The Forge 🔥 of Unicorns - by Michele Brissoni
Episodes
🎙️EP82 - The Last Mile: Why AI Adoption Isn't Enough
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
AI Readiness Gap: Why 70-90% AI adoption with 30-50% readiness is costing billions. The Last Mile framework for CTOs to complete AI coding tool invest...
🎙️ EP81 - The AI Readiness Gap
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
97% of enterprise developers use AI coding tools. Trust crashed from 40% to 29% in one year. METR found experienced developers 19% slower while believ...
🎙️ EP80 - The AI Coding Illusion: Why Speed Without Fundamentals Is a Death Spiral
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Michele (Mike) Brissoni explores the challenges and realities of software development in the age of AI. He discusses the historical c...
🎙️ EP79 - How to build the 1% Elite Developers!
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Your $10M AI investment produces garbage code because you hired mediocre, trained badly, and blamed developers when production burned. Not their fault...
🎙️ EP78 - The 1% Problem | Why AI Can't Save Your Company
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Three years after ChatGPT's release, $2.5 trillion wasted in 2024 alone. Forecast for 2027? $4 trillion. Meanwhile, 38% burnout rate, 77% disengaged w...
🎙️EP77 - The $34 Billion SECRET VCs Don't Want You To Know
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Licensing beats equity 10x. Fabio Lettieri (Founder, Artivium | Partner, TLN) reveals how €2M turns into €100M in 24 months through royalty-based ...
🎙️ EP76 - Karmapreneurship in the AI-era
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Philosophy shapes AI future through karmapreneurship and soft skills revealed by Craig Weiss (Patent Attorney turned Unicorn CEO turned Managing Partn...
🎙️ EP75 - Are Your Developers Ready for AI? The David vs Goliath Story
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Spitch.AI beats tech giants through customer-centric collaborative AI and cultural readiness. Pier Giorgio Vittori (CEO US division) reveals gradual a...
🎙️E74 - Why Only Soldier-Minded Teams Become Unicorns
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wonder how top tech leaders foster exceptional team environments? This Forge of Unicorns podcast episode dives deep into the secrets of high-perf...
🎙️ EP73 - AI Won’t Fix Us. It Amplifies Us!
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Forge of Unicorns – In the Head of a CEO, the host Michele Brissoni sits down with Stéphan Donzé, Founder & CEO of AODocs, ...
🎙️ EP72 - Escaping the Industry Black Hole 🚀
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Unicorns are going extinct. In 2015 there were 124 new unicorns. In the last 3 years? Barely 17.At the same time, trillions of dollars have been poure...
🎙️ EP71 - Why Running a Company on Science Prevents Software’s Wild West
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why is software still the Wild West—with no universal quality standards?In this episode of Forge of Unicorns, 🎙️ Noël Bauza (CEO of Zei) revea...
🎙️ EP70 - Can Ethical Investing Outlast Unicorns?
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Unicorns are dying. Cockroaches creep us out. The future belongs to Camel Startups: resilient, human-centric, and engineered to survive.In this episod...
🎙️ EP69 - What If a Diesel Mechanic Just Outbuilt Your Tech Org?
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Listen to Tyler Robertson's inspiring entrepreneur story of building a $100 million business from the ground up. This motivational podcast episode cov...
🎙️ EP68 - Software Venture Capital Is Broken
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The $30B Mistake: Why Startups Fail and Investors Sleepwalk Through It💥 Massimiliano Sulpizi exposes what’s broken in **venture capital** and off...
🎙️ EP67 - How Do I Evolve My Company Without Losing My People?
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Succession isn’t just an HBO drama.It’s real. It’s messy. And when it happens inside a high-growth SaaS company, it can break everything.In this...
🎙️ EP66 - The $1M AI Mercenary Problem
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
💥 Your tech budget is burning—and hiring hype can kill your culture.Here’s the brutal truth:Boards are shelling out $1M+ to AI engineers—none...
🎙️ EP65 - Vibe Coding: Beauty or Beast?
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
AI was supposed to help us build organizations faster.Instead, it’s flooding the market with fragile MVPs and founders who lack the knowledge to sca...
🎙️E64 - AI, Code, Care... When organizations stop guessing and start assessing.
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🤔 Startups pitch AI like magic. But what happens when vibe-coded prototypes crash in production?👉 Who’s inspecting the code, not just the pitc...
🎙️ EP63 - Is the AI bubble coming? And if so… who do you trust to deal with it?
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🤔 Investors are pouring billions into AI. But what if this is dot-com bubble 2.0?👉 Who will spot the real risks — hidden inside the code, and ...
🎙️ EP62 - The Common Secret Behind Mining ⛏️, F1 🏎️ & MotoGP 🏍️ Evolution. Let’s Finally Bring It to Software!
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🤔 Why did Mining ⛏️, Formula 1 🏎️, and MotoGP 🏍️ evolve—and Software didn’t?In this episode of Forge of Unicorns, Nicolás Bañad...
🎙️ EP61 - The Hidden CEO Hiring Trap: Why Only 1 in 4,000 Make It
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are you prepared for the real risks of CEO succession, or any other CXO hiring? In this episode of Forge of Unicorns, investor and behavioral screenin...
🎙️ EP60 - AI first is dead! 💀 Klarna, Babylon, Forward… Who’s Next? The Pattern Behind AI Failures
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🕯️ The Torch 🔥 AI-First Leaders Dropped: Purpose---Klarna. Babylon. Forward.Three companies. Three massive AI-first bets.All failed.Why? They ...
🎙️ EP59 - OKR – The Agile Resurrector 🧬
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Agile is collapsing under its own market weight.Drowned in certifications, fake agility coaches, and checkbox processes.The purpose? Forgotten.The man...
🎙️ EP58 - You Don’t Even Know What Good Looks Like. That’s Why Your Company is Stuck!
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
They think they’re doing software right. But they’ve never seen real excellence.That’s the leadership trap and why companies stall, lose talent,...
🎙️ EP57 - When Excellence Isn’t Optional: How Healthcare Mastery Exposes IT’s Compliance Illusion
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Compliance isn’t excellence.And in today’s IT world, that illusion is costing millions — and lives.In this powerful episode, Michele Brissoni (C...
🎙️EP 56 - Professionalism Isn’t Optional
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most startups don’t die from bad code. They die from bad leadership.In this episode of The Forge of Unicorns, I sit down with Bryony Cooper (VC, fou...
🎙️ EP55 - From Mediocracy to Mastery 🧭 Rewiring Leadership
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎧 EP55 – From Mediocracy to Mastery 🧭 Rewiring Leadership🏷️ How to escape organization mediocracy!Most teams aren’t broken — the...
🎙️ EP54 - Mediocrity is a leadership choice!
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When we say “mediocrity is a leadership choice,” we’re not just being dramatic. In this first face-off between researcher and investor, Mike cha...
🎙️ EP53 - VibeCoding Won’t Build Unicorns 🦄 … they are engineered 👷🏻♂️
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this mind-blowing episode, I sit down with Andy Will, founder of Willpower Venture Capital, to reveal a bold new approach: behavioral engineering a...
🎙️ EP 52 - The Quantum Invasion Is Here: Why Your Software Won’t Survive What’s Coming
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🚀 The Quantum Shift Has Officially Begun… 🚀This week on Forge of Unicorns, we sit down with Matthew Cimaglia, Tech Innovator | Multi-Time Foun...
🎙️ EP 51 – Sam Palazzolo Confirms Our Research
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
💡 Most companies waste millions on digital transformation—and fail. What if, instead, you could engineer IT into a high-value asset that fuels ex...
EP 50 - 97.5% of IT Investments Are DOOMED 📉
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ Episode 50: The Unicorns’ Ecosystem—Flipping the Script on IT Investments 🚀📰 Original blog post: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ep-5...
EP49- Want to Engineer Unicorns 🦄?
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ Episode 49 - The Open-Source Playbook Investors Are Using to Engineer Unicorns 🚀📰 Original Blog post: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ep-...
EP48 - Fake Productivity: The Deadly Illusion of AI-Generated Code 💣
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ EP 48 – Fake Productivity: The Deadly Illusion of AI-Generated Code 💣📰 Original blog post with all the bibliography: https://www.linke...
EP47 - Lost Millions in IT?
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️💣 Lost Millions in IT? Here’s the 300% Stock Surge Playbook Auditors Loved 😍 🎙️📰 Original article - HERE.Hey digital warriors! ...
EP46 - Scaling Excellence: The OKR Lessons from a Bold CIO ✨
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ EP46 - Scaling Excellence: The OKR Lessons from a Bold CIO 🎙️📰 Orignal Blog Post: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ep46-scaling-excellen...
EP 45 - The Dojos' Ecosystem
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ Episode 45📇 From Mediocracy to Mastery: How the Dojos’ Ecosystem Became the Engine of Evolution 🌱In the AI-driven economy, software ex...
EP 44 - Behind the Curtain
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
EP 44 - Behind the Curtain: The Digital Evolution That Redefined Excellence 🎭🚀📰 Original Blog Post🔊 IT was a liability. Deployments were s...
EP 43 - From Chaos to Gold
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ Episode 43: From Chaos to Gold – How IT Can Rise Like a Phoenix📰 Original Blog PostIn this episode, we tackle a hard truth: most IT depar...
EP 42 - 70% of Transformations Fail at the Top
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
📰 Original Blog Post: HERE.In this episode of The Forge of Unicorns 🦄, we uncover the #1 reason most digital transformations crash and burn—an...
EP41 - From Desert 🌵 to Forest 🌳
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 41 - From Desert 🌵 to Forest 🌳: Turning IT Into a Goldmine of Opportunity 💰📰 Original Blog postIn this episode of The Forge of Uni...
EP40 – Scaling IT Excellence: From Transformation to Evolution 🌱
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎧 Podcast Description: Episode 40 – Scaling IT Excellence: From Transformation to Evolution 🎙️🚀📰 Original blog post HEREIn this episod...
EP39 – 2024 A Year to Remember
30 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
🎧 Podcast Title: EP39 – A Year to Remember: Reflecting on 2024 and the Road Ahead 🌟📰 Original Blog HERE2024 was a year like no other for th...
EP38 - The Rise of the Behavioral Engineer
24 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ Episode 38: “The Rise of the Behavioral Engineer – How Data Fuels Transformation” 🚀In this episode, we explore the cutting-edge field...
EP37 - A Real Story of Socio-Technical Evolution
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ EP37 - A Real Story of Socio-Technical Evolution 🌱 The Unicorns’ TouchHow do you turn chaos into cohesion? In this episode of The Forge o...
EP36 - Unlocking the Wisdom of #IAD24
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ Episode 36: Unlocking the Wisdom of #IAD24 - Talks That Inspire Digital Transformation SuccessIn this episode of The Forge of Unicorns, we div...
EP35 - The Change Strategy Revolutionizing Boardrooms
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ Episode 35: The Change Strategy Revolutionizing Boardrooms—Our Unique Formula, Your Competitive Edge💼 Why do over 90% of digital transfor...
EP34 - The Dangerous Myth of Harmless Behaviors
28 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ Episode 34: The Dangerous Myth of Harmless Behaviors – Sabotaging High-Performance Organizations 🚨In this episode of Forge of Unicorns, w...
EP33 - Stop Transforming, Start Evolving at #IAD24
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ Episode 33: Stop Transforming, Start Evolving – Reflections from IAD24 🎉In this episode of Forge of Unicorns, we take you inside the Ital...
EP 32 - A Sneak Peek into Italian Agile Days 2024
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ Episode 32: Stop Transforming, Start Evolving – Insights from IAD24 🎉In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of Italian Agile Days...
EP31 - Think You’ve Budgeted Enough for Digital Transformation?
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
🎧 Episode 31 - Think You’ve Budgeted Enough for Digital Transformation? Think AgainIn this final episode of our mini-series on digital transforma...
EP 30 - Tech Is Only Half the Battle
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 30 - Tech Is Only Half the Battle: How to Nail Digital Transformation with Change ManagementIn this episode of the Forge of Unicorns podcast, ...
EP29 - Why Underestimating Digital Transformation Could Sink Your Business
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 29 - The Billion-Dollar Trap: Why Underestimating Digital Transformation Could Sink Your BusinessIn this episode, we dive into one of the most...
EP 28 - Unlock the Power of OKRs and DDD
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Episode 28 of The Forge of Unicorns, we’re diving into how OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and Domain-Driven Design (DDD) can unlock the true p...
EP 27 - The Hidden Connection Between Talent Drain and Digital Transformation Failure
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 27: The Hidden Connection Between Talent Drain and Digital Transformation Failure (And How to Fix It)In this episode, we’re pulling back the...
EP 26 - Why Digital Transformations Keep Failing at a Massive Cost.
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Episode 26, Michele Brissoni dives into the murky waters of digital transformation (DX) failures, spotlighting some of the most costly blunders—i...
EP 25 - Volkswagen’s 20 Billion Software Disaster.
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ Episode 25 - Volkswagen’s $20 Billion Software Disaster: How Poor Leadership Crashed Digital Transformation 🚨In this episode of The Forge...
EP 24 - The Ugly Truth About AI Code Generators Exposed!
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
📰 Blog: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ep-24-ugly-truth-ai-code-generators-exposed-goodbye-brissoni-1oe4f/🎙️ Episode 24 – The Ugly Truth Abo...
EP 23 - The Deadly Price of Cheap Code
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ Episode 23 – The Deadly Price of Cheap Code: Boeing’s Tragedy and the Looming Software Crisis📰 Blog: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ep-...
EP22 - From Tech Lead to Top Speaker
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into my journey from tech lead to recognized speaker, shaped by the invaluable insights from Gergely Orosz's 'The Pragmatic E...
EP 21 - Avoid Tech Disasters Like a Pro
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Episode 21, we shift gears from the racetrack to the tech world, exploring how the principles of Ferrari’s elite driving school can transform you...
EP20 - The Hidden Cause Behind Tech Disasters 💥
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
🎧 In this episode, we dive deep into the underlying issues that have led to recent tech catastrophes, from the CrowdStrike crash to the NYTimes sec...
EP 19 - From Hype to Horror
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore the dark side of the AI hype, uncovering how recent missteps are wreaking havoc in the tech industry. From inflated expect...
EP18 - The Déjà Vu Disaster. When Will We Learn?
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the unsettling recurrence of IT failures and ask the critical question: when will we finally learn from our mistakes? Re...
EP 17 - How a Tiny Bug Took Down the World
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Episode 17, we delve into the shocking impact of a minor software glitch that triggered a global IT crisis. Discover how a single bug in CrowdStrik...
EP16 - The Future of Data in Digital Transformation
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ep16 - The Future of Data in Digital TransformationIn Episode 16 of "The Forge of Unicorns," we dive into the pivotal role data plays in digital trans...
EP15 - Organizational Assessments
10 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
🎧 Dive into our latest audiostory: "Organizational Assessments: Evolution Driven by Data." 📊 Discover how our unique, data-driven approach helps...
EP14 - SAFe Isn't the Problem
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we delve into why "SAFe isn't the problem!" Discover the importance of evolving your organization beyond traditional frameworks. Lear...
EP12: XP2024 Conference. The Post-Impressions
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ XP 2024 Conference: The Post Impressions 🎙️Join me as I recap the thrilling experience at the XP 2024 conference in Bolzano! From riding ...
EP11: One Week for XP2024: Unveiling the Unicorns Ecosystem
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the inspiration behind the Unicorns Ecosystem, drawing from the secrets of Michael Schumacher's F1 success. Discover how...
EP10: Thus, Why is It Evolving?
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 10: Thus, Why Is It Evolving?In this episode, we dive into the essence of organizational evolution versus transformation. Discover why evolvin...
EP9: STOP ✋ transforming 🚧. START 🌱 evolving 🔄!
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the transformative insights from the IT Revolution Tech Leadership Summit Europe 2024. Discover why stopping the traditi...
EP8: Deep Dive into My Talk at the IT Revolution Enterprise Technical Leadership Summit Europe 2024
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in to the latest episode as I take you on a deep dive into my talk at the IT Revolution Enterprise Technical Leadership Summit Europe 2024. Learn...
EP7: the post IT Revolution Tech Leadership Summit Europe 2024
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in to the latest episode as we unpack the highlights of the IT Revolution Tech Leadership Summit Europe 2024! Join us as we explore the electrify...
EP6: Behind the Scenes of the IT Revolution Tech Leadership Summit
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ Dive into the behind-the-scenes action of the IT Revolution Tech Leadership Summit! Learn how AI turned the tables on conference prep, allowin...
EP5: Empowering Leaders
21 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join us in the latest episode as we unveil an exciting new chapter in the digital realm! Discover the innovative Behavior Engineering platform, starti...
EP4: Navigating the Talent Storm: A CXO's Battle Against Burnout, and Disengagement
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dive into the drama unfolding in today's organizational landscape with our latest blog post. Amidst reports of soaring disengagement, rampant burnout,...
EP3: Upskilling and Reskilling: Your Ticket to Thriving in the AI Era
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dive into the world of upskilling and reskilling to thrive in the AI era. With insights from RedHat, McKinsey, and Thoughtworks, we're gearing up for ...
EP2: Unlocking The Power of Behavior Engineering in Digital Transformation
11 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Behavior Engineering: The Secret Weapon for Digital TransformationDigital transformation expert Michele Brissoni, CEO of BriX Consulting explains how ...
EP1: AI won’t save you from failing in digital transformations.
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this eye-opening blog post, we debunk the myth that AI is the ultimate savior of failing digital transformations. Addressing CXOs and high-flying e...