In this episode of Startup Theatre, Troy Hammond sits down with Michael "Koz" Koziarski, a veteran software engineer, startup founder, and open source contributor, to talk about the messy, real, and rewarding side of building software and leading teams.

From his early work in Ruby on Rails and open source to his leadership roles at Vend and Southgate Labs, Koz shares the honest truths about engineering in high-growth environments.

You’ll hear how great leadership isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about building trust, hiring well, and raising the performance bar.

This conversation delves into what it truly takes to lead technical teams, navigate outages, transition from consulting to product development, and why there are no silver bullets—just consistent, hard, and deliberate work.

Whether you're an engineer stepping into leadership or a founder trying to build a high-performing team, Koz’s lessons on product understanding, trust, AI expectations, and crisis management will resonate.

🔑 Topics Covered:

• ​The evolution of open source and Ruby on Rails
• ​Why understanding product is non-negotiable for engineering leaders
• ​The real differences between consulting and building product
• ​Transitioning from coder to leader—and doing it well
• ​Navigating business reality vs. startup fantasy
• ​Raising the performance bar and letting your team fail
• ​Leadership in the age of AI
• ​Outages, crisis comms, and how to keep calm under fire

🔥 Soundbites:

• ​“There are no silver bullets in business... hard work is key.”
• ​“You’ve got to be able to call bullsh!t.”
• ​“Engineers need to stop sitting in ball pits."

🎧 Tune in now – and take notes. Koz doesn’t hold back.

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