Advertise on podcast: Moonpig Technology Podcast

In this episode of the Moonpig Tech Podcast, Leon and Ariella are joined by VP of Engineering Shaun to explore engineering empathy — what it means, why it matters, and how it shapes the way engineers build products and work together.The conversation goes beyond writing good code, looking at the importance of understanding customers, appreciating the constraints and perspectives of teammates, and remembering that the systems we build will be maintained by other people long after the original work is done.They also discuss how empathy helps create trust and psychological safety, making it easier for teams to challenge ideas, surface problems early, have difficult conversations, and ultimately make better decisions. Along the way, they touch on pairing and mobbing, mentoring apprentices, communities of practice, and why building relationships can be every bit as important as technical expertise.

In this episode of the Moonpig Tech Podcast, Richard and new co-host Anj sit down with senior engineer Graham to hear how a frustrating, repetitive engineering task turned into Helix, an AI-powered tool for automating dependency upgrades at scale. Graham shares how the idea grew from a learning and development project into a Slack-based agentic workflow capable of identifying outdated dependencies, orchestrating upgrades across multiple repositories, and creating pull requests for engineers to review. With 205 pull requests created and 201 already merged, the results show how AI can take on developer toil without taking humans out of the loop. They also explore Helix's "Scout and Swarm" approach, the importance of visibility and traceability in AI-generated changes, and what it could mean to move dependency management from a reactive chore to a proactive, largely automated process.

Are meetings really the best way to get things done? Senior engineer Ash Grennan joins Leon and Rob to unpack the benefits of asynchronous communication—from inclusive practices to preventing burnout. Hear how Moonpig teams are balancing speed, depth, and autonomy, leveraging AI tools and structured workflows to communicate better and think deeper. Whether you're battling calendar overload or just looking to make your standups smarter, this episode is for you.

What really goes on behind the scenes of great product management? In this episode of the Moonpig Tech Podcast, Rob and Leon sit down with product leaders Anj Shingadia and Adelana Carty-Nwosu to unpack how Moonpig defines, shapes, and scales its product strategy. From setting OKRs and surfacing customer pain points, to influencing through storytelling and working in trios, we dive deep into the craft of product leadership—both for internal tools and customer-facing teams. Whether you're new to product or a seasoned PM, this is your backstage pass to how Moonpig makes it all work.

In this episode of the Moonpig Tech Podcast, hosts Ariella and Sam are joined by Peter (Head of AI) and Suche (VP of Engineering) to unpack one of the hottest trends in software right now: vibe coding. From rapid prototyping with LLMs to the blurred boundaries between product, design, and engineering, they explore what vibe coding really means—and what it doesn’t. Tune in for a deep dive into: The spectrum from copilot-style augmentation to full black-box buildsHow vibe coding is changing the engineer’s toolkit—and mindsetReal-world applications like Moonpig’s AI-driven sticker prototypeThe future of engineering as coordination, taste, and orchestrationWhy code correctness, architecture, and context still matter more than ever Whether you’re skeptical, curious, or fully onboard with GenAI-driven development, this episode is a must-listen for anyone thinking about where engineering is headed next.

Join Richard and Leon on the Moonpig Tech Podcast as they explore the power of rapid prototyping with Max Church from the AI team. Discover how Max transformed a bold idea—AI-generated stickers—into a live feature in record time, using lightweight tools, smart iteration, and real user feedback. From building a working prototype in just one week to navigating technical hurdles and model selection, this episode is a behind-the-scenes look at how Moonpig brings innovative ideas to life—quickly and creatively. Whether you’re a developer, designer, or product thinker, you’ll find inspiration in this story of moving fast and building smart.

What does it really mean to build products that people actually want to use? In this episode of the Moonpig Tech Podcast, hosts Ariella and Rob sit down with Ben, Moonpig’s Director of Product Design, to unpack what it takes to embed user-centric thinking into every corner of a business. From broken door handles to space-themed MRI scanners and handwritten cards, Ben shares the philosophy, processes, and practical tools behind designing experiences that solve real human problems—and spark joy. Whether you're a designer, engineer, marketer or just curious about the future of product development, this episode is packed with insights to help you think more like your user.

In this episode of the Moonpig Tech Podcast, hosts Sam and Leon sit down with Daniel Jeyes and Jake Smith to explore the evolution of platform engineering at Moonpig and the team's journey toward process automation. They dive into how the shift from traditional sysadmin tasks to infrastructure-as-code with Terraform has improved reliability, transparency, and scalability. A highlight of the discussion is their creation of a Slack-based permission escalation bot, built to streamline access to AWS resources without compromising security or auditability. The team shares how this innovation reduced engineering bottlenecks, empowered developers to take ownership, and embraced principles like least privilege and just-in-time access. Packed with practical insights, this episode offers a deep look at how thoughtful automation can transform engineering workflows.

In this episode of the Moonpig Tech Podcast, host Ariella is joined by our new co-host Rob and guests Julia Castillo Trujillo and Ross Lockhart to discuss their recent hackathon focused on accessibility. The team shares their personal motivations and highlights the work they did to improve accessibility on the Moonpig website—releasing eight impactful features in under eight hours.

In this episode of the Moonpig Tech Podcast, hosts Sam and Richard sit down with Principal Engineer Alexis Lowe to explore the intricacies of event-driven architecture (EDA) and how it's been implemented at Moonpig. Alexis dives deep into how events—such as order creation or user registration—are used to decouple systems, improve scalability, and boost resilience. The discussion touches on AWS tools like EventBridge, SQS, and DynamoDB, and explains concepts such as asynchronous messaging, eventual consistency, data projections, and idempotency.

Join Sam, Ariella, Richard Pearson, and Soph Yiangou as they explore the world of incident management, sharing insights and strategies for effectively handling unexpected challenges. Discover how we stay prepared and turn surprises into opportunities for growth.

Data Science Manager Francis Barrett joins Leon & Sam to explain what Data Science is, and how we use it at Moonpig.

CPTO Georgie Smallwood joins us to discuss her role as a technology exec at Moonpig Links FYI: For Your Improvement - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/847538

Ariella and Richard are joined by the incredible Rav Bumbra - founder of Cajigo. Together, they'll be diving into Cajigo's mission to empower more women into tech and exploring how Moonpig supports this journey.

Leon is joined by Principal Product Designer Hayley Cattlin-Weaver and Senior Software Engineer Jason Prouse who take us through five principles they formed during the build of one of Moonpig's recent innovative features.