In this episode of Software Without Borders, Andy and Tomás sit down with Justin Bankston, CTO of South by Southwest (SXSW), to explore the remarkable evolution of one of the world’s most influential cultural and technology events. Justin shares his journey from playing in rock bands and reviewing demo CDs to leading the software, IT, and innovation groups that power SXSW’s massive annual footprint. We dig into the behind-the-scenes engineering challenges, the explosive impact of Twitter’s 2007 debut at SXSW, and the technical coordination required to support tens of thousands of attendees across multiple venues. Justin reflects on leadership, scaling teams, and what it takes to deliver a flawless experience when failure becomes instantly public. If you’ve ever wondered how innovation, culture, and infrastructure collide at global scale, this episode pulls the curtain back.

Guest Introduction:

Justin Bankston is the Chief Technology Officer at South by Southwest, where he has spent nearly 20 years shaping the technical backbone of one of the world’s premier events in music, film, and technology. From his early days as a full-stack developer to leading SXSW’s software, IT, and innovation teams, Justin has guided the organization through explosive growth, digital transformation, and cultural shifts — all while ensuring the attendee experience remains seamless and world-class.

Key Takeaways:

• SXSW’s uniqueness creates massive technical complexity. Three industries, three conferences, one seamless attendee experience.
• Justin’s journey was entirely organic. From musician → volunteer reviewer → contractor → leader → CTO.
• Twitter’s 2007 debut changed SXSW forever. Attendance spiked, expectations shifted, and technical resilience became paramount.
• Custom software was born from necessity. When SXSW started, no event platform could handle its hybrid creative/tech experience.
• Invisible infrastructure is intentional. If the Wi-Fi isn’t perfect, attendees notice — and complain loudly.
• Remote and global teams helped SXSW scale sustainably. Nearshore partners expanded engineering capacity without sacrificing collaboration.

Chapter Markers:

00:00 — Andy welcomes listeners to Software Without Borders

01:12 — Guest introduction: Justin Bankston, CTO of SXSW

03:18 — Justin’s backstory: bands, demo CDs, and first touchpoints with SXSW

04:16 — Contracting beginnings and early software challenges

07:58 — The unique blend of artist, audience, corporate, and technical needs

08:35 — How SXSW grew organically — and fast

10:32 — Leadership lessons from early career mentors

11:32 — The uniqueness of SXSW vs. other global festivals

13:13 — Stakeholder alignment and balancing competing priorities

14:57 — Inside SXSW’s custom software ecosystem

15:49 — The complexity of event IT & multi-venue Wi-Fi at scale

17:57 — The stakes of real-time attendee experience

18:58 — PanelPicker: the origin story

22:16 — Twitter’s SXSW launch and the ripple effects

24:14 — Strengthening infrastructure amid explosive growth

26:34 — Beginning remote/global engineering partnerships

29:26 — Process, communication, and the reality of global development

31:00 — How remote teams support SXSW’s “lights-on” needs

Keywords:

Software Without Borders, SXSW, Justin Bankston, Andy Hilliard, Tomás Hilliard, Accelerance, event technology, global engineering teams, festival tech infrastructure, Twitter SXSW launch, custom software development, nearshore engineering, CTO insights, large-scale event operations.

In this episode of Software Without Borders, Andy and Scott sit down with Steve Petersen, a veteran software architect and engineering leader known for building collaborative, high-trust technical teams across global environments. Steve shares the lessons he’s learned from decades of experience—coding, mentoring, scaling engineering orgs, and navigating the cultural and communication challenges that come with distributed teams.

Guest Introduction:

Steve Petersen is a seasoned software architect, engineering leader, and mentor with deep experience designing scalable systems and guiding teams through growth and transformation. Known for his calm leadership style, technical clarity, and focus on people-first engineering cultures, Steve has spent his career helping developers elevate their craft while strengthening communication and trust across globally distributed organizations.

Key Takeaways:

Communication is the real bottleneck, not code. Highly distributed teams succeed when they over-communicate clearly and consistently.

Pairing senior and junior engineers is a force multiplier, accelerating learning for both sides and strengthening team cohesion.

Humility makes great engineers—those willing to ask questions, seek clarity, and challenge assumptions collaboratively.

Technical leadership is not about having all the answers, but about creating a space where the best ideas surface.

Avoiding unnecessary complexity leads to higher velocity and more maintainable systems.

Global engineering teams thrive on structure, predictable rhythms, and clear expectations that support asynchronous work.

Chapter Markers:

0:00 Welcome to Software Without Borders

0:21 Introducing Steve Petersen

1:13 Steve’s Background & Early Career Path

2:46 Technical Leadership vs. Individual Contribution

4:05 How Engineering Teams Break Down Communication

5:32 The Power of Pairing Senior & Junior Engineers

7:01 What Makes an Engineer Truly Great

8:44 Curiosity, Humility & Asking the Right Questions

10:12 Reducing Complexity for Better Outcomes

12:09 Leading Distributed Engineering Teams

14:03 Building Predictable Rhythms & Expectations

15:58 Technical Debt vs. Necessary Complexity

17:30 Creating a Culture Where Engineers Feel Safe Speaking Up

19:03 What Steve Looks for When Hiring Developers

21:18 Why Mentorship Accelerates Team Growth

22:40 When to Step Back as a Technical Leader

24:11 Coaching Engineers Through Hard Problems

26:05 Final Thoughts & What Steve Wishes He Knew Earlier

End: Closing Remarks

Keywords:

Software Without Borders, Andy Hilliard, Scott Pollov, Steve Petersen, engineering leadership, software architecture, distributed engineering teams, global teams, technical mentorship, engineering culture, communication in engineering, technical debt, software development leadership, scaling teams

In this episode of Software Without Borders, we sit down with Joe Forgét—founder of Igniting Momentum and a leader who has lived through mergers, global team integrations, and the uncomfortable-but-necessary transitions that define high-growth companies. Joe breaks down what really happens when organizations hit those inflection points: culture drift, misalignment, operational chaos, and the quiet pressure founders and leaders carry while trying to scale.

Guest Introduction:

Joe Forgét is the founder of Igniting Momentum, a leadership and operations coach who helps growing companies rebuild clarity, alignment, and execution discipline. With deep experience leading global teams through mergers, restructures, and rapid scale, Joe blends operating system rigor with human-centered leadership. His work centers on creating momentum through intentional rhythms, strategic alignment, and practical accountability structures.

Key Takeaways:

Companies often realize they need help when they hit the moment Joe calls: “The business owns me now.”

Momentum comes from structured operating rhythms — not heroic effort.

Frameworks like EOS, Pinnacle, and System & Soul provide scaffolding, but must be tailored to each organization.

Early-stage founders may not need full frameworks yet, but scale-ups absolutely do.

Mergers & acquisitions create cultural collisions; alignment must come before acceleration.

Empowerment only works when role clarity and accountability structures are in place.

Progress must be viewed through “the gap and the gain,” recognizing wins instead of only missing pieces.

Chapter Markers:

0:00 Welcome back to Software Without Borders

0:23 Introducing guest Joe Forgét

2:17 Joe’s discovery of coaching

4:11 The Ignition Framework (Align → Activate → Accelerate)

6:22 EOS, Pinnacle, System & Soul explained

8:04 Coaching in fast-growth organizations

9:47 The moment leaders realize the business owns them

11:35 Measuring early momentum

15:51 The Gap and the Gain mindset

17:02 People-first additions in newer operating frameworks

20:03 Why implementation must be customized

23:35 Cultural blending in mergers

26:58 Choosing between scale, exit, or reinvention

30:25 Post-inflection indicators that help is needed

33:12 Role clarity as empowerment

35:05 Why coaches need their own coaches

End: Closing insights and wrap-up

Keywords:

Software Without Borders, Andy Hilliard, Scott Pollov, Joe Forget, Igniting Momentum, leadership coaching, operating rhythms, EOS, System and Soul, business scaling, mergers and acquisitions, organizational alignment, executive coaching, leadership frameworks, global team leadership