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Oct 2026

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The Difference Engine helps founders and funders maximise business growth through category design. Hosted by two British northerners with decades of experience in launching, managing, and marketing disruptive tech companies. Paul Maher and Jonathan Simnett have been there, done it and thrown away the slogan t-shirts - now they'll help you become a category king. The Difference Engine - Disrupting Tech Strategy https://www.becategorical.com/

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60 recent

October 7, 202637 min

87. Sifted Summit 2026: Legaro’s Europe Complaint, Who’s Courting Clegg & Labour’s Two Technophones

The Sifted Summit sparked some big questions about Europe’s tech future. We unpack the conversations that caught our hosts’ attention, from why European founders struggle with sales to Bending Spoons’ unconventional approach to M&A, and Nick Clegg’s thoughts on AI, China and Europe’s relationship with the US. Also, who are the two technophobes in the current Labour cabinet? Also in this episode, we’re covering Anthropic's IPO and what it could mean for the wider AI ecosystem and asking how much of the AI boom is technology, and how much is hype? 00:35 Sifted Summit rapid review 14:20 Anthropic's IPO: a referendum on the AI ecosystem 23:45 AI: The Technology Is Real. The Hype Is Something Else There is more information on how to design your category on our blog Follow us on LinkedIn: Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

September 23, 202637 min

86. Matt Clifford and the Government’s AI Pipeline Problem

What happens when the person shaping a country’s technology strategy suddenly becomes the person building the companies it was seeking to regulate and compete with? To explore that question, we need look no further than the curious case of Matt Clifford. In this episode, we explore the growing movement of technology talent between government and industry, the risks it creates, and what it means for UK AI sovereignty. Also in this episode, we’ll take on te great data centre debate and ask why the SaaS champions of old could rise up once again. 00:45 Matt Clifford AI, For Sale: The British State 12:30 The Great Data Centre Debate 24:11 SaaS and The Comeback Kids There is more information on how to design your category on our blog Follow us on LinkedIn: Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

September 9, 202652 min

85. John Whelan: Being charged with fraud forced me to build a business

What would you do if everything you’d worked for suddenly came crashing down? For John Whelan, life took an unexpected turn when he found himself in a courtroom facing a charge of fraud. After years toiling within accountancy firms and factories, the life he had built for himself and his family was thrown into uncertainty. But instead of letting adversity define him, he found a way forward. John’s story is one of resilience and reinvention. We explore what it takes to keep moving when everything feels stacked against you, how adversity can create unexpected opportunities, and why your biggest setback can sometimes become the catalyst for your next chapter. There is more information on how to design your category on our blog Follow us on LinkedIn: Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

August 26, 202640 min

84. What do DeepMind & Demis Hassabis teach us about the new era of Category leadership?

What happens when the person who created a Category is no longer the best person to lead the Category they built? Historically, Big Tech has often pushed exceptional talent into its highest executive roles until, eventually, they topple from the top of the tower. That’s what makes the Demis Hassabis story so interesting. He isn’t leaving Google DeepMind. Instead, he’s moving away from the CEO role to become chairman and chief scientist at Alphabet, while continuing to lead the work at Isomorphic Labs. This isn’t a story about an executive stepping back. It’s about a company asking a different question: What should our top talent be building next? If that philosophy works, it could point towards a very different model for how Big Tech develops, retains and deploys exceptional technological talent and how it sustains Category leadership. Also in this episode, we’ll analyse the anatomy of hype. Should you chase the noise? 00:33 Big Tech and The New Rules of Category Leadership 19:45 Hype vs. Category Leadership: Should You Chase the Noise? There is more information on how to design your category on our blog Follow us on LinkedIn: Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

August 12, 202624 min

83. How to Strike in 2026

Great products don't break markets. Great Category strikes do. In this episode, we break down the 2026 playbook for orchestrating a coordinated launch across events, paid media, earned media, analyst relations, influencers and more. We’ll teach you how to kick-start momentum that sets you on a path for Category domination. So how can you grab the conversation from day one, and make your Category impossible to ignore?

July 29, 202646 min

82. Is the AI Bubble About to Burst? The Warning Signs You Need to Know

In the midst of record AI investment, soaring valuations, and relentless hype, a growing question is emerging: are we witnessing a technological revolution or an AI bubble? We explore the warning signs that have preceded past market fallouts, from inflated expectations to shaky business models, and examine what investors, founders, and observers should be watching. If the AI bubble is about to pop, these are the warning signs you need to know. Also in this episode, we examine how to successfully hand over a business to a new leader. 00:31 Could the next tech crash be soon and the biggest? 24:29 What transitions of power tell us about the importance of strategic direction There is more information on how to design your category on our blog Follow us on LinkedIn: Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

July 15, 202627 min

81. What we learnt from the Meta whistleblower

Meta doesn't want you to read this book. Yet despite its efforts to suppress it, Sarah Wynn-Williams' Careless People has become one of the most talked-about books in tech. Is it a landmark insider account of how Meta built one of the world's most powerful social media empires, or the story of a former executive with an axe to grind? We examine the book's biggest claims and Meta's forceful response. Also in this episode, we’ll analyse the impact of the budget breaking cost of AI. 00:33 The Meta whistleblower - hubris or sour grapes? 14:17 The Escalating Cost of AI There is more information on how to design your category on our blog Follow us on LinkedIn: Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

July 1, 202628 min

80. Crossing the Vibe Chasm: The Most Important Tech Skill of the Next Decade

In this episode, we return to The Vibe Chasm, the growing gap that appears when AI-fuelled, solo-founder speed collides with the messy realities of scaling Category leading companies. The winners of the next decade will not be those who use AI the fastest, nor the companies with the fewest employees, but the organisations that cross this chasm effectively. So, how do you cross The Vibe Chasm? Also in this episode, ee’ll give our review of London Tech Week. What does this annual schmooze fest reveal about the UK’s current attitude towards tech? 00:37 Crossing the Vibe Chasm 12:23 London Tech Week Review There is more information on how to design your category on our blog Follow us on LinkedIn: Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

June 17, 202630 min

79. Roman Stanek: "Assume the worst scenario and then double it, and then double it again"

In this episode, we sit down with Roman Stanek, founder of GoodData and one of Europe's most experienced technology entrepreneurs, to discuss the realities of building businesses through multiple waves of technological change. We explore how founders should think about AI and where many entrepreneurs are getting it wrong. For anyone building a startup, investing in technology, or trying to understand where AI is taking business next, this conversation delivers hard-earned insights from a founder who has spent his career at the forefront of innovation. There is more information on how to design your category on our blog Follow us on LinkedIn: Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

June 3, 202621 min

78. We need to talk about The Vibe Chasm

AI has made it possible for individual founders to build businesses that once required entire teams. But solo success creates its own challenges. As customers, systems, and decisions multiply, the founder often becomes the constraint. This is The Vibe Chasm. The point where the convenience of AI-driven growth collides with the operational complexity of a Category leading company. So what do you need to know about The Vibe Chasm and how should you approach it? What to look forward to: 00:27 The Vibe Chasm There is more information on how to design your category on our blog Follow us on LinkedIn: Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.