The technical podcast from MarsBased, with over 10,000 listeners. In-depth conversations about software, engineering and entrepreneurship for developers and tech leaders, including our Road to CTO and Building MarsBased series.

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Episode 118

I fired a huge-name client to protect my team | Adarsh Pandit

I fired a huge-name client to protect my team | Adarsh Pandit - Life on Mars Podcast Episode 118

Adarsh Pandit (founder of Cylinder Digital, ex-Thoughtbot, ex-McKinsey) met Àlex 12 years ago in San Francisco when MarsBased was just getting off the ground. They catch up on a decade of building software agencies, navigating career shifts, and managing team dynamics.

Adarsh shares the story behind firing a high-profile client who was verbally abusing his team, the panic of dropping a production database on Heroku, and how applying systems thinking changes how you look at code, sales, and business operations. They also touch on how AI and vibe coding are reshaping agency pricing, the return of fixed-bid contracts, and why human trust remains the most critical asset in tech.

Connect with Adarsh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adarshpandit/

  • AI
  • culture
  • Ruby on Rails
  • Tech entrepeneurship