Code Story: Insights from Startup Tech Leaders - Founder Chats – Vadim Dedov

Today, we are dropping another episode in our "chats" series, specifically on the Founder side, - hearing from those scaling the companies themselves.

In this episode, we are talking with Vadim Dedov, CEO at Catchers. Vadim is going to walk us through what problem he wanted to solve with Catchers, and how his product development journey took him through architectural decisions, product optimization, team building and more.

Questions

  • Before we talk about Catchers, I’d love to understand you a bit better.
  • What experiences or responsibilities earlier in your life shaped how you think about work, systems, and accountability today?
  • What problem were you dealing with before Catchers existed? Not as a product idea yet, but as a real operational pain you kept running into.
  • At what point did you realise this couldn’t be solved with people, spreadsheets, or manual coordination anymore and that technology was the only way forward?
  • How did Catchers actually start taking shape as a product? What was the very first version you built, and what did “good enough” mean in a business where mistakes affect people’s income and compliance?
  • How long did it take to get to something usable, and what constraints defined your MVP?
  • Looking back, what were the most important trade-offs you made early on?
  • Things you consciously postponed or simplified, knowing they might come back later.
  • Let’s zoom in on the product itself. What is the core product insight behind Catchers — the thing you believe differentiates it from a typical HR or staffing platform?
  • How did your thinking about architecture evolve as scale increased? Was there a moment when you had to stop moving fast and redesign parts of the system properly?
  • How did you approach building your core team around such a complex, operations-heavy product? What qualities mattered most in the people you trusted with this system?
  • Can you share a decision that didn’t go as planned and how you and your team dealt with the consequences?
  • When you step back and look at what you’ve built today, what are you most proud of not in terms of features, but in terms of reliability, impact, or how the system holds under pressure?
  • As you look ahead, how do automation and AI change the way you think about workforce platforms — and what advice would you give to someone building infrastructure-heavy products today?

Sponsors

Links




Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/codestory/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - The Epstein Files: What We Know So Far

In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel return to the unfortunately ongoing saga of Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and sexual predator. In the wake of Epstein's still-controversial death in prison, millions of documents about his activities -- collectively known as the Epstein Files -- remain redacted or hidden from the public. Recent releases have, if anything, raised more questions than answers. So what exactly is going on? Tune in to learn more.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

array(3) { [0]=> string(150) "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/programs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/2e824128-fbd5-4c9e-9a57-ae2f0056b0c4/image.jpg?t=1749831085&size=Large" [1]=> string(10) "image/jpeg" [2]=> int(0) }

Headlines From The Times - Iran War Update: Trump Says End Is Near as US Launches Massive Strikes and Ross Stores Sets Expansion Plans

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed that Tuesday will be the “most intense” day of strikes on Iran. When asked about the timeline of the conflict, Hegseth and President Trump have given mixed messages. On Monday, Trump told CBS News that the war with Iran is “very complete,” before reversing course later in the day. Meanwhile, AI company Anthropic is suing the Department of Defense after being labeled a supply chain risk last week. The company alleges the government violated its First Amendment rights following disputes over how federal agencies could use Anthropic’s technology. In business, Ross has opened two new locations in Alhambra and North Hollywood as part of a national plan to launch 110 stores this year, and Beyond Meat officially rebranded as "Beyond The Plant Protein Co." to reflect its expansion into protein drinks and bars. Read more at https://LATimes.com.

Marketplace All-in-One - An Ohio newspaper gives AI a byline

The Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio, has been around since the 1800s. Now, it's leaning into a very 21st century tactic: embracing the use of artificial intelligence in its journalism. That includes AI actually writing articles.


The paper's editor, Chris Quinn, says incorporating artificial intelligence is critical to its success. Will Oremus, tech reporter at The Washington Post, says lots of publications are experimenting with AI. But the Plain Dealer has taken it further than most.

Up First from NPR - Intense Strikes On Iran, Trump Approval Poll, Georgia Special Election Runoff

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promised the most intense strikes yet on Iran as residential buildings in Tehran come under fire and Iranian forces target naval ships in the Gulf.
A new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds a majority of Americans oppose the war and President Trump's approval rating on the economy has hit a record low, raising questions about what the conflict means heading into the midterm elections.
And in Georgia, the special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene is heading to a runoff, with Trump's endorsed candidate falling short of an outright win as a Democrat closes in.

Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.

Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Hannah Block, Dana Farrington, Megan Pratz, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle.

It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.

Our director is Christopher Thomas.

We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange

Our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.

(0:00) Introduction
(01:57) Intense Strikes On Iran
(06:08) Trump Approval Poll
(10:05) Georgia Special Election Runoff

To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

The Daily - Iran War Triggers Chaos in Global Oil Market

As Iran has tightened its chokehold on one of the world’s most vital shipping routes and the Trump administration sent mixed signals about how long the war would last, oil prices have swing wildly.

Rebecca F. Elliot, who covers energy for The New York Times, explains just how much the world depends on that route — the Strait of Hormuz — and how quickly shutting it down can throw global energy markets into chaos.

Guest: Rebecca F. Elliott, who covers energy for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

Photo: Nicolas Economou/Reuters

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Daily Detail - The Daily Detail for 3.11.26

Alabama

  • Morgan Murphy drops out of Republican senate primary race
  • New Defense industrial facility coming to Muscle Shoals at old railcar plant
  • Governor Ivey commutes the death sentence for Charles Lee Burton
  • AG Marshall disappointed at Ivey's decision re: Burton commutation
  • Mother of missing Enterprise toddler now charged with murder of that child
  • City of Arab loses almost half a million dollars in computer phishing scam
  • New chairman of the ALGOP releases his top three leadership priorities

National

  • 16 Iranian minelaying vessels destroyed by US forces in Strait of Hormuz
  • President Trump holds phone call with Russian president this past Tuesday
  • More details about AZ election docs seized and overall case of election fraud
  • Investigators at Jeffrey Epstein's ranch in NM looking for evidence of crimes
  • Grand jury convicts a multi state dental group for defrauding government
  • Republican Clay Fuller heads to run off race in special election for Georgia House seat held by Marjorie Taylor Greene