On this week's episode of That Tech Pod, we sit down with Michel Langlois, a longtime engineering leader whose career spans the rise of modern networking, from scaling Cisco’s IOS platform to leading as CTO at Calix. He joins us to cut through the noise around AI in network security and talk about what’s actually happening under the hood.

We get into how AI is actually being used inside modern networks, replacing work that once depended on experienced engineers, and where it’s truly improving operations versus where it’s still overhyped. That naturally raises the bigger question: is AI making network engineers better, or starting to replace parts of the role? We also explore the growing risk to telecom and broadband infrastructure, how exposed access networks really are, and whether the industry is taking those threats seriously enough, along with whether AI is reducing alert fatigue or just creating smarter noise. To close, Michel shares lessons from decades of building and leading engineering teams, including how to keep AI efforts focused on real outcomes instead of endless experimentation, and what it takes to actually bring these technologies into production at scale.

Michel Langlois has spent nearly four decades at the center of network innovation, helping scale some of the most important software platforms in modern connectivity. At Cisco Systems, he helped build and lead the global IOS engineering organization as the company grew from a $1B business to more than $40B. At Juniper Networks, he overhauled Junos software development to improve speed, quality, and scale. And during a decade as CTO at Calix, he helped reshape the company’s product strategy and engineering culture, contributing to a fourfold increase in revenue and a tenfold jump in market cap.
Today, Langlois advises CEOs and boards during key growth inflection points, helping companies scale without breaking their engineering core. A Forbes Tech Council contributor and author of the Amazon bestseller Beyond the Code, he focuses on the intersection of AI-driven networking, cloud transformation, and organizational design.

This week Laura and Kevin sit down with Bruno Lecoq, CEO of BEMO, to talk about the reality of cybersecurity for small and mid-sized defense contractors. Bruno shares how he ended up leading a cybersecurity company and why smaller organizations, especially those connected to the defense supply chain, have become some of the most attractive targets for attackers. The conversation challenges the common belief that hackers only focus on big-name companies and instead explains what’s actually happening on the ground for organizations with 50 to 100 employees.

From there, we dig into the difference between security theater and real protection. Bruno explains why fear-driven compliance advice often leads companies to spend more money without meaningfully reducing risk, who benefits from that cycle, and where organizations tend to invest in tools that look impressive but don’t actually stop breaches. We also get into practical issues leaders overlook, like admin access and identity controls, which are often the simplest path into a company network. We wrap with a candid look at real-world constraints. If a company passes every audit but still gets breached, what does that say about compliance frameworks like CMMC, SOC 2, and NIST SP 800-171? And looking ahead, Bruno weighs in on what’s more likely to cause damage over the next five years: sophisticated AI-powered attacks or companies continuing to ignore the basic security controls that stop most breaches today.

Bruno Lecoq is the CEO of BEMO and a trusted voice in cybersecurity compliance for US-based small and mid-sized defense contractors. He works hands-on with business owners, IT leaders, and executives to turn complex regulatory frameworks into practical, achievable compliance outcomes. With deep expertise across CMMC, SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and NIST 800, Bruno is known for his calm, implementation-first approach. Rather than promoting fear or over-engineered solutions, he helps organizations align compliance requirements with the tools, processes, and systems they already use, particularly within Microsoft environments.

In this special Legalweek recap episode Laura and Kevin unpack everything that stood out at Legalweek 2026 in New York. This year’s conference felt different from the start. For the first time in decades, Legalweek moved from the Hilton to the Javits Center, giving the event a much larger, more energetic feel and bringing together thousands of lawyers, technologists, and legal operations professionals to talk about where legal tech is heading next.

A big theme throughout the week was the shift from AI hype to real-world use. Vendors and practitioners alike are moving past the early experimentation phase and focusing on how artificial intelligence actually fits into litigation workflows, document review, and investigations. Kevin and Laura share what they heard on the conference floor about the changing eDiscovery market, and how the growing complexity of legal matters is increasing the value of experienced teams alongside new technology.

The episode features conversations with industry leaders including Joey Seeber of Level Legal and Bryant Gauthier of PLUSnxt, who share their perspectives on where AI is genuinely helping legal teams and where expectations still outpace reality. We also pulled aside Dan Bellopede from Mitratech for a quick chat on his thoughts on the conference. Along the way, we cover the lighter side of the conference: creative booth marketing, the surprisingly weak swag this year, the parties and the conversations that make Legalweek as much about relationships as technology.

If you couldn’t make it to Legalweek this year, this episode offers a candid look at what people were really talking about, what trends actually matter, and how the legal tech industry may be evolving heading into the next year.