Techstrong Gang
Techstrong Gang is your go-to weekday show on Techstrong TV and your favorite podcast platform, bringing together a rotating lineup of top thought leaders and technologists to break down the biggest stories and trends shaping the tech world. Hosted by industry veterans Alan Shimel, Mike Vizard, Mitchell Ashley, Jon Swartz, Lisa Martin, Tracy Ragan, Sulagna Saha, Anne Ahola Ward, Bonnie Schneider, and more, the show dives deep into everything from DevOps and cybersecurity to AI and cloud innovation. Tune in Monday through Friday for insightful discussions, expert analysis, and lively debates on the issues that matter most to today’s tech professionals.
Episodes

Wednesday Jul 16, 2025
Techstrong Gang - 7/16/2025
Wednesday Jul 16, 2025
Wednesday Jul 16, 2025
Alan, Mike, Mitch, Chris Blask, Kate Scarcella, and Dan O’Brien (Futurum Group) examine the rapid rise of Arm as a dominant force in IT infrastructure, gaining traction across cloud, AI, and data center workloads.
The panel then unpacks how vibecoding—a more intuitive, AI-enhanced way of building software—is evolving in the enterprise, following AWS’s preview of its upcoming integrated development environment (IDE).
Finally, the group explores the growing threat of deepfakes, including recent incidents that show how synthetic content is eroding public trust and posing new risks to government and society.

Tuesday Jul 15, 2025
Techstrong Gang - 7/15/2025
Tuesday Jul 15, 2025
Tuesday Jul 15, 2025
The gang examines OpenAI’s failed attempt to acquire Windsurf and the ethical implications of acquihires in the AI industry. The panel debates the real market value of Windsurf’s intellectual property and what it reveals about evolving AI talent acquisition strategies.
They also spotlight Microsoft’s Sonic as a major force in network operating systems—especially for private cloud infrastructure and AI integration. The discussion closes with a look at the Linux Foundation’s collaborative development model and its impact on product quality, open innovation, and the broader tech ecosystem.

Monday Jul 14, 2025
Techstrong Gang - 7/14/2025
Monday Jul 14, 2025
Monday Jul 14, 2025
Alan, Mike, Jack Gold, and Jack Poller explore how the browser wars are evolving in the age of artificial intelligence, with major players racing to integrate AI features into their platforms. They also discuss the growing popularity of open source robotics kits that are making it easier than ever to build functional humanoid robots at home.
The conversation then shifts to cybersecurity, where a loosely connected group of teenagers has emerged as one of the biggest threats in recent memory—the Scattered Spider collective. Their rise highlights how rapidly the threat landscape is shifting and the role younger actors now play in global cybersecurity disruptions.

Friday Jul 11, 2025
Techstrong Gang - 7/11/2025
Friday Jul 11, 2025
Friday Jul 11, 2025
Alan, Mike, Jon, Camberley Bates, and Ira Winkler explore how smartphones are evolving into AI-powered digital companions and reshaping how we interact with tech daily.
They also dive into the growing concern over trust in AI outputs, especially following missteps like the Grok AI model under Elon Musk’s leadership.
Finally, the team discusses how software supply chain security is no longer just a technical issue—it’s now a full-on C-suite priority.

Thursday Jul 10, 2025
Techstrong Gang - 7/10/2025
Thursday Jul 10, 2025
Thursday Jul 10, 2025
Alan, Mike, Jon, Garima Bajpai, and Guy Currier (Futurum Group) unpack efforts to cure AI hallucinations and explore how Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic are helping teachers harness AI in the classroom 🎓.
They also look into why the Hunters International ransomware gang is shutting down—what it means for cybersecurity.

Wednesday Jul 09, 2025
Techstrong Gang - 7/9/2025
Wednesday Jul 09, 2025
Wednesday Jul 09, 2025
Mike, Chris Blask, Kate Scarcella, and Dan O’Brien (Futurum Group) unpack what IT leaders should focus on amid tariff chaos. Then, they dive into CoreWeave’s $9B buyout of Core Scientific—and what it means for the AI infrastructure race.
Plus, how the U.S. Treasury is turning up the heat on cybercriminals.

Tuesday Jul 08, 2025
Techstrong Gang - 7/8/2025
Tuesday Jul 08, 2025
Tuesday Jul 08, 2025
Alan, Mike, JP Morgenthal and Stephen Foskett, president of the Techstrong Field Day arm of Futurum Group, dive into an advance made by Apple that promises to make artificial intelligence (AI) coding tools more efficient before delving into how an AI advance from Microsoft might improve healthcare by more accurately diagnosing symptoms sooner.
Then the gang takes a look at some recent clean energy advancements that are being made at a time when the U.S. is preparing to roll back investment credits.

Monday Jul 07, 2025
Techstrong Gang - 7/7/2025
Monday Jul 07, 2025
Monday Jul 07, 2025
Alan, Mike, Jon, Ira Winkler, Chhaya Gunawat, and Lisa Martin (CMO Advisor, The Futurum Group) explore how open source—with help from Microsoft—is bringing needed transparency to AI tools that generate code.
They also break down the risks of AI search results being poisoned, and what it means for trust in generative systems.

Thursday Jul 03, 2025
Techstrong Gang - 7/3/2025
Thursday Jul 03, 2025
Thursday Jul 03, 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.

Wednesday Jul 02, 2025
Techstrong Gang - 7/2/2025
Wednesday Jul 02, 2025
Wednesday Jul 02, 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?







