Semble CTO Mikael Landau on Build vs Buy Strategy, Product Led AI & Scaling ICs to Managers

What happens when a CTO refuses to "shove" AI into every corner of the product? Why is the most successful AI actually invisible to the user? How can reducing "engagement" be the ultimate metric for engineering success and mental health? In this Podcast with Mikael Landau: 🟡 Discover the "Invisible AI" strategy: why the best tools are the ones users don’t even notice 🟡 Get the mechanical proof of why putting AI into your product is a product problem, not a tech problem 🟡 Learn the "Piston Principle" to stop over-engineering and start delivering value from day one 🟡 See how Mikael melts team skepticism by turning AI into a silent ally that saves hours, not adds work 🟡 Explore the leadership strategy for scaling engineers into managers without falling into the "Peter Principle" trap 👤 Mikael Landau is an architect of trust in the world’s most regulated industry. With 8+ years at the helm of Semble, a high-stakes engineering background from Goldman Sachs, and a First-Class Honours from Nottingham, he has scaled Semble into a MedTech powerhouse by treating technology as a silent ally for healthcare professionals. Connect with Mikael: 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikael-landau-274b0750/ Explore Semble: 🔗 https://www.semble.io/ 🎙 Our host, Kolade Afode, is an international tech speaker and Senior Engineer with deep expertise in high-performance systems. As a GitNation community host, he analyzes best practices and architectural solutions within the React ecosystem alongside the industry's leading voices. Connect with Kolade on LinkedIn: 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/kxlaa/ ⏱ Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:53 - Your 20$ Off 🤫 01:14 - Goldman Sachs legacy and the foundation of Semble 05:34 - The “Lifework” rule: Why buying is better than building 09:06 - The AI Hype: Why “AI everywhere” is a product trap 10:59 - The Piston Metaphor: Why users don't care about your tech stack 14:02 - Melting skepticism: Winning the team through immediate utility 16:20 - Ambient Intelligence: How AI becomes an invisible ally (Добавлено для «мяса») 19:31 - The Engagement Paradox: Why success is fewer clicks, not more 20:48 - The Peter Principle: How to scale leaders, not just managers 23:45 - Engineering culture and the future of Semble 📹 The podcast was recorded at TechLead Conf 2025 in London: 🔗 https://gitnation.com/events/techlead-conference-2025-irl?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=MikaelLandau 📌 Inside this video we’ve hidden a secret code for 20% off your next event: 💫 JSNation, June 11 & 15, 2026 (Amsterdam & Online) 🔗 https://jsnation.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=MikaelLandau 💫 React Summit, June 12 & 16, 2026 (Amsterdam & Online) 🔗 https://reactsummit.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=MikaelLandau 💫 TechLead Conf, June 11 & 12, 2026 (Amsterdam & Online) 🔗 https://techleadconf.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=MikaelLandau Join us and don't forget to use INSIDER20! 🚀 Check out all the upcoming events from GitNation: 🔗 https://gitnation.com/events?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=MikaelLandau #GitNation #GitNationHeroes #TechPodcast #GitNationInterviews #TechTalks #WebArchitecture #CTO #AIStrategy #EngineeringManagement #MedTech #Semble #ProductLed #BuildVsBuy #TechLead #ITCareer #Career #Ai #AICoding #MiddleToSenior #Career #Semble