Tech Leadership Challenges: Communication & AI at Financial Times • Alice Bartlett & Charles Humble

GOTO - The Brightest Minds in Tech

This interview was recorded for GOTO Unscripted.
https://gotopia.tech

Read the full transcription of this interview here:
https://gotopia.tech/articles/382

Alice Bartlett - Tech Director for Customer Products at Financial Times
Charles Humble - Freelance Techie, Podcaster, Editor, Author & Consultant
RESOURCES
Alice
https://x.com/alicebartlett
https://github.com/alicebartlett
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicebartlett
https://medium.com/@alice.bartlett
https://alicebartlett.co.uk

Charles
https://bsky.app/profile/charleshumble.bsky.social
https://linkedin.com/in/charleshumble
https://mastodon.social/@charleshumble
https://conissaunce.com

Links
https://blog.container-solutions.com/wtf-happens-to-psychological-safety

DESCRIPTION
Alice Bartlett, Tech Director at the Financial Times, discusses her journey from principal engineer to leading a 70-person team responsible for https://www.ft.com and mobile apps. She shares insights on managing editorial stakeholders, balancing technical debt with business priorities, leading difficult conversations, and navigating the challenges of AI in software development.
The conversation with Charles Humble covers her approach to architectural challenges, communication strategies, and the evolving role of technology leadership in modern media organizations.
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Hoofdstukken

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. Editorial & commercial groups at Financial Times (00:02:40)

3. From developer to tech director (00:07:40)

4. Tech director responsibilities (00:13:56)

5. Handling stress & dark side behaviors as a leader (00:21:30)

6. How to give difficult feedback (00:23:46)

7. Architecture change: From spaghetti Code to systemic clarity (00:26:17)

8. Thinking 2-3 years ahead (00:35:22)

9. The impact of AI on software development (00:37:23)

10. Outro (00:43:35)