Frontmatter

In this episode of the Leanpub Podcast, Sal Kimmich offers a deep technical look at the evolving security landscape across hardware, software, and open-source ecosystems. They discuss how modern attack surfaces emerge from increasingly interconnected systems, where chip-level vulnerabilities, firmware exploits, and opaque supply-chain dependencies create complex and often invisible risks.

Sal explains why digital isolation - both architectural and operational - is becoming essential as organizations confront challenges introduced by distributed development, shadow dependencies, and automated build pipelines

This interview was recorded on November 17, 2025.

The full audio for the interview is here: https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/leanpub_podcasts/FM328-Sal-Kimmich-2025-11-11.mp3. The Frontmatter podcast is available on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/leanpub, in Apple Podcasts here https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/frontmatter/id517117137, and almost everywhere else people listen to podcasts.

In this episode of the Leanpub Podcast, Leanpub co-founder Len Epp interviews software engineer and consultant Matthew Hawthorne, author of Push to Prod or Die Trying. They discuss Matthew’s journey through high-scale systems, life inside big tech, and why production incidents are the greatest teachers in engineering. Matthew explains the realities of outages, human error, systems design, and navigating organizational chaos. The conversation also explores writing candidly about tech culture, balancing transparency with discretion, and helping engineers grow through real-world failure.

This interview was recorded on November 13, 2025.

The full audio for the interview is here. The Frontmatter podcast is available on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/leanpub, in Apple Podcasts here https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/frontmatter/id517117137, and almost everywhere else people listen to podcasts.

In this episode of the Leanpub Podcast, Len Epp interviews César Antonio López Segura, author of Neural Networks and Adaptive Control: An Online Machine Learning Perspective. They discuss his deep technical background in control theory, his passion for bridging it with modern machine learning, and how adaptive systems can respond intelligently to dynamic environments. César also talks about his experience in independent technical publishing, his approach to making complex AI topics more accessible, and the importance of continuous learning and curiosity in advancing both research and practical applications.

This interview was recorded on October 24, 2025.

The full audio for the interview is here: https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/leanpub_podcasts/FM326-Ce%CC%81sar-Antonio-Lo%CC%81pez-Segura-2025-10-24.mp3. The Frontmatter podcast is available on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/leanpub, in Apple Podcasts here https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/frontmatter/id517117137, and almost everywhere else people listen to podcasts.

In this Leanpub Podcast episode, host Len Epp interviews Rich Allen, author of User Needs Mapping: Aligning Teams Around What Matters and an independent consultant specialising in socio-technical architecture and team design. With over two decades of experience and a role as a long-serving valued practitioner of the Team Topologies community, Rich brings both hands-on technical depth and organisational insight.

Rich argues that many teams fail not because they don’t try hard, but because they lack clarity on whose needs they’re serving and how their work delivers value. He guides listeners through the essentials of the User Needs Mapping technique: starting with “Who are our users?”, then “What do they need?”, mapping the capabilities and dependencies that fulfil those needs, and finally, aligning team boundaries and responsibilities to deliver that value effectively.

For listeners involved in transformation, product, engineering or team design work, Rich’s insights offer a tangible framework to reduce cognitive load, increase alignment and re-focus effort to what matters most.

This interview was recorded on October 23, 2025.

The full audio for the interview is here: https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/leanpub_podcasts/FM325-Rich-Allen-2025-10-23.mp3. The Frontmatter podcast is available on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/leanpub, in Apple Podcasts here https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/frontmatter/id517117137, and almost everywhere else people listen to podcasts.

In this episode of the Leanpub Podcast, Len Epp interviews Edward Abramowich, author of Rethinking Capital Project Delivery: Agentic AI–Driven Strategies for the New Era. They discuss why large projects often fail to deliver on time and budget, and how agentic AI - autonomous AI agents that plan, act, and learn - can transform the way complex projects are managed.

Edward explains how agentic AI improves adaptability, risk management, and coordination by acting as a “nervous system” for projects. They explore real-world applications in sectors like energy and infrastructure, cultural and organizational shifts needed for adoption, data integration challenges, and practical first steps for companies beginning their AI journey.

This conversation highlights how early adopters can gain strategic advantages through reduced execution risk and faster responses to change, while project managers evolve toward more strategic and leadership-focused roles.

This interview was recorded on September 18, 2025.

The full audio for the interview is here: https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/leanpub_podcasts/324-Edward-Abramowich-2025-09-18.mp3. The Frontmatter podcast is available on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/leanpub, in Apple Podcasts here https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/frontmatter/id517117137, and almost everywhere else people listen to podcasts.