Techstrong Gang

Techstrong Gang - 7/3/2025

Alan, Mike, Jon, and Garima Bajpai reflect on how artificial intelligence is reshaping our understanding of inalienable rights—just in time for Independence Day. They then unpack the DOJ’s massive $14.6 billion healthcare fraud case and ask: who should be held accountable?
Finally, the gang breaks down GitOps: what it is, why it’s catching on, and where it’s headed in the modern DevOps ecosystem.

Techstrong Gang - 7/2/2025

Alan, Mike, Mitch, Chris Blask, Kate Scarcella, and Futurum Group analyst Guy Currier dive into the ethical and legal issues surrounding ICE’s use of facial recognition software to identify undocumented individuals. They then explore new deepfake legislation from Denmark and Ireland that bans AI-generated likenesses without consent.
Finally, the team tackles a big question in open source: Who should pay for the infrastructure that keeps it all running?

Techstrong Gang - 7/1/2025

Alan, Mike, Mitch, Bonnie, JP Morgethal, Futurum Group president Dan O’Brien and Stephen Foskett, president of the Tech Field Day arm of The Futurum Group, dive into the terms of a settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) that will allow a $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks to proceed.
Then the gang takes a look at how much energy is being consumed by open source OpenTelemetry agent software that is being used to instrument applications before diving into a study from Microsoft that finds we’re all working too hard.

Techstrong Gang - 6/30/2025

A new trade deal between the U.S. and China is making waves—especially for its impact on rare earth minerals. With America’s heavy reliance on China for these critical resources, this agreement raises big questions: Is this a step toward long-term stability or just a short-term fix? We break down the deal, its effect on U.S. dependency, and why developing domestic production and processing is more important than ever.

Techstrong Gang - 6/27/2025

A recent court ruling permits AI companies to utilize legally purchased books for training, igniting debates on copyright law and ethics. The need for regulatory measures in AI development is emphasized to prevent potential misuse. Additionally, AI agents are being incorporated into CRM systems at no extra cost, disrupting traditional market practices. Concerns regarding social engineering risks in AI models highlight the necessity for governance and security protocols.

Techstrong Gang - 6/26/2025

Alan, Mike, Jon, and Teri Robinson unpack HPE’s evolving role in AI, spotlighting its work with Nvidia and the rapid emergence of AI factories transforming development workflows.
AI is enhancing how developers code—boosting speed, precision, and efficiency. But alongside progress, the risks are rising. The team discusses the growing wave of AI-driven cyber threats, the misuse of tools by malicious actors, and the urgent need for stronger AI guardrails.
As the AI landscape evolves, HPE calls for proactive strategies to secure innovation at scale.

Techstrong Gang - 6/25/2025

In this episode, Alan, Mike , Mitch and Chris Blask explore three key tech topics shaping the future of AI and autonomy.
The conversation kicks off with Google’s donation of the Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol to the Linux Foundation and a deeper look at how it compares to the Model Context Protocol. While A2A promotes interoperability between AI agents, concerns are raised around Google’s influence and the need for true open standards.
The gang also unpacks the competitive race in autonomous vehicles, delves into ethical challenges in human-machine interaction, and questions how AI systems can become more human-like without compromising trust or transparency.considerations, and the importance of human-like interaction with machines.

Techstrong Gang - 6/24/2025

The U.S. bombing of Iran escalates global tensions—raising urgent cybersecurity concerns as digital infrastructure faces growing threats.
This discussion connects geopolitics with resource scarcity, diving into the Colorado River ownership dispute, water usage in data centers, and how climate tech like desalination and solar-powered cooling is becoming essential.
With a spotlight on innovation in Israel and Saudi Arabia, the episode explores how global conflicts, cybersecurity, and water infrastructure are more interconnected than ever.

Techstrong Gang - 6/23/2025

Alan, Mike, Mitch, Tracy Ragan, Jack Poller, and Dr. Stacy Thayer break down the Department of Justice’s investigation into Google’s proposed $32 billion acquisition of Wiz—raising serious antitrust and cybersecurity concerns that could reshape the cloud security landscape.
They also explore Microsoft’s latest move to offer Office 365 in on-premises IT environments to comply with European sovereign cloud mandates, a significant shift in enterprise cloud strategy.
Dr. Stacey Thayer shares insights on cyber psychology and marketing in the context of rising threats, while the team assesses how platform engineering can help IT teams manage budgets and security challenges more proactively.
Plus, a look ahead to major events like the Open Source Summit, where cybersecurity, CID pipelines, and open collaboration take center stage.

Techstrong Gang - 6/20/2025

Alan, Mike, Mitch, Jon, Fred Wilmot, and Lisa Martin (CMO Advisor, The Futurum Group) explore the rise of stablecoins and their potential to disrupt traditional finance. With interest from retailers like Walmart and Amazon—and support from the GENIUS Act—stablecoins could reshape how we pay, bank, and interact with currency.
The episode also dives into the latest developments in cloud and AI security from AWS re:Inforce 2025, including Amazon Q’s automation tools for vulnerability management. As AI anxiety grows, the team discusses the balance between innovation and cybersecurity.