How Many CTOs22 Apr 2025

Tackling Tech Culture and Interviewing: Insights from Ted Neward

In this episode of "How Many CTOs Does It Take?" podcast, hosts Scott Porad and Brad Hefta-Gaub welcome special guest Ted Neward, a senior distinguished engineer at Capital One, joins the hosts to discuss the challenges and intricacies of engineering leadership and technology culture. Ted shares his diverse experiences, from his previous roles at Rocket Mortgage and Smartsheet to his current position. The discussion delves into the often overlooked aspects of job descriptions, interview processes, and the importance of measurable and actionable performance expectations. Ted also reflects on the use of coding projects in interviews, the role of AI tools in programming, and the necessity of training interviewers to avoid unconscious bias. This episode provides valuable insights into creating effective and inclusive engineering cultures.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:34 Ted's Professional Journey
01:27 Exploring Esoteric Programming Languages
03:11 Tech Culture at Rocket Mortgage
04:16 Challenges in Job Descriptions and Interviewing
08:02 The Importance of Leveling Guidelines
11:36 Defining Good Code
19:02 Interview Process and Structural Guidance
25:53 Interview Training and Culture Challenges
27:09 Unintended Consequences of Filtering
27:59 Systems Thinking in Hiring
30:21 Bias and the Interview Process
31:28 Sample Coding Projects in Interviews
35:44 AI in the Hiring Process
43:29 The Philosophy of Interviewing
47:50 Concluding Thoughts and Reflections
49:50 Outro and Credits

Resources:

How Many CTOs Pod: https://howmanyctospod.com
Scott Porad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottporad/
Brad Hefta-Gaub: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradheftagaub/
Ted Neward: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tedneward/

#podcast #technology #leadership #ctos #technicaldebt #management #leadership #problemsolvingtechniques #problemsolvingstrategies #engineering #entrepreneurship #engineeringmanagement #hiring #engineeringtalent

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