Sep 8, 2025 8 min read

🐊 Vitamin E, Frameworks, Fire Drill Leaders, Power Gradients, Code Reviews, Feedback Loops, Sharknados: TMW #447

Free event on Oct 14 - Emotional Intelligence for CTOs

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Only two weeks until CTO Craft Con: Berlin - just 5% of tickets are still available! Use the discount code TMW100 to take €100 off.

Hello there, welcome to the week!

Have you scaled your AI prototypes?

It's highly likely you and your team have been dipped your toes into the use of AI to build proofs-of-concept and MVPs - the range of tools on the market have made it incredibly quick to roll out and test new ideas, whether through vibe coding or integrating with LLM endpoints in code. However, refactoring these tests for scale isn't as straightforward as you might think. We'd love to hear about your experience in bridging the gap from AI prototype to scalable and secure production systems.

In partnership with Ten10 and the Scale Factory, today we're launching the Bridging from Sandbox to Scale report. It only takes a few minutes to complete the survey, and the data will give teams around the world valuable insights around productionising their AI applications. Thanks in advance!

How's your Emotional Intelligence? Free event!

In the follow-up to our massively popular Deep Dives afternoon a few months ago on Managing Upwards and Sideways, we'll be joined by leadership and culture experts for a series of live talks on building Emotional Intelligence as a technology leaders. Emotional intelligence is vital for a CTO as it enables them to build stronger, more collaborative teams, effectively resolve conflicts, and make better, more empathetic decisions under pressure.

Tickets to join the event are completely free - find out more about the speakers and sessions below. See you there?

That's it, on with the links! See you next Monday

Andy @ CTO Craft

[Survey] Mind the Gap: Bridging from Sandbox to Scale

We know many tech leaders are experimenting with AI - but making the leap from sandbox to scale is where it gets tricky.

That’s why, together with our partners at Ten10, we’re running a short survey to capture real stories, lessons, and insights from across the tech community.

Your input will help shine a light on what really works (and what doesn’t) when turning AI experiments into lasting business value.

Complete the Survey

CTO Craft Con - Dates for Your Diary

Reads of the Week

Leadership, Strategy & Business

Culture, People & Teams

Just people in a room

A reflection on two decades in tech, the tribalism of corporate life, and the difficulty of recognizing when you’re part of the problem.

BonnyCodeLucas Pierce

CTO Craft Con: Berlin - Missed the Deadline?

We’ve got you. For TMW readers only, we’re extending the Advanced Rate for one more week.

Join CTOs and engineering leaders from across Europe on 23-24 September for two days of real conversations, practical roundtables, and networking that lasts. Leaders from HelloFresh, Booking.com, King, Babbel, Lokalise and more are already signed up - we’re now 90% full!

Use code TMW100 at checkout to get €100 off the current price. See you there!

Use your €100 Discount Code