley, Founder & CTO: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Benjamin Rogojan, Founding Partner & Fractional Head of Data: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrogojan/ Przemyslaw Nowak, Founding Partner & Principal Engineer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nowakprzemek/ Codestrap: CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

  • April 9 · 1 hr 17 min

    CxC Ep26: There’s no AI Strategy Without A Data Strategy

    CodeStrap's "Code and Connor" Episode 26 features our friend Jeff Hollan, Former Head of Cortex AI Agents and Snowflake Intelligence. Jeff led the product strategy for Snowflake Intelligence, Cortex Agents, Cortex Analyst, and Cortex Search. These core components of Snowflake Cortex AI empower developers, engineers, and data scientists to build powerful AI apps and agents alongside the world’s data and unlock insights with natural language. Prior to Snowflake, Jeff was Head of Product for Microsoft Azure’s PaaS and Serverless portfolio, where he was responsible for some of the most used and highest growth services in Azure, such as Azure Functions, Container Apps, App Services, and Static Web Apps. . Our 26th episode focuses on: → Snowflake’s goal to democratize AI for the enterprise → Should everyone be building AI solutions? → Snowflake Intelligence is GA - what is it, how is it different from traditional BI or copilots → Who is the operational user in the future for Snowflake → What it’s like to lead development of Snowflake Intelligence and Jeff’s learnings → Snowflake’s incorporation of AI into their own products → Snowflake recently announced $200 million partnership expansion with Anthropic. → The Arctic research team at Snowflake and their involvement with SLMs → Multimodal AI, interoperable agents and the future of enterprise AI → Snowflake vs. Databricks Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com! Snowflake Website: https://www.snowflake.com/en/ Cortex: https://www.snowflake.com/en/product/features/cortex/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/snowflake-computing/ CodeStrap Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/CodeStrap411 CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

  • March 19 · 1 hr 6 min

    CxC Ep25: Giving Technology A Truly Human Voice

    CodeStrap's "Code and Connor" Episode 25 features our friend Jack Smith from ElevenLabs. Jack leads global channel partnerships and strategic alliances at ElevenLabs. Previously, he was the Employee Experience and Consumer Bank Operations tech strategy lead at JPMorgan Chase, overseeing emerging technology initiatives and leading engagement with the tech ecosystem. This episode focuses on: → Solving the fiction of existing software including the GUI, with ElevenLabs → Evolution of voice-first AI agents and the complexity of a system built on language → Will voice become the primary interface for AI agents? → ElevenLabs’ Agents platform and the competitive landscape → ElevenLabs focus on DevEx in their platforms and recent enhancements → Research teams inside ElevenLabs four walls → From pilot to production and the scaling challenges → Natural language interface wrapping the global API economy → What does the ‘voice of technology’ become in five years? Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com! ElevenLabs Website: elevenlabs.io LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevenlabsio/ Jack: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackanthonysmith/ CodeStrap Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

  • March 3 · 1 hr 2 min

    CxC Ep24: AI on the World Stage

    This week on Code x Connor, Unit8 co-founder & CTO Michal Rachtan joins us to debrief the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos and discuss global perspectives around AI. As CTO at Unit8, a Swiss-based data + AI services company, Michal leads a team of over 160 deploying production-grade data platforms and agentic solutions for major global enterprises in the life sciences, manufacturing, and financial sectors. Prior to launching Unit8, Michal served as a Tech Lead and Forward Deployed Engineer at Palantir, where he was instrumental in helping massive organizations implement and scale complex data platforms. In this episode, we discuss: → Attitudes around sovereign infrastructure and AI at Davos → What world leaders are actually prioritizing in 2026 → Jamie Dimon’s hot take on AI deployment and job loss → Policy and implementation in Europe vs. the US →The impact of regulation on startups and innovation → Navigating partnerships with industry giants like Palantir and OpenAI → Misconceptions around Palantir’s data collection and pricing → Building data foundations for AI coding that actually works Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com! Unit8 Website: https://unit8.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unit8/ Michal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michal-rachtan/ CodeStrap Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/ Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/ CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/CodeStrap411 CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

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