Steve Taplin

CEO at Sonatafy, AI/ML led Nearshore Software Development synced with US time zones for maximum Productivity & Collaboration | Forbes & Entrepreneur Author

I am the CEO of Sonatafy Technology, where we help CTOs and engineering leaders fix software delivery problems that slow teams down and put outcomes at risk.

Most organizations do not fail because they lack talent. They fail because delivery lacks ownership, structure, and senior technical leadership.

At Sonatafy, we focus on predictable software delivery through a combined US-based and nearshore model. Our teams operate through managed delivery pods, CTO-level consulting, and outcome-driven execution designed to clear backlogs, reduce technical debt, and restore delivery confidence.

I spend most of my time working with technology executives who are dealing with stalled roadmaps, growing backlogs, legacy modernization, DevOps bottlenecks, and distributed teams that are busy but not effective.

In addition to leading Sonatafy, I host the Software Leaders Uncensored podcast, where I have candid conversations with more than 160 software leaders about what actually works and what does not when it comes to building, scaling, and delivering software.

I am also the author of "Fail Hard, Win Big," a book grounded in real-world experience building and scaling companies, focusing on resilience, execution, and the lessons learned when things do not go according to plan. Many of the principles in the book directly apply to leadership, decision-making, and delivery inside modern software organizations.

My perspective is shaped by decades of building companies, scaling engineering teams, and learning the hard way that execution beats strategy when accountability is missing.

If you are a CTO, VP of Engineering, or technology executive looking to improve delivery outcomes without adding chaos, I am always open to thoughtful conversations.

Chief Executive Officer & Board Member

Sonatafy Technology is a premier nearshore software development services company that provides its clients with expertise in Cloud Solutions, Web and Mobile Applications, E-Commerce, Big Data, DevOps Practices, QA, IoT, and Machine Learning.   With current and past signature clients such as IBM, FOX, Cisco, TaylorMade, Caterpillar, Alcatel, and more. Sonatafy Technology helps software teams perform at their best.

Software stocks are sliding on the narrative that AI is about to gut SaaS.
 
That narrative is wrong.
 
AI is not ruining software. It is reshaping it.
 
Salesforce, Snowflake, and other platform players are not being replaced. They are embedding AI directly into their ecosystems. The data, compliance layers, workflows, and integrations still live inside enterprise software. AI runs on top of that foundation.
 
AI without enterprise systems is noise.  Enterprise systems with AI become force multipliers.
 
This is not the end of software. It is a reset for companies that fail to evolve.
 
The real risk is not AI.  It is standing still.

CEO, Sonatafy Technology | Software Delivery Done Right | Host of Software Leaders Uncensored Podcast | Best-Selling Author, Fail Hard, Win Big | Forbes & Entrepreneur Contributor

Open article: After weeks of getting bashed, two software giants can make the case for why AI won't kill them by businessinsider.com

After weeks of getting bashed, two software giants can make the case for why AI won't kill them

One of the most dangerous signals inside a technology company is a growing backlog.
 
On the surface it looks like productivity.
 
Lots of tickets.  Lots of work happening.  Lots of sprint activity.
 
But if the backlog continues growing while engineering headcount increases, something deeper is wrong.
 
This is what I call 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝗜𝗹𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.
 
Teams appear busy, but fewer capabilities are actually reaching production.
 
The real issue is usually coordination overhead.
 
As engineering teams scale, dependencies multiply, meetings increase, and integration complexity rises.
 
Execution slows even though activity increases.
 
Great engineering organizations design systems that protect delivery flow.
 
They do not simply add more developers.
 
#SoftwareDevelopment   #EngineeringLeadership  #TechLeadership

Great conversation with Michael Cieri on The Software Leaders UNCENSORED Podcast!

View company: The Software Leaders UNCENSORED Podcast

From product decisions to engineering priorities, designing for SMBs means meeting customers where they are, not where we assume they should be.

Host Steve Taplin and Michael Cieri, EVP of Software at BILL, emphasize an important point many leaders miss: SMB customer challenges are unique, and addressing them requires focus, empathy, and a genuine understanding of how these businesses truly function.

Check the full episode in the comments!

#AI
#BILL
#Podcast
#SteveTaplin
#MichaelCieri
#SonatafyTechnology
#SoftwareLeadersUncensored

Product failure rarely starts in engineering. 
It starts with a misaligned product strategy.
 
That is why Sonatafy Technology | Software Delivery Done Right, we introduced our Fractional CPO Enablement Offering.
 
Too many companies build features instead of outcomes. 
Roadmaps become wish lists. 
Engineering burns cycles. 
Customers do not feel the impact.
 
On the The Software Leaders UNCENSORED Podcast, the strongest product leaders always have one thing in common. Ruthless clarity.
 
Fractional product leadership gives you that clarity without committing to a full-time executive salary before you are ready.
 
Product discipline is leverage.

Stay tuned! New episode of The Software Leaders UNCENSORED Podcast drops tomorrow! Great talk with Todd Persen.

🎙️ New episode of The Software Leaders UNCENSORED Podcast drops tomorrow!

In this upcoming episode, host Steve Taplin is joined by Todd Persen, CTO of Hydrolix, for a deep dive into organizational structure and leadership alignment.

Todd shares his perspective on the importance of keeping product and engineering as separate reporting structures while ensuring they remain in constant communication.

The balance is critical: clear ownership and accountability on one side, continuous collaboration on the other. When product and engineering challenge and inform each other consistently, teams move faster and make better decisions.

Stay tuned.

#AI
#Podcast
#Hydrolix
#SteveTaplin
#ToddPersen
#SonatafyTechnology
#SoftwareLeadersUncensored

New episode of The Software Leaders UNCENSORED Podcast it's live! Great conversation, Martin Mrugal!

🎙️ Check out a new episode of The Software Leaders UNCENSORED Podcast!

This time, host Steve Taplin sat down with Martin Mrugal, CEO of Alchemer, to talk about the evolution of customer feedback platforms and why most companies still aren’t using their data effectively.

They dive into:
- How AI is transforming customer feedback analysis
- Why speed of innovation is now a competitive advantage
- The future of surveys (and why over-surveying can backfire)
- Turning customer feedback into operational improvement, not just market research
- Building a genuinely customer-centric culture
- Making tough CEO decisions, balancing customer demands with security and tech debt
- Why AI enhances development but still requires human oversight
Martin brings a pragmatic, operator-focused perspective on leadership, innovation, and making decisive moves in a fast-paced environment.

Check the full episode in the comments!

#AI
#Podcast
#Alchemer
#SteveTaplin
#MartinMrugal
#SonatafyTechnology
#SoftwareLeadersUncensored

I help busy founders and execs build a strong voice online without adding more to their plate.

I started by ghostwriting for a friend who wanted to grow his reach while staying focused on the work he was built to do. Since then, I’ve helped others do the same: showing up consistently, sharing what matters, and building trust at scale.

If you’ve got something to say but no time to say it, I can help.

Daniel Windler

It's ok to unsubscribe.  

I have to keep reminding myself of that.  

I sign up for a lot of those things.  The early access, the free tools, pdf's, and sometimes even for those paid courses/classes.  Once you do it, the emails start coming and they don't stop coming—Smash Mouth is playing somewhere— and now my inbox is a mess.  

And while I have the noblest intentions of catching up, at almost 300 unread (how I track what I still want to read), I'm hopelessly behind.  

So it's time to go unsubscribe from the people I keep meaning to read, but just don't have time.  And I'm sharing it with you, because I want to give you that permission to do the same.  Especially if your inbox is a mess and you keep deleting or ignoring emails the way I've been doing it.  

Thats it, thats the message.  Go have a great weekend, touch some grass, get some sun... and maybe unsubscribe from one or two things that aren't serving you right now.  You can always re-sub later.

Dan Windler

I ghostwrite LinkedIn social content for founders and executives.

How do you feel about team vs solo sports? 

I've missed most of the Olympics this year, but while driving home from the office I had the thought that I prefer team sports (for myself), in much the same way I prefer working on/with a team when it comes to building things.  

So more intra/entrepreneur than solopreneur.  

It might surprise some of you, but I can have a bit of an ego when it comes to doing things all on my own.  Real Jamie Tartt stuff (early season 1 of Ted Lasso Jamie).  And I think thats probably needed for solo sports and the like... but knowing that I can get a bit full of myself, I've avoided those kinds of endeavors.  

So instead I do team sports/business instead where I can still shine as a contributor, but I'm also able to elevate my teams play and help others shine.

How do you prefer to do business/sports?   Feel similarly or do you maybe go one way for business and another for sport?

Nobody cares about your synergistic flagpole with the ducks circling it. 

I've had clients and potential clients ask me about writing stuff that sounds like their competition. Usually with a dismissive wave to something off camera. "I want to sound like them, but better". 

There are better ways to operate than following industry norms.

Put another way, unless my clients is paying me to be a corporate shill, I don't want them sounding like some generic business book. I'm talking those posts that are wholly inoffensive, usually uninformative, and generally boring to read. 

You know the type cause you've read (or really skimmed) them. 

If your tired of having people scroll past you, your content, and your ideas, reach out and lets talk about how we can make you stand out in the sea of sameness.

Best of luck to the morning presenters and everyone making the trip to HIMMS this week.  Day after time change is always a rough one for most of us.  😁

"The richness of a quote is like the tip of an iceberg. It is the high point of a massive reality with a great deal of depth". 

My late friend Dr. Charlie (#drcharlie look him up) said that at some point and I wrote it down. As I sit here this Friday, going through some of his last thoughts, working on the book we were writing together, that statement above went through my head. 

I don't have any real business cta or anything with that, just something on my mind and I'm putting it back down 'on paper'. Hope it lands with someone.

Whats your "one tool"? 

Put another way, whats the one tool that you feel gives you the biggest bang for your buck? 

I'm looking for ways to be more productive, and 'organizing' on the whole, is at the bottom of my skills list (as well as being at the bottom of my "things I want to improve on" list). I can get into the 'why' of that later, but TLDR, I want to focus on my strengths because thats where I move the needle for myself and the businesses I support. 

Ok, so back to the question, what tool (s) do you use that you just can't live without?

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