Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots

Latest Episodes:

577: Driving Innovation: Jack Burrows on Cars, Tech, and the Future of Carwow Jun 05, 2025

Show notes

It’s time to start your engines as Sami talks with Jack Burrows, product director at CarWow, about the tricky world of buying and selling cars.

Jack covers the significant change CarWow has seen since he started with the company, the challenges they faced in order to keep up with the competition, and the importance of developing a platform that serves everyone in the buying and selling process.

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If you’re at a loose end after listening to today's episode why not join Sami in checking out CarWow’s YouTube channel! If you’re looking to purchase a new car or sell your old one, head over to CarWow’s site to see how they can help you!

You can also connect with Jack directly over on LinkedIn.

Your host for this episode has been Sami Birnbaum. Sami can be found through his website or via LinkedIn.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - YouTube - Bluesky

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576: I never get bored with John Nunemaker May 29, 2025

Show notes

Chad catches up with John Nunemaker, self-employed programer on a plethora of products, about all things technical to gain insight into life as a self-employed developer.

The pair share their experiences as rail devs and what keeps them using Ruby, John’s journey to success, his recent acquisition of Fireside (the podcast platform that hosts this very podcast!) and the lessons he learnt along the way.

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If you’re interested in any of the projects John mentioned in this episode, you can head to them directly here - Fireside Podcast Hosting - BoxOut - Flipper

Alternatively you can keep up to date with the work that John does through his website, podcast, or by connecting directly with him through LinkedIn.

Your host for this episode has been Chad Pytel. You can find Chad all over social media as @cpytel, or over on LinkedIn.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - YouTube - Bluesky

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575: I might have to get dressed for these with Chad, Sami and Will May 22, 2025

Show notes

The Giant Robots hosts are back together for more off the wall discussion about construction, movies and a special announcement!

Find out what big purchase Sami made through the company during the last UK heatwave, why Chad has a listing on IMDB, and our three hosts turn film critics as they share thoughts on their favourite films.

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If you haven’t already, be sure to check out thoughtbot’s YouTube channel!

You can find Chad all over social media as @cpytel and Sami through his website. You can also connect with the trio via their LinkedIn pages - Chad - Will - Sami.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.

Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - Bluesky

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574: Developer Life After Design Systems with Kathryn Grayson Nanz May 15, 2025

Show notes

Will talks with Kathryn Grayson Nanz, Senior Designer and Developer Advocate at Progress, about the influence and power design can have when developing new software.

Kathryn breaks down what it means to be a designer advocate and the role it plays within software development, the importance of design systems, designing for accessibility and knowing when to ask the right questions at the just the right time.

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You can try out KendoReact’s starter library for free here! Or check out some of the other development tools and services Kathryn and the team offer at Progress. Alternatively, you can reach out to Kathryn directly through LinkedIn.

Your host for this episode has been Will Larry, you can find and connect with Will over on LinkedIn.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - Bluesky

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573: Mocking the Future: Tom Akehurst on WireMock and API Testing May 08, 2025

Show notes

Sami talks with Tom Akehurst, Co-Founder of WireMock, about the delay and disconnect between front and back end development and how WireMock set out to bridge the two together.

Tom explains how his time working for Disney paved the way for WireMock, the different processes of mocking and testing APIs, and provides some useful advice on how to improve your testing process as a whole.

Sami also puts Tom’s knowledge to the test as he seeks some feedback on a real world example he’s been working on recently.

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Interested in improving your testing and mocking process? Try out WireMock for free, and get to grips with what it has to offer through WireMock Cloud Academy. If you get stuck at any point you can join their Slack channel and ask the community for advice!

Want to get in touch with Tom directly? You can contact him through LinkedIn or via email - tom@wiremock.org

Your host for this episode has been Sami Birnbaum. Sami can be found through his website or via LinkedIn.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - Bluesky

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572: Close To Your Customers with Sarah Merlin May 01, 2025

Show notes

Chad talks with Sarah Merlin of IndiMade about what goes into revitalising an e-commerce platform and how they’re staying true to their customers.

Discover the challenges involved with such a big migration and the efforts needed to bring it into the modern day, the importance of communication with your team at all times, as well as well as the core values they work to in order to deliver the best possible experience across their business.

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If you would like to work with IndiMade and think your product might be be a good fit, reach out to Sarah via linkedIn or thorough IndiMade’s website.

Your host for this episode has been Chad Pytel. You can find Chad all over social media as @cpytel, or over on LinkedIn.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - Bluesky

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571: Space, Software, and Surprises with Rémy Hannequin Apr 24, 2025

Show notes

Sami and fellow thoughtboter Rémy look to the stars as they talk all things astronomical.

Learn about Rémy’s new open source gem Astonoby that plots the coordinates of objects in space, the hidden inventions developed as humans looked to the stars and listen as the pair theorise whether there truly is other life in the universe.

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If you’re enthusiastic about space and want to try out Rémy’s new gem tool, you can find it here. Alternatively you can read more about astronomical computing here.

Your host for this episode has been Sami Birnbaum. Sami can be found through his website or via LinkedIn. You can also find Rémy on LinkedIn or through social media under the handle @rhannequin.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - BlueSky

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570: Rolling for Initiative with Chad, Will and Sami Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

Chad, Will and Sami discuss life outside of thoughtbot and the hobbies that occupy them in their down time.

Sami talks about taking the cold plunge, Will about his recent efforts with running, before Chad takes his co-hosts down the rabbit hole that is Dungeons and Dragons.

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Watch the trailer for Chad’s upcoming production Thresher, a collaboration between his production company 12 Sided Studios and Critical Role!

Check Out Sami’s Running Shoes

You can find Chad all over social media as @cpytel and Sami through his website. You can also connect with the trio via their LinkedIn pages - Chad - Will - Sami.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - BlueSky

Support Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots

569: Automation is king with Karen King Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

Chad talks with Karen King, Found of Gold Star Pro, and her drive to help small business owners reach their full potential.

Karen talks about the all-inclusive space Gold Star Pro offers for solopreneurs, the automation behind it all, as well as balancing a life of world travel with running a successful business.

Since this episode was recorded, Karen's business platform Gold Star Pro has evolved into ESC Hub, an all-in-one business software platform for entrepreneurs who want to run their business from anywhere. The Escape Club, her membership community, continues to support entrepreneurs building businesses they are actually proud of.

Connect with Karen:
The Escapepreneur™: https://escapepreneur.com
ESC Hub (All in one software platform): https://eschub.com

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Want to take a step up in your small business and ditch plethora of different platforms you use? See what ESC Hub (All in one software platform) can offer you. You can also join The Escape Club, a Community of Business Owners growing together.

If you’d like to chat with Karen further about ESC Hub, you can connect with her on LinkedIn..

Your host for this episode has been Chad Pytel. You can find Chad all over social media as @cpytel, or over on LinkedIn.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - Bluesky

Support Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots

568: What does Carbon even mean? With Polly and Otto from True Apr 03, 2025

Show notes

Sami goes back to school as he asks Otto Terrell and Polly Gupta, head of sustainability and sustainability strategist at True, the key questions around the environmental buzz words of 2025.

Sami finds out the differences between carbon neutral and net zero, why the big corporations have been so slow to adopt a sustainable model, and how true is working with companies to forge a clear path for everyone to net zero.

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Interested in working with true to reduce your business’ energy costs and work towards net zero? Get in touch with the team, or check out their LinkedIn Page

Learn more about the impact your ChatGPT conversations have on the environment by reading the article Sami mentions in this episode.

If you’re interested in contributing to the work Otto and Polly do with true, they can also be found over on LinkedIn

Your host for this episode has been Sami Birnbaum. Sami can be found through his website or via LinkedIn.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@giantrobots.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - LinkedIn - Mastodon - Bluesky

Support Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots

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