In this episode, we sit down with Maria Haight, Global Information Security Officer at Joyson Safety Systems, to talk about security, governance, and AI. Maria shares her path in tech, and discusses the difficult shift from hands-on technologist to strategic leader. She also covers her community work with CIOs Against Cancer, the Michigan Council of Women in Technology (MCWT) gala, and SIM Detroit.

On security, she explains why recovery and resilience matter as much as defense and why AI-enabled phishing, fake IT and HR calls, and spoofed messages from the boss are getting harder to spot. We dig into AI governance, including whether AI agents should get their own identities, the cost reality of AI in 2026, and the data privacy and IP limits customers put in their contracts. We also take on vendor sprawl and bad sales demos, tech debt and shadow IT in manufacturing, and the looming threat of post-quantum encryption.

Help Maria and the Michigan Council of Women in Tech fundraise for Michigan women and girls in tech.

This week, Alec Bantel joined us to discuss his new app, ACTIQO that helps families organize their kids’ activities. We talk about what it takes to go from idea to launch, including user testing, hiring, and figuring out what people actually want versus what they say they want. The conversation also covers the realities of raising funding while staying rooted in Detroit, and why building locally matters more than chasing Silicon Valley.

Comedian J Chris Newberg has a show on September 18 at Royal Oak Music Theater. We talk for a bit about his comedy style, what’s on his bucket list, and other projects he’s worked on. He tells us what draws him back to Detroit and compares the local comedy scene to other cities.

He’s giving away two tickets to the show! Listen to find out how you can claim one.

Bob was super-excited for this guest! This week, we were joined by Matt Busch, artist, illustrator, filmmaker, YouTuber, professor, and entrepreneur. He’s worked on projects for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, Stranger Things, and so many more. Check out his website to find out all about him: MattBusch.com. Matt tells us about his work as an illustrator, how he got started, his movie Aladdin 3277, his work as a professor, and lots more.

Jackie Lutz is back! She’s the Content Director at the Auto Care Association. We follow up on how the Right to Repair fight is going. She also tells us how things are going on the Auto Care ON AIR podcast, where she hosts Carpool Conversations.

This is a longer episode, but we had a lot of fun, even though we wandered off topic a few times.

Eddie Eadeh, CEO of E&E Tech is back, and we chat about cybersecurity practices, the future of enterprise IT, and Michigan’s economy. We discussed phishing simulations, identity management, and AI-related security incidents, along with predictions like 5G-connected devices, zero trust network access, and passkeys replacing passwords. We wrapped up by comparing Detroit’s economic diversification to cities like Austin and Chicago and Michigan’s reliance on the auto industry.

After 40 years, Travis Bradburn is back on the job market. We hear about what he’s done, what he’s looking for, and what challenges he’s encountered. This one gets to the heart of what our IT in the D networking events are about.

Bob and Randy caught up with returning guest Jason David of Gym Force, a platform that helps independent gyms with member acquisition, retention, and upselling — solving problems Jason ran into as a former CrossFit gym owner. The conversation covered how AI has accelerated his build, the realities of startup funding versus traditional business valuations, and lessons learned from years of testing and tough feedback. They also touched on the differences between Detroit’s startup scene and the IT community, plus the role community plays in gyms, martial arts, and entrepreneurship alike.