Greater Than Code

The Human Side of Technology

About the show

For a long time, tech culture has focused too narrowly on technical skills; this has resulted in a tech community that too often puts companies and code over people. Greater Than Code is a podcast that invites the voices of people who are not heard from enough in tech: women, people of color, trans and/or queer folks, to talk about the human side of software development and technology. Greater Than Code is providing a vital platform for these conversations, and developing new ideas of what it means to be a technologist beyond just the code.

Featuring an ongoing panel of racially and gender diverse tech panelists, the majority of podcast guests so far have been women in tech! We’ve covered topics including imposter syndrome, mental illness, sexuality, unconscious bias and social justice. We also have a major focus on skill sets that tech too often devalues, like team-building, hiring, community organizing, mentorship and empathy. Each episode also includes a transcript.

We have an active Slack community that members can join by pledging as little as $1 per month via Patreon.

Greater Than Code on social media

Episodes

  • 076: Changing Lanes

    April 18th, 2018  |  55 mins 16 secs

    This panelist-only episode touches on the topics of privilege and having tough conversations when not feeling it’s your place to have those conversations.

  • 075: Code and Witchcraft with Coraline Ada Ehmke

    April 11th, 2018  |  57 mins 16 secs

    Coraline Ada Ehmke talks about being a “Code Witch” and perceiving the construct of reality, as well as being deliberate, refactoring your life, and the ideas of impressions and personas.

  • 074: Be Your Own Hero with Astrid Countee

    April 4th, 2018  |  1 hr 6 mins

    Astrid Countee talks about her field: social science and how it relates to technology, ethics, and design. Working in numbers-based environments is also discussed, along with the power of influence and control, and social media.

  • 073: Driven By Need, Guided By Example with Dan North

    March 28th, 2018  |  1 hr 11 mins

    In this episode, Dan North talks about improvement vs optimization, cost accounting, team alignment and camaraderie, and behavior-driven development.

  • 072: Story Time with Kerri Miller

    March 21st, 2018  |  1 hr 14 mins

    In this episode, Kerri Miller talks about community gatekeeping and contempt culture, the contextual framing of storytelling, what it means when you tell stories over and over again, and crafting the elements of a good story.

  • 071: Brein Power with Rein Henrichs

    March 14th, 2018  |  55 mins 11 secs

    In this episode, panelist Rein Henrichs talks about recovering from failure, the difference between hierarchical and growth-oriented organizations, and making choices that are right for ourselves.

  • 070: Trusting The Universe with Kale Kaposhilin

    March 7th, 2018  |  54 mins 57 secs

    In this episode, Kale Kaposhilin talks about letting yourself trust fall into the universe and be vulnerable, while facilitating the voices of other people.

  • 069: Identity Is An Arrow with Avdi Grimm

    February 28th, 2018  |  1 hr 2 mins

    In this episode, Avdi Grimm talks about the pursuit of living a fixed life, achieving stasis, and becoming a visible person in tech while encouraging and inspiring others.

  • 068: Skills of Resilience with Gerry Valentine

    February 21st, 2018  |  45 mins

    In this episode, Gerry Valentine dives deep into the topic of resilience: creating an atmosphere of psychological safety, having tough conversations, and why people tend to devalue to notion of intellect.

  • 067: Tech in Transition with Ashanti-Mutinta

    February 14th, 2018  |  50 mins 16 secs

    In this episode, Ashanti-Mutinta joins the panel to talk about finding safe online community networks, perspectives on blocking and real name policies, and transitioning in while working in tech.

  • 066: Growing a Culture with Allison Kopf

    February 7th, 2018  |  51 mins 35 secs

    In this episode, Allison Kopf talks about what tech looks like in the context of a working farm, building a good remote company culture, and disagreeing respectfully while maintaining strong opinions.

  • 065: Radical Design with Marian Petre and André van der Hoek

    January 31st, 2018  |  1 hr 3 mins

    In this episode, Marian Petre and André van der Hoek join the show to talk about their book, “Software Design Decoded: 66 Ways Experts Think”. They explore the ideas of the democratization of software development, problem solving, and radical design.

  • 064: Stories, Bias and AI with Aditya Mukerjee

    January 24th, 2018  |  54 mins 40 secs

    In this episode, Aditya Mukerjee talks about algorithmic decision making in machine learning and AI, recognizing the effects of bias, and storytelling in software and engineering.

  • 063: The Distribution of Brilliance and Opportunity with Rehema Wachira

    January 17th, 2018  |  1 hr 57 secs

    In this episode, Rehema Wachira joins us to talk about being a software developer in Nairobi, Kenya, creating a Culture of Saving, diversity of thought, and how technology empowers people.

  • 062: The Beauty of Art and Technology with Jamey Hampton

    January 10th, 2018  |  58 mins 44 secs

    Panelist Jamey Hampton shares their thoughts on feeling like you have to know everything, ‘zines and being a ‘zine librarian, and why The Death Star led to some intense feelings on ethics in technology.

  • 061: Destruction-Focused Development with Safia Abdalla

    January 3rd, 2018  |  53 mins 57 secs

    In this episode, Safia Abdalla joins us to talk about the Silicon Valley monoculture, tokenism, and being content vs happy. She also introduces the idea of Destruction-Focused Development.