Tech Talks Daily

• 3251: AI Meets Sustainability: Inside Bower’s Global Recycling Mission

  With over 100 million packages recycled since its launch in 2019, Bower has proven that incentivizing people with real-world rewards can significantly increase recycling rates without building new infrastructure. From barcode scanning to AI-powered image recognition, the Bower app empowers users to recycle all types of packaging and earn rewards simply by dropping items into ordinary recycling bins. It’s simple, scalable, and working across more than 170 countries. Berfin Mert, co-founder and COO of Bower, explains how their latest innovations now detect items without barcodes, such as coffee cups, cigarette butts, and batteries. She shares how AI-driven guidance has led to a 32% improvement in sorting rates, and why location-based data is key to building smarter, more responsive recycling systems.  We also discuss the realities of building a circular economy, the growing role of brands like Nestlé and Varta, and why a purely sustainable pitch isn’t always enough to bring companies on board. Berfin’s perspective on bridging environmental goals with business realities makes this conversation stand out. She talks openly about expanding their value proposition to include marketing insights and loyalty tools, making the platform attractive to both eco-conscious users and revenue-driven brands. Toward the end of our chat, Berfin opens up about her own journey, crediting her brother and co-founder as the person who inspired her to take the leap into entrepreneurship. It’s a grounded, honest look at innovation, impact, and the people who help bring both to life. This episode offers a fresh, practical perspective if you’ve ever wondered how small tech-driven actions can influence global sustainability. Could your packaging be worth something more? Let’s find out together.

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• 3250: Couchbase: Overcoming Infrastructure Hurdles in Enterprise AI

  Here’s the thing: we all heard Sundar Pichai say that the easy wins in AI have faded and that we may see fewer headline‑grabbing releases from the big players over the next year. That comment feels like a red flag for momentum, but I see it as a green light for action.  In this episode, I chatted with Rahul Pradhan, VP of Product and Strategy at Couchbase, about how teams can take advantage of this pause to move projects from simple experiments into solid, production‑ready services. I ask why many organizations hesitate to send their data to public AI endpoints. Rahul explains that when you’ve invested years building data platforms, handing over your proprietary information—even in encrypted form—can feel like handing over the keys to your kingdom. He walks us through how running models inside your security perimeter keeps private data safe and brings up model accuracy since you can tailor inputs and scrub out noise before it ever reaches the inference engine. Next, we tackle the question of stability. Companies often assume that the path to a live service is straightforward once a pilot works. Rahul warns that managing GPUs, orchestrating models, and serving them at low latency all require skill sets that live at the crossroads of ML engineering and traditional software development. We round out our conversation by shifting focus from tools to teams. Technology alone cannot carry an AI initiative. We need leaders who set a clear vision, data stewards who govern every data flow, and developers who feel as comfortable writing database queries as they define training pipelines. Rahul offers thoughtful advice on building that culture and shares examples of industries—healthcare, financial services, and retail—where the most far‑reaching uses of AI are taking root. If you’re wondering how to push your proof of concept into a robust service that customers depend on, this episode is for you. I promise you’ll come away with ideas you can apply tomorrow and a fresh view of why a little breathing room in AI releases can become the launch pad for your subsequent big success.    

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• 3249: Atlassian: Rovo, ROI, and the Rise of the AI-Powered Workforce

  In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, recorded live at Team '25 in Anaheim, I sit down with Jamil Valliani, Head of AI Products at Atlassian, to unpack the momentum behind Rovo, Atlassian’s bold move to reimagine collaboration through generative AI. But this conversation goes far beyond product features. It offers a glimpse into how AI is reshaping teamwork, decision-making, and even company culture. Jamil explains how Rovo brings together enterprise-grade search, secure contextual chat, and a new Agent Studio designed to help anyone, from engineers to HR teams, build their own AI teammates. Perhaps most notably, all of this is being rolled out at no additional cost to Atlassian’s paid users. That shift in accessibility marks a clear intent to drive meaningful adoption, not just feature excitement. We explore why 2025 is being tipped as the year of the AI agent, and how Atlassian is helping businesses move beyond overwhelm and into action. What stands out is how teams are using Rovo not just to save time but to remove the friction that clogs up workdays. Think triaging support tickets, updating status reports, or turning customer insights into ready-to-execute tasks. These are no longer chores left to team members; they are responsibilities shared with intelligent, learning agents that work alongside them. Jamil also shares some revealing stats. Customers are already seeing up to 2x return on investment, saving over 100 minutes a day, and 85 percent say the quality of their work has improved. That time and mental clarity is giving teams space to experiment, adapt, and create. So, where should you begin if you're starting your AI journey? And what does it take to build a culture where AI is embraced not just as a tool, but as a catalyst for better work? Tune in, and let us know what your AI-powered future looks like.

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• 3248: Atlassian - When AI Becomes a Teammate, Not Just a Tool

  What does it take to lead with empathy in a world where AI transforms our work? In this episode, I sit down with Avani Prabhakar, Atlassian's Chief People Officer, to discuss how the company is creating a people-first culture while embracing rapid innovation. Avani shares how Atlassian is approaching AI not just as a technology shift, but as a mindset shift. When teams see AI as a collaborator instead of a task bot, 90 percent say it improves the quality of their work. That’s not a statistic about productivity. It’s a signal that mindset makes a measurable difference. We explore how leaders can support that shift. It starts with putting people first and using AI to free up time for creativity and deeper thinking. It also means giving teams permission to experiment, learn from failure, and figure out how these tools fit into their day-to-day work. And it includes being transparent about your own journey. What are you using? What’s working? What lessons can others borrow? Avani also gives us a look at how Atlassian is rethinking performance and growth in a distributed world. Flexibility, trust, and curiosity are the new foundation for high performance, and the people function is now more connected than ever to the wider business strategy. If AI is going to be a part of every team’s toolkit, how do we help people feel confident using it? And what kind of leadership does this moment call for? Join the conversation and let us know what you think.

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• 3247: Atlassian’s Sanchan Saxena Talks ROI, AI, and the Future of Teamwork

  What happens when tools like Jira, Confluence, Loom, and AI-powered agents come together under one unified strategy? At Team 25 in Anaheim, I sat down with Sanchan Saxena, Atlassian’s Head of Product for Work Management, to explore the company’s new Teamwork Collection and what it means for the evolving nature of collaboration. With leadership experience at Coinbase, Airbnb, Instagram, and Microsoft, Sanchan brings a pragmatic lens to building products that meet teams where they are. In our conversation, we unpack the thinking behind the Teamwork Collection, a curated set of Atlassian tools designed to help teams work more seamlessly while delivering real, measurable outcomes. This isn’t about adding more tools to the stack. It’s about reducing the noise and giving teams a single, integrated space to plan, document, and communicate with clarity. We also explore how AI is being used to reduce manual overhead, surface relevant information faster, and make daily tasks feel less like busywork. Sanchan shares practical examples of how companies are already using these tools to boost productivity, make meetings more actionable, and give teams back valuable time. For leaders focused on change management or wrestling with tool adoption, there are actionable insights here on overcoming cultural friction and designing for long-term success. Recorded live at Team 25, this conversation reflects a broader shift in how work is organized and supported. Whether you’re in IT, product, operations, or leadership, this episode offers a look at how Atlassian is building for the future of work—one where humans and AI collaborate without the chaos. How are you designing your workflows to stay ahead of that curve? Let’s continue the conversation.

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