{"podcast":{"title":"Elixir Mentor","slug":"elixir-mentor-6781463","podcast_index_feed_id":6781463,"rss_url":"https://api.riverside.com/hosting/8hGVuAbG.rss","website_url":"https://elixirmentor.com/","image_url":"https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/imports/podcasts/30cdf92b-ca9a-4b86-b31a-f30b97b8acc8/39230986-1707088652724-bd6c08947d02e.jpg","author":"Jacob Luetzow","episode_count":89,"summary":"Welcome to the Elixir Mentor Podcast, your go-to source for All Things Elixir. This show digs into the heart of the Elixir community, featuring interviews with enthusiasts and pioneers who share their stories and innovative projects that define our ecosystem. Each episode explores groundbreaking libraries and boundary-pushing applications shaping Elixir's future. We discuss best practices, emerging trends, and the latest tools and techniques. Perfect for developers at any stage of their Elixir journey, providing insights and inspiration. Join me as we explore the world of Elixir together.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-19T08:21:31.584613+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/elixir-mentor-6781463"},"episode":{"title":"Mike Ratliff on Building an Energy Tech Startup","slug":"mike-ratliff-on-building-an-energy-tech-startup","published_at":"2026-01-17T16:59:02+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/elixir-mentor-6781463/mike-ratliff-on-building-an-energy-tech-startup","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/elixir-mentor-6781463","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/elixir-mentor/episodes/Mike-Ratliff-on-Building-an-Energy-Tech-Startup-e3dps3e","audio_url":"https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/20afc6066233f15803500aeb29bea23ea76be08500d3d5e546e85aa35582ee09/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiJiNzUzZWZiNC03NTA1LTQzOGUtOWFlNy1jYWYyMGM2OGI3NjEiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiIzMGNkZjkyYi1jYTlhLTRiODYtYjMxYS1mMzBiOTdiOGFjYzgiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2NWZkZmEzYmUxMzQ5MzEzZjBiN2NjN2YiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvaW1wb3J0cy9wb2RjYXN0cy8zMGNkZjkyYi1jYTlhLTRiODYtYjMxYS1mMzBiOTdiOGFjYzgvZXBpc29kZXMvYjc1M2VmYjQtNzUwNS00MzhlLTlhZTctY2FmMjBjNjhiNzYxLzQxNjMwNDgwNy00NDEwMC0yLTYzNzdhOGRiMDg5YjkubXAzIn0=.mp3","summary":"In this episode of the Elixir Mentor Podcast, I chat with Mike Ratliff, a 30-year tech veteran and CTO currently building an energy tech startup. Mike shares his path from Ruby threading nightmares to leading 20-engineer Elixir teams, and how discovering the BEAM transformed his approach to building 24/7 grid systems. We dig into the technical challenges of power grid software, including distributed energy resource management, solar intermittency, and why utilities remain cautious about new technology. Mike explains how his current startup is tackling transmission interconnection problems using Elixir, and his plans to incorporate AI agents through the Jido framework. The conversation shifts to how AI is reshaping development teams and startup economics. Mike makes a compelling case for small, elite teams over large engineering organizations, sharing his philosophy on profit per headcount and why he believes we'll see one-person unicorn companies emerge. We discuss rethinking technical interviews for the LLM era, the Ash framework in production, and why great engineers become even greater with AI tools. Mike wraps up with hard-won startup wisdom: build painkillers not vitamins, learn to tell stories that move people, and understand that nobody buys on facts alone. Whether you're building energy infrastructure or SaaS products, this conversation offers practical perspective on scaling with small teams. Connect with Mike: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-ratliff-3096571/ Sponsors: - Paraxial.io: https://paraxial.io - Jido Discord: https://agentjido.xyz/discord SUPPORT ELIXIR MENTOR - Elixir Mentor: https://elixirmentor.com/?utm_source=elixir-mentor","meta_description":"In this episode of the Elixir Mentor Podcast, I chat with Mike Ratliff, a 30-year tech veteran and CTO currently building an energy tech startup. Mike sha…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":5746,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/elixir-mentor-6781463/episodes/mike-ratliff-on-building-an-energy-tech-startup/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/elixir-mentor-6781463/mike-ratliff-on-building-an-energy-tech-startup.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}