Tech podcasts are an effective, flexible, and enjoyable way to stay ahead of the curve as a software engineer. Whether you're exercising, shopping, or on a long walk, podcasts are an opportunity to learn where books and videos fail. But which ones to listen to? We've done the hard work and collected 10 of the best tech podcasts any software engineer can listen to.
- Soft Skills Engineering
- Darknet Diaries
- Talk Python to Me
- Changelog
- CoRecursive
- Software Daily
- Lex Fridman
- Syntax
- ShopTalk
- CodeNewbie
Soft Skills Engineering
Soft Skills Engineering is a weekly podcast that focuses on the soft skills required to get better at your job as a software engineer. Every week, listeners send in questions for hosts Dave Smith and Jamison Dance to answer. They pick the two most interesting questions and have a half-hour conversation about them.
Darknet Diaries
Darknet Diaries is a podcast about hackers, cybersecurity breaches, shadow government activity, and cybercrime, presented as compelling stories by Jack Rhysider. Essential if you're interested in cybersecurity, but also if you like listening to captivating stories.
Talk Python to Me
Talk Python to Me is a podcast about, you guessed it, Python and related technologies. Michael Kennedy is the host and brings on at least one subject-matter expert in every episode. Often a whole panel. Together, they discuss Python-related topics, like how Netflix uses Python, how to use pytest, and how to write cleaner Python code.
Changelog
Changelog is a comprehensive podcast with a weekly news brief on Monday, a deep technical interview on Wednesday, and a talk show on Friday, all about topics related to software. Presented by Adam Stacoviak and Jerod Santo, Changelog has been going for over a decade and is still an incredibly popular tech podcast.
CoRecursive
CoRecursive is a tech podcast that focuses on the stories behind software. The host Adam Gordon Bell invites guests to understand what it was like building SQLite, how Unix was created, or how you can write software that doesn't suck. A popular podcast that's been going for over five years.
Software Daily
Software Engineering Daily is a giant media platform that has a blog, a newsletter, and a podcast too. The hosts cover a wide range of software topics, from data reliability to programming robotics software to chaos engineering. Browse the podcast's backlog and you're sure to find something that suits your needs.
Lex Fridman
Possibly a controversial tech podcast to include, mainly because it doesn't focus exclusively on tech. Lex has spoken to world-famous guests as varied as Matthew McConaughey, Joe Rogan, and Avi Loeb. But he's also spoken with giants in the tech industry, from Mark Zuckerberg to Vitalik Buterin to John Carmack. Definitely worth a listen if you want to understand the thought processes of guests you won't find on any other podcast.
Syntax
Hosted by the legendary Wes Bos and Scott Tolinski, Syntax is a tech podcast specifically for web developers. Topics range from JavaScript frameworks to CSS advancements to web tools. Every podcast episode is within the realm of web development.
ShopTalk
ShopTalk is a weekly tech podcast about building websites. Hosted by Dave Rupert and Chris Coyier, it focuses on front-end web design and UX. Topics within an episode vary widely, and can range from lazy loading to Microsoft Edge developer tools to AI training data.
CodeNewbie
CodeNewbie is a community of people learning how to code, and they have a podcast too. Hosted by Saron Yitbarek, the CodeNewbie podcast features the lives of developers on their coding journey. Episodes often cover softer skills, like how to balance parenthood with programming, how to navigate tech layoffs, and how to successfully switch to a programming career.
