James MacDonald

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James MacDonald How Australia hires, builds and leads tech teams in the age of AI.

Building Tech Teams tracks the hiring signals, leadership conversations and AI workforce shifts shaping Australian technology teams.

21/10/2026

Today's the day, cast off, stitches out, boot on and my new wheels ready to hit the streets.

I've spent the past four weeks elevating my Achilles 23 hours a day stuck inside; it's been a challenge. But I've watched more interviews and read more insights about what's happening in tech than ever before - and I'm so keen to see, learn, challenge, debate, and advise tech leaders on what's happening.

I can't wait to visit cafes to talk about growth and the challenges facing tech leaders AND get back into the podcast studio to talk all things Building Tech Teams. I'm pretty excited to fly the coop...LFG.

23/09/2026

What happens to HR when AI takes the busy work?

Ella Brennecke on automation freeing people up for the human side of the job.

Full episode on Building Tech Teams.

22/09/2026

Big problem or small, someone has to own it.

Ella Brennecke on the ownership mindset at Everlab, and why fixing things starts with understanding what the customer goes through.

Full episode on Building Tech Teams.

21/09/2026

Should AI write your internal memos and job descriptions?

Ella Brennecke makes the case for keeping the human touch in how you talk to your people.

Full episode on Building Tech Teams.

20/09/2026

A simple question that gets your team talking: what are you worried about?

Ella Brennecke on sitting side by side with your people and asking how they're feeling, what excites them, and what's confusing them.

Full episode on Building Tech Teams.

19/09/2026

Before new starters at Everlab work on the product, they go through it as a customer.

Ella Brennecke on why every hire does the health protocol, so the whole team knows what the customer actually experiences.

Full episode on Building Tech Teams.

18/09/2026

Ella Brennecke once hired someone who didn't meet the brief on paper. Their cover letter got them the job.

Effort shows, and it still gets people hired.

Full episode with Ella, People Operations Manager at Everlab, on Building Tech Teams.

16/09/2026

High ownership is a key driver of Everlab's success.

Ella's line is "everybody unpacks the dishwasher". It's not about the dishwasher. If you walk past a problem, it's on you to solve it. It doesn't matter what's in your job description.

It reminded me of the book Legacy, about the All Blacks culture. Sweeping the sheds after a game. It didn't matter if they were playing away, they'd sweep the sheds and leave the place better than when they came.

Very keen to see Ella and Everlab continue to grow.

03/09/2026

He calls it the worst software ever built. He also uses it every day and loves it.

Jack Rudenko, Chief AI Officer at 10X Labs, on the trade every AI engineer is making right now. The thing moving fastest is not the thing built best.

Full episode on the channel.

03/09/2026

I’m an engineer! At least that’s what Jack Rudencko says. He claims that non-technical builders are now creating software that rivals the quality of average engineers from just five years ago. Sure, there’s still a lot of AI-slop out there, but let’s be real, there was plenty of poorly designed stuff back then too.

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Newcastle, NSW

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